See Me(151)

Or she was there already…

Colin pressed his teeth together, his jaw muscles pulsing, thinking that if anything had happened to her…

He’d hunt Dr. Manning to the ends of the earth. The man deserved to die, and in that instant, Colin’s thoughts began narrowing as he felt a visceral, almost tangible urge to kill him.

In his ever growing rage, the speedometer topped 120, and all Colin could think was Go, go, go…





CHAPTER 32





Maria





C

olin was driving so fast that the images beyond the windows were blurry. Despite the seat belt, Maria was being flung from side to side whenever he made a turn or braked or accelerated. And yet, all she could think about was Serena and that she’d been the target all along. And he’d toyed with her…

The fake scholarship. Interviews. Slowly earning her trust…

But all the while, he’d been planning. Following Serena. Stalking. Not just in person, but on Serena’s social media, too. He’d come to dinner with the family because he’d known Maria wouldn’t be there… Serena had told the world that Maria had a date. He’d known Maria would celebrate their mom’s birthday because Serena had posted about that, too. As the reality of what was happening sank in, Maria felt a mounting sense of panic that began to take on a life of its own. It was getting harder to catch her breath as the muscles in her chest began to compress. She tried to will the sensations away and from past experience knew she was having a panic attack, but she kept thinking about Serena. What if they were already too late? What if Dr. Manning had already abducted Serena and would do to her what had been done to Cassie?

Maria’s mind flashed on the photos from Laws’s crime scene and her lungs suddenly constricted even more, making breathing almost impossible. She told herself again that it was simply a panic attack, but as she tried and failed to draw a breath, she knew that she was mistaken. This wasn’t a panic attack. It wasn’t like this the last time. All at once, she felt a searing pain in her chest that traveled down her left arm.

Oh my God, she thought. I’m having a heart attack…

Colin hit the brakes and the momentum flung Maria hard into the shoulder harness. She was flung again moments later as he made another turn, her head banging the window. Maria barely registered the pain; all she could think about was the pressure in her chest and the fact that she couldn’t breathe. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. In that instant, she was only vaguely aware that her phone had suddenly dinged and vibrated with an incoming text, the thought immediately vanishing as the world began going black at the edges.

“Maria? What’s wrong?” Colin called out. “Are you okay?”

I’m having a heart attack! Maria tried to say as her eyes began to close. I’m dying! But the words still wouldn’t come. She couldn’t breathe, her heart was giving out, and though she heard Colin calling out her name, it sounded both underwater and far away, and she couldn’t understand why Colin wasn’t doing anything, why he wasn’t helping her. He needed to call an ambulance and rush her to the hospital…

Her thoughts were disrupted as she was suddenly shoved upright in her seat and felt pressure on her shoulder; a moment later, her body was being shaken.

“Take control of this, Maria!” Colin commanded. “You’re having a panic attack!”

It’s not a panic attack! her mind screamed as she fought for every breath, frantically wondering why he wasn’t helping her. It’s real this time, can’t you see that?

“Maria! Listen to me! Maria!” Colin shouted. “I need to know where Serena went! Manning is with her right now! I need your help! Serena needs your help!”

Serena…

Maria instinctively opened her eyes at the mention of her sister’s name and latched on to the sound, focusing on it, but it was too late…

“Maria!”

This time, it was the sound of her own name that jolted her. She thought; Colin is talking to me. She thought; Serena. She thought; Dr. Manning. Somehow, she was able to hold her eyes open, though she still couldn’t breathe and she was dizzy. But… Serena… oh, God, Serena needed…

Help.

Every cell in her body continued to hammer its death omen at Maria, drowning out the reality of the situation. She fought to regain clarity; she forced herself to think about Serena and knew they were going to the waterfront to save her sister, and that her phone had vibrated with a text.

It was all she could do to turn the screen faceup and focus, but she was somehow able to make out the words…

Sorry. Ringer off. Walking to interview now. Wish me luck!

Serena. Her sister was still alive, and they were racing to save her. Maria forced herself to draw a long, steady breath, and then another. A panic attack, that’s all, she thought. I can get through this…

But her body was still rebelling, even if her mind had begun to clear. Her hands shook and her fingers weren’t working right. She was able to hit the redial button, but the call went to voice mail. Meanwhile, Colin continued to shout at her from the driver’s seat, even as he skidded through another turn…

“Maria! Are you okay? Tell me you’re going to be okay!”

Though it took her a moment, she realized they’d reached South Front Street and were headed in the right direction.