Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (34 page)

“Do you know anyone who might fit this description?” Dimber asked, pulling my attention back.

“I don’t know anyone who would be capable of this.” I tried to think of everyone I knew who could fit that description, but I kept picturing Cassie’s lifeless body in that wedding dress.

“Concentrate, Bridget. Do you know any brothers or a father and son who disappear for long periods of time without explanation? They might seem charming and harmless to everyone, including you.” Dimber said.

“I don’t know.” I couldn’t think straight. It all seemed to be too confusing.

“You need to think. We need you to tell us what you know.” Wilcox snapped impatiently.

“All those brainiacs on your staff, and
I’m
the only hope at finding her?” I asked, not wanting that to be true. They were the FBI; they had to be able to find her. They gave each other yet another look, but this one I could decipher without telepathy. I
was
their only lead.
That was just great
. “What are you doing to find Cassie?”

“Everything we can.” Dimber attempted to reassure me, but I could see right through his fake confidence. They weren’t any closer to finding her than I was. By the time I left the office, I was even more set in my resolve to find her myself. I knew her better than anyone else, and I had the best chances of getting her out alive.

Eli met me outside of the school, and we headed over to his house where Tiffany, Grey, and Hail were waiting for us. This was the perfect opportunity for me to grill Tiffany over that night with Cassie.

Tiffany had brought a photo album with pictures of Nicole that they were looking through. I could tell Grey was trying to hold it together, but he was one sympathetic word from breaking down.

“Hey, Tiffany, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked her. She handed the photo album to Hail and followed me into the hallway.

“What’s up, B?” She asked after I shut the door behind us. I winced at how much she sounded like Cassie, right then. It reminded at how close the two of them had been getting. Now wasn’t the time for jealousy, though. I needed to focus.

“Have you heard from Cassie, lately?” I asked, hopeful. Maybe she
was
simply avoiding me and was off with some guy in Omaha. I knew it was pointless to hope, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“Not since Tuesday night. Why?” She asked. Obviously, the police hadn’t bothered questioning her, which only proved my theory on how little they knew.

“She might be missing.” Her eyes went wide at that. “What did you guys do Tuesday night?” I asked.

“She’s missing? Are you sure?” She shook her head in disbelief but didn’t say anything else. “Um, well, I was super wasted, so I don’t remember much. We went back to Club Ice and danced with a few guys.”

“Did you guys go home together?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so.” She appeared to be wracking her brain for the memories from that night. “Oh, I remember. She was talking to some guy, I think. She seemed pretty into him. She told me to leave without her, so I did.”

“Do you remember what the guy looked like?” I asked, perking at the prospect of a lead.

“No. All I can remember are his eyes. They were dark green.”

“That’s all you can give me? He had green eyes?” I asked, my irritation ringing clear in my words.

“I’m sorry, but like I said, I was drunk.” She shrugged.

“Do you remember if you knew him?” I asked.

“I think so, but I can’t remember. Like I said…”

“You were drunk, I know. Well, if you remember anything else, let me know, please.” I told her.

“Will do.” She slinked back into Eli’s bedroom.

As disappointing as that was, I
had
learned
something
useful. Cassie was last seen at Club Ice with a green eyed man that she may or may not have known.
Yeah, like that narrowed it down.

I followed Tiffany into the room and sat down next to Eli on the floor. He had grabbed his guitar and was playing a slow song that seemed to have Grey in deep thought. His pained expression bit at my heart. A few minutes later, Sam stuck his head into the room.

“Eli, we need to go take care of that
thing
, remember?” He gave Eli a pointed look.

“Can’t it wait?” Eli asked, setting his guitar down beside him.

“It’s too time sensitive.” Sam narrowed his green eyes into a glare.

Green eyes?
How’d I not think of Sam when Tiffany had said green eyes? But no, it couldn’t be? Could it?
No
, because that would mean Eli was helping him, and Eli would
never
do that.

But they
were
brothers. Plus, they always disappeared without much explanation, and Eli always seemed to be helping Sam with things he never told me about.
No, Eli was with me that night.
But Sam wasn’t. A lump of panic lodged itself in my throat as dread filled my lungs, leaving no room for oxygen. I shifted my gaze, staring intently at the floor, not wanting Sam to notice my change in mood.

“Okay, well, we need to take Bridget home, first.” Eli stood up.

He held out his hand to help me up. I hesitated as I stared at it for a moment. I decisively took his hand, telling myself I would not jump to conclusions. If I was going to accuse Eli of anything, I would have some hard evidence, first.

As they led me to the garage, the list of clues rang through my head.
The killers were brothers, one dominant and one submissive.
Although I wouldn’t necessarily call Eli submissive, he did seem to come running anytime Sam needed something.
They might seem charming and harmless to everyone, including you.
Charming? That they were.
They disappear for long periods of time without explanation.
Check. In fact, they were about to drop me off and disappear without explanation, right now.
He had dark green eyes.
Sam glanced back at us and my eyes met his. A shiver ran down my spine. Check.

Eli noticed my shiver and wrapped his arm around me. I leaned into his embrace, and my nerves calmed down. I didn’t care what the detectives thought; Eli
couldn’t
be helping Sam. I had no doubt that Sam would be capable of something like that but not Eli. He would never knowingly help Sam with something so horrific. Now, I only needed to prove Sam was the killer and that Eli had nothing to do with it. Easy peasy, right?

We passed by four luxury cars but stopped in front of an old, white van. I was surprised when Sam unlocked the doors and climbed into the driver’s seat. Eli slid open the side door. All but one of the back seats had been removed.

“What happened here?” I asked, knowing that even if they were tying girls up and throwing them back here, they wouldn’t admit it in a million years.

“Eli needed the space to haul his band equipment.” Sam answered, even though I had asked Eli.

“Oh.” I crawled into the back. Eli followed behind me, sitting on the lone bench seat. “So, where are you guys going?” I asked after a few minutes.

“We have some business to attend to.” Sam answered, once again.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t hang out longer, today.” Eli whispered, tugging me closer to him.

I nuzzled my face into his shoulder. Being this close to him reminded me of the night we had come so close to having sex. My instincts then had told me I could trust him, and that hadn’t changed. My gut still said he wasn’t a part of this.

“That’s okay. We can do something tomorrow.” I assured.

My phone beeped from inside my purse. I dug around trying to find it. When had my purse gotten so cluttered? I finally spotted it and tugged it out. My hand had grabbed a piece of paper along with my phone. I instantly recognized it as the receipt I had found in Eli’s car before we went to that first drag race; the one that placed him at the mall at the time of one of the abductions. My breath caught as doubt swirled through my gut. What if I was wrong? What if Eli was helping Sam? Didn’t this receipt prove that he was? No, Sam could’ve used Eli’s car that day. I knew that was denial talking, but I wanted so badly for it to be true. I wanted him to be innocent of this.

“Everything okay?” Eli asked.

I tucked my phone and the receipt back into my purse and gave him a nod. I was quiet for the rest of the car ride back to Waverly. I thought of what it would mean if they were the killers. It would mean that they had Cassie tied up somewhere, and, if Rosalie was right, they wanted to kill me. I suddenly became all too aware that I was alone in a van with them. My body tensed up under Eli’s arm. I tried to relax my muscles, but it was no use.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Eli asked.

“Yeah, I’m just getting car sick.” I lied. The concern that filled his eyes filled me with guilt. How could I possibly think Eli would want to kill me?

“We’re almost there.” He told me. I glanced out the window and realized we were already in Waverly.

“Dammit, the gas light just came on. Does this rinky-dink town have a gas station?” Sam asked from the front seat.

“Yeah, just around the corner.” I told him as he parked in front of my house.

Eli hopped out of the van and helped me out. He drew me close to him and kissed me. I didn’t know how to respond, and it made for an awkward kiss. He gave me an expression of confusion but didn’t call me on it.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” He waited for me to nod before he climbed back into the van, this time sitting in the passenger seat. I watched the van disappear around the corner as I planned my next move.

Aiden

Aiden was watching from beside his porch when Eli and Sam dropped Bridget off. He expected her to go inside, but she didn’t. She glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Aiden crouched down low so she wouldn’t see him. After a few seconds, she took off in the direction the van had headed.
What are you up to, Bridget?
Aiden followed her, keeping enough distance so she wouldn’t notice him. She slowed down when she came to the gas station down the road. She peeked around the corner at something that Aiden couldn’t see.

After a few seconds, she darted around the corner so fast that Aiden barely had time to react. He raced over to where she had been and watched as she crawled into the back of Eli’s van.
Oh, no. Bridget, what are you thinking?
Aiden didn’t know what she was doing, but, whatever it was, it was a horrible idea. Eli was one thing, but messing with Sam was a whole other roller coaster. She did not want to be on his hit list, and if she got caught doing whatever it was she was going to do, that’s exactly where she’d end up. Aiden considered dragging her home, but as Sam and Eli returned to the van, he knew it was too late for that option. The only thing he could do now was follow them and see what happened. Aiden rushed back to his house to get his truck.

Bridget

The back of the van was so open that I feared my hiding spot would be revealed. I tucked my feet under my body and kept crouched low. My legs screamed to be stretched, and I kept telling myself that we were almost there. Sam had the music turned up so loud that I couldn’t hear anything they were saying, so I still had no idea where they were going. Part of me hoped they would just lead me to Cassie so I could take her home and put this whole thing behind me. The other part of me still hoped Eli wasn’t in on this, but that was starting to seem less and less likely. I closed my eyes in an attempt to slow down my heart rate, but it only made my anxiety worse.

After what felt like forever, the van finally slowed to a stop. I could hear the doors open and close as Sam and Eli got out. I waited a few minutes to make sure they wouldn’t see me, and I opened the back doors from the inside handle and crawled out as quietly as possible. I glanced around and realized we were in a parking garage. Sam and Eli were already walking through a lower level. I followed the sound of their voices, but never got close enough to see them. Once I emerged outside, I recognized my surroundings. We were beside Club Ice, the last place Cassie was seen alive.

I glimpsed Sam and Eli entering the front, and I strolled over to the entrance, attempting to be inconspicuous. I showed the bouncer my fake ID as he took in my appearance. I thought for a second my jeans were going to get me denied entrance, but he waved me through. The club was busier than I thought it’d be on a Tuesday night. I lost Eli and Sam in the crowd, so I decided to make my way to the bar area. I slid onto a stool and searched the crowd, trying to find them. I spotted them standing at the other end of the bar, speaking with one of the bouncers. Sam slipped the bouncer a stack of hundred dollar bills.
What the hell is that about?
Were they paying him off? Did he see something they didn’t want him telling the police?

“Can I get you something to drink?” Hunter asked, causing me to jump a few inches.

“No, I’m okay.” I told him, still watching Sam and Eli.

“You sat at the bar, but you don’t want a drink?” He asked in his flirty voice.

“Not in the drinking mood, today.” I turned to him as an idea struck me. “Hey, you guys have security cameras, right?” I asked him.