Chapter 143
Jack
The panic only got worse as dawn approached, and the light lengthened. He’d been searching for Celeste all night, to no avail. He couldn’t find her, and he was really losing it. Now wasn’t the time for her to run off.
What was she thinking? Did she want him to have a panic attack? He could feel it growing as time slipped by. A tight feeling in his chest that wound tighter and tighter and tighter. It was amazing he could still breathe.
He spent most of the morning driving around, hoping he might catch sight of her or Matt. At one point, a text came through from her, telling him she was fine. He replied right away, demanding to know where she was, but she never answered.
He went back to the house, hoping she’d come to her senses and come back at some point in the night, but he wasn’t too surprised to find the rooms silent and empty. He tried to call her phone again, but it went right to voicemail. He left a message, demanding to know where she was and for her to call him. She must have turned her phone off.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he went back out. Maybe one of her friends knew where she was.
He tried Fiona’s place first, knocking hard on the door. It swung open a moment later, and Fiona stared out at him with bleary eyes. Her roommate hovered in the background with her phone clutched in her hand.
“Jesus, Jack. What’s going on?” Fiona asked. She was still wearing her pajamas, a cute purple set with dogs on them. It was the middle of the afternoon, but she looked like she just got out of bed.
“Have you seen Celeste?”
Her roommate gave him a curious look, then shrugged and disappeared around the corner. Fiona didn’t invite him in, but he didn’t mind. He didn't have time to hang around.
“No? Not since the game last night.”
“She left with Matt?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I heard they went to Seth’s party.”
“I see.”
Jack wasn’t certain, but he had a feeling that Seth was a part of everything. He was close to Enzo and Matt. It made sense that he would be a Peacekeeper, too.
“She didn’t come home last night?” Fiona asked, her brow furrowed.
Jack rubbed at his chest, that tight feeling getting worse. “She left me a note. I think she went off somewhere with Matt, but I don’t know where.”
“If she’s with Matt, I’m sure she’s fine.”
“It’s not like that.” Jack sighed and looked away. He knew Fiona didn’t like him very much, and that she didn’t understand. “My cousin’s looking for her.” Not exactly the truth, but not far from it, either. Freddy wouldn’t give him much time.
“Your cousin?”
“He’s not very nice. I need to find her first.” He met her sharp gaze. “I need to know she’s safe.”
“I didn't know you guys had cousins.”
“They’re distant,” he mumbled.
“I see. Well, I don’t know. She hasn’t responded to my texts. I assumed she was just sleeping.”
He nodded. “Okay, sorry to bother you.”
“Here, give me your phone,” she said, holding out her hand. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
He nodded and handed it to her. She put her number in, then gave it back to him. “If she is just having a weekend away with Matt, maybe you should let her. I’m sure she’s safe with him. He’ll look out for her.”
“Yeah, thanks Fiona.”
He walked away, his shoulders tense. Her gaze followed him, burning into the back of his neck as he jogged to his car. Though he would never admit it, he kind of liked Fiona. Even though she was a bad influence on Celeste, he was glad that Celeste had her, too. It was important to have close friends.
He thought of Matt for a moment but shoved the reminder away. They weren’t friends. Friends didn’t lie to each other and use each other. Jack didn’t want to hurt him, not really, but he didn’t have a choice. Between him and Celeste, he’d always pick his sister.
The next place he thought to try was the gym. Enzo was there as usual, bench-pressing weights in the far corner. Nina was lounging on the bench beside him, sweat on her forehead and a water bottle held between her hands. They were the only ones there since it was the gym reserved for the athletes. Most of the team was probably still sleeping off their loss, and the party that happened after.
He closed the distance between them.
Nina noticed him first and quickly stood up. Enzo put his weights back on the rack and got up too, coming to stand slightly in front of his girlfriend.
“Stop,” he said.
Jack stopped a few feet away. “Where’s Celeste?”
“Don’t know,” Enzo said. “Go away.”
“No.”
“She’s with Matt, probably,” Enzo answered after an exasperated sigh. “I saw them leave the party together.”
“Yeah, I know they’re together. I need to know where they are.” When he didn’t answer, Jack gave him a pleading look. “Enzo, please. I need to find my sister.”
Nina frowned. “Why? It’s just one weekend.”
“She’s in danger. I just need to know she’s alright.”
Nina pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Fine, I’ll call Matt.” Jack probably should have done that himself, but he didn’t know how to talk to his old friend. Not when he knew what his family had planned for him.
“Hey,” Nina said when the call connected. “Matt?”
He couldn’t hear Matt’s answers.
“Jack’s here. He’s looking for Celeste. I think he’s worried about her.” She looked up at him, holding the phone slightly away from her ear. “He says she’s fine.”
Jack held out his hand, and she reluctantly gave him her phone. “I can’t believe you fucking kidnapped my sister,” he snarled the minute he had the phone.
“I didn’t kidnap her. Stop freaking out.”
“I need to know where she is. You need to come back now.”
“We’ll be back on Monday.”
He started talking a mile a minute. “I swear to God, Matt, if you don’t bring my sister back here, I will kill you. Slowly and painfully. I can’t believe you would do this knowing everything that’s out there. What if something happens to her? You can’t just drive–”
“Jesus, slow down,” Matt said, cutting him off.
“I’m going to make you suffer.”
“Threats won’t get you anywhere.”
Jack had to resist the urge to throw the phone. “Where the fuck are you?” he shouted. “I’m coming to get her.”
Matt was silent for a moment. “She doesn’t want to leave. We’ll be home on Monday.” He hung up before Jack could answer. He tried calling him back, but he didn’t answer.
“Fucking prick.” He leveled his gaze at Nina and Enzo, who were both watching him with impassive expressions. “Where are they? I know you know where they are.”
“I can’t tell you that,” Nina said, holding out her hand for the phone.
“Fine, then I guess you won’t mind if I borrow your phone.”
He turned and broke into a run before either of them could react. Enzo shouted after him, but he was outside the building and sprinting for his car before they could catch up with him. They shoved the doors to the gym open just as Jack slid into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and tore out of the parking lot, Nina’s phone open on the seat beside him.
He drove straight to his cousin Blake’s house. She opened the door right away, a bored look on her face. Her purple hair was gathered in a messy updo, and she wore a pair of black cargo pants with chains slung across her hips.
“Can you find the location of a phone? Even if it’s turned off?”
“Easily.”
I handed her Nina’s phone as I followed her into her house. “I just made a call to him. It should be there.”
She laughed. “I just need his phone number, but thanks.”
“Could come in handy, regardless. Belongs to one of the Peacekeepers.”
She nodded and sat down at her desk. A few minutes later, she had the address for a remote location. On the map, it just looked like a collection of trees, but he knew better. He jotted down the coordinates and waved goodbye over his shoulder.
“Thanks, Blake.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She was the only one of his cousins that he could stand. “You owe me.”
He put the coordinates in his GPS and immediately started driving. He pushed his car to well above the speed limit, knowing he had a long way to go. He needed to get to his sister before it was too late.
