Chapter 63: Chapter 12

JOCELYN

The past few weeks have been dragging on. I’ve had company with me all day, every day. We’ve practically exhausted the entire TV guide, binge-watching shows and just chilling out. There have been a few minor hiccups, but nothing major. Today, the doctor gave us the green light, so we’re heading back to work. Our office is so crowded, it feels like there’s always a traffic jam in the hallways.

Nate and Mandy share an office, as do Carlos and Mary. Luis and Kerri are down the hall from Jessie and me. Kyle and Mary used to work at her old office, but after Larry left and never returned, we decided to close it and move them here. Jace and Cami have been busy with their senior year of school, and she’s been adjusting well.

I still feel nauseous sometimes, but it’s been getting better. By lunchtime, I’m usually ravenous. We’ve started having groceries delivered every Monday to keep up with the snacking. This morning, we arrived at the office and took the elevator up to our floor. As soon as the elevator doors open, Tania starts jumping up and down, squealing with excitement. She rushes over to hug me and walks with me to our office. We chat about what I’ve missed, and when I walk in, I find my desk covered in flowers and chocolates. I can’t help but squeal as I take it all in.

A cart is brought in so I can clear my desk. I’m slowly catching up on work when Mandy walks in to announce that lunch has arrived. I take Jessie’s hand and we walk to the lunchroom together. We’re enjoying our lunch when Nate bursts in, phone in hand.

“We have a problem! Jace can’t find Cami!”

***

JACE

About a week ago, Nate and I interviewed four seniors from my school who were looking for jobs. They were all hired and have become my right-hand guys. The twins, Jaequan and Taequan, I recognized from elementary school. They moved away for a few years during middle school, then came back for high school. Fred and Tanner are in a few of my classes, and I’ve known them for the past few years.

We’ve established a routine of checking in during school and meeting at Cami’s last class after school. Usually, she waits for us to arrive and then we all walk up to the front together. Today, we’re waiting for her to come out, but before we know it, everyone else has left. I look around and can’t see her anywhere. I rush into the classroom and find Mrs. Cargen.

“Mrs. Cargen, where’s Cami?”

“She was here today, but she left after getting a text. Is something wrong? She left all her stuff behind.”

I grab her things and run to the front of the school, calling Nate as I go.

“Nate, I can’t find Cami! She got a text during sixth period and left, but she never came back.”

“Okay, I’ll get everyone ready and send out a notice. Try to get some information from the school’s security cameras.”

I hang up and run to Tank and Frankie. They see the panic on my face and immediately draw their guns.

“Someone’s taken Cami. We need to check the security footage.”

We all rush into the front office and ask to see the security footage. We’re quickly shown into a room where the school resource officer, who works for us, starts going through the camera feeds.

“I need to see what happened on H-9. My girlfriend got a text during sixth period and left the classroom, and something’s happened to her!”

We watch as he rewinds the footage to the start of sixth period, then fast-forward a bit. About twenty minutes into the class, we see Cami leave the classroom and look at her phone as she walks around the corner of the building.

He switches to a different camera and inputs the time. From this angle, we see two men waiting with Tamara. I’m seething. That stupid bitch, I fucking warned her and she set this up.

They ambush Cami and we see her being dragged toward the woods that run along the edge of the school. They disappear from view when he switches to another camera. We can barely see them in the woods, but they’re beating her up and then they all scatter.

I run out of the front office with everyone following me, heading straight for the woods. I can’t run fast enough. I swear, if I find them, I’m going to kill them all.

I reach the area where they disappeared and start calling for Cami, but there’s no response. We’re all scrambling, trying to find exactly where she is, when I spot some blonde hair through the trees.

I scream and run toward her. When I reach her, I see that she’s barely breathing and unconscious. I pick her up and start running toward the front of the school, where an ambulance is pulling in.

Someone must have called it when we met the resource officer and explained who the people were. I send Frankie with Cami in the ambulance while Tank and my boys load up with me. We have a house to visit. I call Nate to tell him we found her and that we’ll meet them at the hospital soon.

I give Tank the address and as we pull up, I have my guys surround the house. I walk up to the front door and knock. As soon as Tamara opens the door, the color drains from her face. Her dad, Kevin, is standing there when I walk in. I grab her arm, drag her to the couch, and throw her onto it.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Why the hell aren’t you asking your own daughter that question, Tamera? Why am I even in your house?”

“I…I don’t know?”

I draw my gun, aiming it at her head. Just then, her mother, Kassie, walks in, panic written all over her face.

“The school has cameras, you know! You’re not as smart as you think, Tamera! I warned you to stay away from my girlfriend, didn’t I? DIDN’T I? Yet, you colluded with her parents to not only kidnap her but also beat her to the point where she’s barely hanging on to life!”

“Tamera, you did what? Please tell me this isn’t true!”

“Dad, I’m meant to be with him! Not that…that trash!”

“Jace, I swear I had no idea my daughter was capable of this. I understand your anger and your desire for revenge. I don’t blame you. Can we talk privately in the kitchen for a moment?”

I nod, signaling Tank to keep an eye on Tamera. As we step into the kitchen, Kassie follows us, her face a mask of distress. I can’t blame her. This is not the situation they expected to be dealing with ten minutes ago.

“I get why you’re angry, Jace, and I don’t blame you. We just found out a few days ago that Tamera is pregnant. We were already planning on moving far away from here, and now it’s even more necessary.

“Please, Jace, let her leave with me tonight. We’ll go to my sister’s place a few states away. I promise you, she won’t come back. If she does and you find her, we understand the consequences and we’ll explain that we can’t save her a second time.”

“I shouldn’t even be considering this, and you know it. You’ve been working with my father at our company for the last fifteen years. So, I’ll let you take her away. But—and this is a big but—if my girlfriend dies, so does Tamera. No exceptions. If she ever sets foot in this town again, I will kill her. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear. You won’t see our daughter again. Tamera, go pack your bags. You’re leaving tonight.”

As I head back to the living room, Tamera starts to protest.

“Dad, I don’t want to leave. That’s not fair.”

I stride over to her, pressing the barrel of my gun against her forehead. Tears start to stream down her face.

“Listen to me very carefully. Leave this town immediately. If you come back, I will kill you. If my girlfriend dies, I will hunt you down, regardless of your pregnancy. If you so much as approach this town, I will kill you.”

She just nods, walking away to pack her bags. I shout out to my guys to get ready and meet me out front. We pile into the car and speed off to the hospital. I need to see my girl. Tank drives as fast as he can, and when we pull up to the hospital, we all rush into the emergency room. My dad is there, and he leads me to her room.

She’s hooked up to all sorts of machines. I brace myself against the door frame as my dad guides me to a chair next to her. I sit down and just stare, tears welling up in my eyes. I’m terrified to even touch her. The steady beep of her heart monitor is the only reassurance I have that she’s still alive. I glance at my dad, who’s knelt down next to me.

“Jace, son, she’s in a lot of pain, but thank God you found her. If you’d been any later, she might not have survived. She has some broken bones and ribs that will take time to heal. They’ve put her in a medically induced coma to help her body recover. She’s also suffered some head trauma, and they’re monitoring a small bleed in her brain. Do you know who did this?”

“Her parents, with Tamera’s help. Tamera’s leaving town tonight, and her parents know that if Cami dies, so will she.”

“Why didn’t you take care of her right then and there, Jace?”

“They just found out she’s pregnant. I saw the test. I couldn’t bring myself to kill her and the unborn child.”

“Damn, Jace, that’s heavy. I understand, though. Her parents know we’ll be watching them. We need to find Cami’s parents, too.”

“Once Cami’s out of the hospital, we’ll find her parents. I want her in the room when we confront them. She deserves closure!”

“I agree. She and Mandy should be there together.”

Now, all we can do is wait. Please, Cami, I need you here with me. I gently lift her hand, kissing it and holding it against my face as I let the tears fall. I finally found her, and this is where we are. I think about the ring I have at home. As soon as she wakes up, I’m going to propose.