Page 51 of Seeking Peace

"I can just borrow your computer when I need it."

"Nope. You'll have your own."

"Damnit, Ember." She stomps her foot.

"Stop being a brat, Scar."

Scarlett crosses her arms over her chest and pouts. "I'm not being a brat."

I side-eye her with a raised brow. "Mmhm."

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes.

When we get to the register and she sees the total, her eyes bug out.

"Relax." I pull out my credit card and swipe it through the card reader.

"I'm going to pay you back every penny, Em. I promise," my baby sister says as we make our way out of the store.

"No, you won't," I counter.

"You're so damn bossy," she grumbles, making me laugh.

"Yeah, well, get used to it. That's what big sisters are for: to boss their little sisters around."

"Is that so?"

I bump Scarlett's shoulder. "Yep. Those are the rules."

She links her arm with mine. "Thank you, Em."

"You're welcome."

As we approach my car, I notice the woman parked beside me struggling to get a baby stroller into the back of her vehicle. The closer we get, the better I see why. Her left arm is in a cast. "Need some help?" I rush to offer my assistance.

The woman looks frazzled but still offers a warm smile. "Oh, thank you so much. It's not easy maneuvering this thing with one hand." She holds up her casted arm.

"I can see that." I grip the closing mechanism on either side of the stroller and pull back, folding it in half. I'm just about to lift in into the back of her car when the sound of screeching tires catches my attention. I whip around to see a white van come to a halt right in front of us. The side door slides open, and three men jump out. Moving into action, I turn to grab my sister but stop short when I see the lady I was just helping holding a gun to my sister's head. She smirks. "Night, night." Then she brings the butt of the gun down on Scarlett's temple. I don't have time to react, because a second later, everything goes black.

I wake up some time later, disoriented and encased in darkness. For a moment, I think I'm waking from a dream, until I become aware of a dull throb at the base of my skull. Confusion sets in, because my eyes are open, yet darkness surrounds me. I try to move, but something is holding me in place. Then I realize my wrists are bound behind my back, and I'm sitting upright on a hard surface. Something is covering my head, and I panic. I try to fight against my restraints, but the ropes tied around my wrists and ankles rub painfully against my skin. I cry out in pain when I feel my flesh tear, and something wet seeps down my palm.

"Ember?" I hear my name being called, but it sounds muffled.

"Scarlett? Are you there?"

"Oh my god, Ember," she chokes out. "What's going on? I can't see, and I can't move." My sister's words come out in a panic. "My head hurts," she sobs.

"It's going to be okay. Scarlett."

"It's not going to be okay!" my sister cries. "Someone kidnapped us, Ember! Who were those men? What do they want?"

"I don't know, but I need you to calm down, okay?"

Scarlett continues to sob. "We're going to die. I don't want to die."

"You're not going to die, Scarlett. I won't let that happen." The lie rolls off my tongue, causing a knot of dread to form in the pit of my stomach. The truth is, I don't know what's going to happen or what is going on.

"Scarlett, listen to me. Someone had to have seen something and called the police. Grey, Reid, and Austin will expect us back at the clubhouse. When we don't show, they'll go looking for us." This time I don't lie. Blake has been texting every few hours to keep tabs on everyone. When I don't answer, he'll worry. It will take him only a short time to figure out something isn't right.

---