Lost Girls(63)

This wasn’t just about finding out what had happened to Nicole anymore—it was about stopping it from ever happening again.

I gave Lauren a reluctant grin, then raised one eyebrow. “If you go with anybody else, I might have to kick your ass. Here and now.”

She laughed. “That’s the Rachel I know and love. We have to leave right after school. In fact, if we could skip last period, that would be even better.”

A lump lodged in my throat, like I’d swallowed a rock. We were leaving the safe haven of the Swan Girls, getting ready to swim out into deep water, away from our lake and into an adjoining ocean.

It was going to be a miracle if either one of us survived.

...

We climbed into Lauren’s car at 2 p.m. and I still had no idea where we were going. She never showed me the paper with all the instructions and directions. Just like the compulsive control freak she truly was, she’d already pre-programmed everything into her GPS system and I couldn’t see it from where I sat. I sent Agent Bennet a quick text. Maybe if I kept the FBI in the loop, everything would be safe. They could be our backup.

I didn’t get a reply, but I was wearing that kandi bracelet.

I twisted my hands in my lap and bit my lip. I would have felt a whole lot better if Bennet would effing text me back and let me know he got my message. I hadn’t heard from him since this morning, since before Dylan revealed his criminal side and Lauren showed me those tickets.

“You’re pretty quiet for a girl who’s on the way to her Ultimate Destiny.”

“What?” I asked. That term sounded both familiar and creepy at the same time.

“That’s what you used to say whenever we were heading to a Phase Two event. ‘Get ready for your Ultimate Destiny, girls.’”

“Sounds pretty shallow,” I said as I stared out the window. I tried to remember details of my previous journey to this place, but the fear surging through my veins prevented me from thinking clearly. Was that our exit up ahead?

“Sounds to me like somebody needs a hit of Pink Lightning.”

“No. Absolutely, no way. Nada.”

“You’re just chicken because you don’t remember what it’s like. Trust me, it’s amazing. And I have plenty. We could even double tap, if we wanted.”

A shiver ran through me as I thought about what Dylan had told me earlier, about that fight I’d had with Janie Deluca. “Have you ever double tapped?” I asked.

“Not yet, but I’ve always wanted to. Ever since—” Her voice trailed off.

“Ever since my last fight with Cyclone?”

“You remember that?” She shot me a startled glance.

“Yup.”

“And you, uh, remember everything? Like what happened afterward, too?”

“I remember that I quit. Then Dylan and I broke up. And I got kidnapped—although I don’t really remember that last part.”

“Yeah.” Sweat beaded on her forehead. She flashed me a look that was probably supposed to be empathetic, but was a complete fail. “That all sucked. I’m really glad you’re back and okay.”

“Me, too. The only thing is, there’s like this blank spot between me breaking up with Dylan and the day I went missing.” I paused. “You don’t know anything about what happened between him and me, do you?”

“Me? Nah. I didn’t see you after the fight—I was out of school for a couple of days. Wish I had, though. I’d have told you that us girls were all still behind you, whether you were on the team or not. Wait, there’s our exit.”

I thumbed in the name of the exit and the direction we were headed, then pressed send, hoping that Bennet was getting my messages.

“Who are you texting? This is all supposed to be secret, you know,” she chided me as we drove.

“I’m just letting my brother know he has to get another ride home from school,” I said, staring out the window.

Everything looked like it had in my memory of Nicole this morning. There was that abandoned gas station, the windows still broken. Up ahead was the drive-in theater. The surroundings felt eerily familiar, like I was driving through a nightmare and was desperate to wake up. I shoved air down my throat and filled my lungs, reminding myself to breathe.

“You okay?” she asked. “You look like you might get sick.”

“I’m just really, really excited,” I told her, but in reality I was telling my stomach to settle down. It wasn’t working. Was this event always held in the same place? If so, that didn’t make sense. The whole rave culture was illegal, hence the reason for continually moving the location. Everything we passed looked vaguely ominous, from the bar-crusted windows to the power lines that choked out the sky, like these were all warning signs.

You’re heading toward destruction.

I should have said, stop the car, turn around, run if you have to.

Instead, I texted Bennet again, sending the names of cross streets we passed.

“Hey, enough with the nimble fingers. Give me your phone.” Lauren leaned over and grabbed my cell before I could react. “Come on, Rach, stay focused. We need to psych ourselves up. We gotta be at the top of our game.”

I leaned back in my seat, reluctantly agreeing with her. Some of my texts had to have gone through and that kandi bracelet was supposed to alert the FBI if I did anything unusual. Skipping my last class and driving through a gang-infested neighborhood sure seemed to fit the bill.