Page 167 of Straight to Me

A heavy weight feels like it’s crushing me. My mind starts racing. “What did he look like?”

“He was the short guy, wearing the black hoodie. I only saw him from the car when he picked Lauren up, but it was him.”

“You’re sure it was him, with Lauren?”

“Positive.”

My jaw clenches rapidly. “How does he know Lauren?”

“I don’t know.”

My hollowed face turns dark as I weigh up the possibility that it was more than mere coincidence he was here. From her pocket, Mads’s phone starts ringing. I scratch my head trying to make sense of it all.

“Dean,” she says solemnly. I check her phone where she’s holding it out for me to see.

“Answer it.”

Chapter Forty-One

"Lauren, you need to calm down, I can’t hear what you’re saying!” She’s frantic, frightened even. “I need you to slow down so I can help you,” I tell her.

“Mads...you...need to come...get me,” she sobs uncontrollably down the phone. VP mouths for me to put her on speaker so he can hear. I pull the phone from my ear and hit the loudspeaker button.

“Where are you?” I ask. There’s silence. Even her crying stops. “Lauren? LAUREN!” My eyes find VP’s, the worry that she could be in trouble sends my heart rate through the roof.

“The old mill… that burned down.”

His eyes widen. VP had started that fire. That was Sodom Saviour territory.

Before it even registers, I’m running to his bike with VP following behind me. “Stay there, we’re coming!”

“Both of you?”

“Yes, we’ll be there as soon as we can, hold on!”

“Mads, I can go get her, you stay here with Travis!”

He points for me to go back inside, but I’m already climbing on the back of his bike. “No! She needs me! I promised I’d be there if she was ever in trouble. VPpleasewe don’t have time!” He gives me an angry look but opens the side box handing me the helmet.

It takes just under twenty-five minutes to get there. VP rides fast and I hold on tight, keeping my body pushed against his back.

We turn onto the road leading to the disused mill where police tape cordons off one half of the entrance attached to a main gate. On the other side, the gate’s broken open.

We ride through, pulling to a stop near the main doors—what’s left of them anyway. They’re completely decimated by the fire VP started. The old derelict building’s nothing but a carcass, a charred shell of its former glory.

There’re no other cars or signs that anyone else is here. We both remove our helmets quickly. As I start to run to look for Lauren, VP grabs my hand, stopping me.

“What’re you doing?” he says, pulling me closer.

“We need to go find her!”

“Mads, stay here!” he orders. “If Lauren’s in there, I’ll get her out to you.”

“But—” I protest.

“But nothing!” He cuts me off. “Just stay here! Please.”

The way he says please makes me stop. “Okay. Hurry!” He nods. Then he turns and runs to the side of the building out of my line of sight.

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