Truth is in the Darkness (Paynes Creek Thriller Book 2) Read online

  A dark body rushed in, and just as I was about to scream, Mr. Mob Boss placed a hand over my mouth. His other arm circled around my body and held me tight.

  “Aren’t you everything that was promised.”

  I managed a muffled scream as he pushed me back into the wall.

  “Be a good little girl,” he said. “This will go much smoother for you if you obey.”

  He released my mouth, and I screamed, despite his warning. But then I felt a pinch to my arm and realized he had stuck me with a needle. Almost instantly, my body broke out into a sweat, and I lost the strength to fight back.

  I opened my mouth to yell, but this time only a low groan escaped. He went in and out of focus, but I tried to memorize his facial features—the hard lines of his jaw, the thin scar across his chin, the fullness of his lips. His dark brown eyes were nearly black, and they seemed to light up as my own eyes became lazier and lazier.

  He pushed me to arm’s length. I swayed on my feet, but he held me firm. I watched as he took in the sight of my body, his gaze moving from my face and slowly down to my feet. I was wearing a fitted shirt that scooped low in the front, a light sweater, and tight jeans. I had wanted to look good for Coop, so I’d worn his favorite color—green, because it matched my eyes. I almost laughed at the ridiculous thought. Clearly, whatever this man had given me was taking effect.

  “You’ll do nicely,” he said. His lips peeled back, revealing perfectly straight teeth. His two front teeth were capped, or possibly implants. “I have just the client in mind for you. But maybe I’ll keep you for myself for a little test drive first.” He let one of his hands slide down my side. He stopped around my rib cage and allowed a thumb to graze one of my breasts.

  I flinched at the touch and tried to pull away, but it was no use. My mind was clear, but my body refused to obey my urgent commands to kick, bite, fight, or scream.

  His smile vanished, and a look of anger burned in his eyes. “You’ll need a little training first. You’re certainly undisciplined. But after that? You’ll fetch top dollar.”

  As the drug spread through my bloodstream, I relaxed against him, and his grip around me also relaxed. “That’s my good girl,” he said, smoothing my hair behind me.

  When had I become his girl? I lifted a hand to push at his chest, but there was no strength behind it. This man was going to rape me, and I was powerless to stop him.

  “Now, we’re going to go for a little ride.” He ran a thumb over my lips. “And if you’re a good girl, there will be a reward for you when we get where we’re going.”

  Three

  Coop

  I regretted the way our night had ended.

  Watching her taillights disappear, I could think only one thing: I had to catch up to her. I had to tell her that everything was going to be fine. She would go to her dream school in New York, become a famous artist and writer, and I would go to the University of Kentucky. We would see each other every chance we got. We would make it work, and when we graduated—college was only four years, after all—we would make sure we lived in the same place. Someplace far away from Paynes Creek.

  This didn’t have to be difficult.

  I raced back to the spot where, moments before, I had made love to the love of my life. That was what she was to me. That was how I knew we would figure things out. It didn’t matter how young we were. We were meant to be together.

  Man, if there was ever a time to have a mobile phone, this was it. But neither of us could afford one.

  I gathered up the cooled candles and the blankets I had brought for the occasion, stuffed them into the canvas bag I had taken from my parents’ coat closet, returned to my truck, and threw the bag across the seat. But when I went to start the truck, my keys weren’t in the ignition.

  “Shit!” I checked the console, the passenger seat, all of my pockets. Closing my eyes, I mentally retraced my steps. “Dammit.” I’d set them down when I was lighting the candles, and never picked them back up again. Which meant they were still lying on the ground.

  I retrieved a flashlight from the glove compartment, raced back to where I’d spread the blanket, and searched. I found the keys, but it took me a few minutes, and by this point, I knew I would never catch up with Lil. Even if I drove straight to her house, she would be inside before I got there.

  Back in my pickup, I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel. I couldn’t catch Lil tonight, but I would talk to her tomorrow. I would convince her that nothing could ever change how I felt about her. I would not make her feel like she had to go to the University of Kentucky. If she gave up her New York dream for me, I would never forgive myself. And I couldn’t live with the look in her eyes if she one day regretted that decision.

  She and I could have everything and be together.

  Hell, we’d at least try.

  Four

  Lil

  As the man slid an arm around me and guided me toward the black sedan, I felt like my feet were barely touching the ground. If there had been anyone else around, they might’ve figured the man was just helping his stumbling drunk girlfriend back to the car before she passed out cold. I tried to resist him, but I was helpless against the effects of whatever drug he’d injected me with. If he let go of me, I wouldn’t even be able to stand.

  I thought he was going to shove me in the back seat, but instead he brought me around to the back of the car. When the trunk popped open, a new panic bloomed in my chest.

  Again I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Tears and the drug blurred my vision, but I saw another person walking over to us—the gas station clerk.

  “Remember what I said about being a good girl,” the man said against my face. He reeked of cigarette smoke and bad cologne.

  As if I weighed nothing, he picked me up and tossed me in the trunk. The door slammed closed on top of me, immersing me in darkness.

  I fought the desire to cry. I still wished like hell that I had ridden with Coop. But Coop wasn’t here, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I had to fight. I had to get out of this car.

  I could hear voices. “Did you get the security tapes?” the man asked.

  I didn’t hear the clerk’s answer, but I assumed she had done what he asked. No one was going to find me. I had to focus. I had to think.

  I heard a car door opening and closing, then the man spoke again. Except—no, it wasn’t Mr. Mob Boss this time. It was another male voice. I didn’t remember there being another person. Was this the tattooed boy gassing up? Or had someone else been in Mr. Mob Boss’s car, hidden behind the dark windows?

  Against my mental haze, I tried to listen.

  “Take her car,” Mr. Mob Boss said. “Get rid of it.”

  “Where should I take it?” This new voice was younger, maybe.

  I closed my eyes. Everything was spinning.

  “I don’t care what the fuck you do with it. Just get it done quickly.”

  Again I heard the opening and closing of a car door, then the engine turning over. The car started to move.

  Somehow I found the strength to move. Maybe the drug was wearing off, or maybe it was adrenaline, but I managed to roll over onto my stomach. As I felt around for something to use as a weapon, my arms felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each.

  I found nothing.

  I distantly recalled a long-ago conversation with my cousins about what would ever happen if we found ourselves stuck in a trunk. The three of us—Bryn, Drew, and I—were hanging by Grammy’s pool, and though I didn’t know how we’d gotten on the subject, I did my best to remember it now.

  Drew had told Bryn and me that the first thing to do was to fight like hell to not be stuffed in a trunk in the first place. We laughed at that. Then he said that if we failed and got locked inside, we should immediately find the wiring for the brake lights and jerk them loose. Disconnecting the wires might draw the attention of the police.

  It was worth trying.

  I felt around until my fingers found what h
ad to be the wires I was searching for. I grabbed the thin wires, and with the little energy I could muster, I yanked. I was too tired to wiggle around and reach the other side. Hopefully this would do.

  Soon after, the car braked hard, sparking a feeling of nausea. I swallowed hard against it and watched the lights.

  The brake light didn’t light up on the side where I’d pulled the wires.

  I’d succeeded with the first thing Drew had ordered us to do. I rewarded myself with a moment of resting my head and closing my eyes. I was so tired.

  I must have drifted off. When I woke again, the car was still moving. Faster now. I wanted to cry, but I knew it wouldn’t help. I thought of Cooper. He loved me. We were happy. We had plans to get out of this town.

  I could hear Drew’s voice from that day by the pool. “You have to get out of that car.” And I could hear Coop’s voice, too. If he were here, he’d be yelling at me the way he often did to encourage me when we jogged together. “You got this, Lily Pad,” he would say.

  Coop played football—wide receiver—and in order to stay in shape, he ran. During the busy football season, I discovered that running with him was a good way for us both to get out of the house and spend time together. I was slower than Coop, but he always pushed me to improve.

  You got this, Lily Pad.

  Drew had said that most vehicles have a cable along the driver’s side that serves as an emergency trunk release. Fortunately for me, Mr. Mob Boss had dropped me so that my head was on the driver’s side of the car. Thank God for small favors. I felt around again for the cable Drew had described.

  I found nothing.

  The car made a sharp turn. I rolled, hitting my head on something hard. I lay there with my eyes closed for a few seconds, once again struggling to concentrate. The car had slowed. Were we about to stop? Or was this just a perfect opportunity for me to get out before we sped up again.

  I thought back to the conversation with Drew. He’d said something else: “Sometimes the cable is hidden beneath the carpet in the trunk.”

  As I let my fingers roam along the carpet, I came across something that felt damp and a little bit gooey. I had to fight back ideas of what the substance might be.

  After wiping my hands on my jeans, I reached again for the edge of the carpet. Using my fingernails, I clawed at it until I could pull part of it back.

  The car slowed again, and a new fear had my hands shaking: What if we arrived where we were going before I found a way out of this car?

  No. I couldn’t let my mind wander there.

  I continued to dig beneath the sticky, coarse carpet until my fingers ran across exactly what I had hoped to find: a cable.

  Please let this be the emergency trunk release.

  The car began to speed up again. I didn’t care. I was not going to stick around to find out what Mr. Mob Boss had planned for me.

  I yanked on the cable.

  The trunk popped open.

  Even in my hazy, drugged state, I somehow heaved myself out of the car. It felt like falling off a cliff. And after what felt like an eternity, I hit the pavement, rolled, and met intense pain before everything went black.

  Five

  Coop

  When I woke the next morning—a Saturday—I immediately grabbed the cordless phone and dialed Lil’s number. I’d slept restlessly, still hating how we’d ended an otherwise perfect night.

  Lil’s mom answered. “Hello?” She sounded like she’d just woken. Or she was upset about something.

  I glanced at the clock. It was ten a.m. Early, but not ridiculously so. “Ms. Thomas? Is Lil around?”

  “Listen to me, you little jerk. If you had something to do with what happened to my Calla Lily—”

  Her words were cut off, followed by a shuffling sound.

  “Ms. Thomas?” I said, confused.

  A light knock sounded on my bedroom door.

  “Cooper, honey?” My mom pushed open the door and walked in, followed by my dad. “The police are here to talk to you.” Worry filled the lines between her eyes.

  Lil’s mom’s words repeated inside my head. If you had something to do with what happened to my Calla Lily…

  A heavy weight pressed against my chest as I hung up the phone and set it back on my nightstand.

  My dad stepped past my mom, his face devoid of all emotion. “Cooper, tell me everything about last night.”

  “What are you talking about?” I looked at the phone. “Ms. Thomas said something about Lil.” A full-on panic was now building in my chest. “Is she okay?”

  “Coop…”

  I rolled out of bed, yanked on my discarded jeans from the night before, and pushed past my parents. I hurried down the hallway and found two uniformed police officers waiting just inside the front door.

  “What’s going on?” I asked them.

  The officers traded looks. One of them took off his hat, revealing a bald head—by choice, I reasoned, since he appeared to be fairly young—and tucked the hat under his arm. The other, a woman in her thirties with short blond hair, took a step closer to me. “Cooper Adams?”

  “Yes.” I had done nothing wrong, but their presence made me nervous, and I was terrified that Lily had been in an accident.

  “I’m afraid there’s been an incident.”

  Incident, I repeated in my mind. Not accident. “What the hell is an incident?” I looked from Blondie to Baldie.

  “I’m Officer Rankin,” Blondie said. “This is my partner, Officer Bale.”

  They hadn’t read me my rights, but I took the opportunity to remain silent until someone told me what was going on.

  “Were you with Lily Thomas last night?”

  My parents hovered behind me, standing just inside the living room. “We told them you were here all night,” my mother said. “Did you talk to Lily, honey?”

  I looked from her to Officer Rankin. My fingers were balled into tight fists. “Can someone, please, just tell me if Lil is okay?” I spoke in a low voice. I was afraid if I tried to speak in a normal voice, I would start yelling.

  “Lil is in the hospital,” my mom said. “She’s stable.”

  The room began to spin. “Stable? Was she in an accident?”

  “How about you answer a few questions for us, then we’ll tell you more about Lil’s condition,” Officer Bale said. “A little quid pro quo,” he added.

  I knew the meaning of quid pro quo. I was currently taking a mock trial legal class. It was meant to be a fun, easy-A elective—an excuse to watch true crime documentaries and discuss them in class—but I had enjoyed it very much and was taking it very seriously. And thinking about what I had learned in that class, I knew that though my rights hadn’t been read and though I wasn’t guilty of anything, these cops were looking for me to admit to something.

  I turned to my parents. “Do you know what’s going on? I’m not answering any questions until I know what happened and if Lil is okay.”

  “Honey,” my mom said. “Just answer the officers’ questions.”

  “No. They can take me to the police station if they’d like, but they’re speaking to me as if I’m being interrogated for something, and I don’t even know what’s going on. So no, I will not answer their questions.”

  The two officers again traded looks, then shrugged. “Fine,” Officer Rankin said. “We can do this at the station.”

  “No,” my dad said. “Coop! You will answer their questions.”

  “Dad,” I said, looking him in the eye. “Do you believe I could ever hurt Lil?”

  Dad stared at me for several seconds. He knew me. And he’d always told me he would trust my word as long as I didn’t give him a reason not to. His face softened, and his shoulders slumped forward.

  “No,” he said. “Of course you couldn’t.” He turned to the police officers. “My son will cooperate. But he will do so in the presence of our lawyer and myself. Unless you are going to arrest him right now, we will meet you at the police station after he has had th
e opportunity to dress.”

  Officer Rankin’s lips thinned into a straight line. She seemed to consider her choices. Finally, she pulled a radio from her waist. “Give me a moment.” She turned and stepped outside. I could hear her speaking into the radio, but the sound was muffled.

  Officer Bale rocked back on his heels. His eyes stayed on me.

  I turned back to my father. “Why can’t anyone just tell me what happened?”

  Officer Rankin stepped back inside. “Cooper. We are investigating an assault on Lily Thomas. Very early this morning, a couple found her drugged on the side of the road just outside Paynes Creek. She’s been unconscious ever since.”

  My breath caught. I wanted to protest. To tell everyone standing in that room that there had to be a mistake. But when I started to speak, Officer Rankin lifted a hand to stop me.

  “At this time, we’re just looking for information. We have reason to believe you were with Miss Thomas last night. Lily’s mother claims her daughter snuck out of the house to be with you.”

  Moisture stung my eyes. “Will she be all right?” I asked in a soft voice.

  So many thoughts flooded my mind. Mostly I was concerned for Lily. But I also knew that as soon as I told them that I had been with Lil the night before, I would become their number one suspect—which would greatly reduce the chances that the police would follow other leads and find whoever actually did this. Lily needed to wake up soon and tell them what happened.

  “The doctors say that her injuries are minor. A bruise on her head, a sprained wrist, and a lot of scrapes.”

  I wanted to ask them if someone had raped her. Just considering that prospect had me balling a hand into a fist and touching it to my forehead.

  I had made love to her last night, so I knew what a physical examination would reveal. If they were looking for DNA, they’d find mine.