Soul Searcher by D.M. Richardson (novel24 .TXT) 📕

“She’s gone.” I looked at her confused.

“Who’s gone?”

“Kristi. She’s gone. I let her play in the back yard for a while this morning, and when I went out to call her in for a snack she wasn’t there. I looked all over the neighborhood, but I couldn’t find her so I came to get you. You know her better than anyone do you know where she might have wondered off to?” she asked desperately. I stood there staring at her in shock. Kristi never wandered off she was afraid of being alone. That means someone took her. My chest started tightening and I could barely breathe.

A large hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. It was Zeke he looked into my eyes steadily and my breathing evened out. I grabbed his hand and squeezed as hard as I could. Trying to ground myself so I could function. Suddenly Frank, Jake, and Will ran up to us. I looked at them in surprise as they shot us all worried looks.

“What’s going on?” Frank asked taking in Sara’s appearance, and my expression.

“Kristi’s disappeared.” Zeke answered quietly. All of them gasped in unison. Each of them had met her at different occasions looking for Zeke or asking me something.

“How did you guy’s know something was wrong?” I asked they each held up a cell phone.

“One of the biggest gossips in school saw you out here and started texting everyone they knew.” Will answered. I sighed who knew what Chase and Megan were going to do when they found out about this. I froze and pulled Zeke aside.

“Where’s Chase and Megan?” I asked him. I hadn’t seen either of them or Sam for that matter. They always made it a point to antagonize me first thing in the morning and between every class. Zeke looked down in thought then looked back at me with the same horror that was crawling up my chest.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Jake asked us abruptly. I hadn’t realized that they had approached. I looked to Zeke for confirmation and he nodded.

“Chase, Sam, and Megan took Kristi.” Will looked shocked, Jake gave us a doubtful look, but Frank nodded as if it made perfect sense.

“Of course they did they’ve had it out for you since they stepped foot in the cafeteria.” he said in answer to my questioning look.

“Would they really kidnap a little girl just to get even with you for dumping Chase?” Jake asked. We all nodded.

“Yes they would. There is no limit to how evil they are.”

“Well let’s go get her back then.” Frank said. I turned to him with regret. He would be a great ally in this. He was gentle, but there was a savage protective side to him as well. I had no doubt he would die to protect any of us, and that was why I couldn’t let him. What we faced was worse than death.

“No you can’t.”

“The hell I can’t.” he answered in the first show of anger I had ever seen from him.

“Frank this is not just someone who kidnapped someone to get even with me. They can hurt you worse than anyone else in this world. I’m sorry but I can’t risk you getting hurt not like that.” he raised his shoulders and his chest came out a little.

“You’re not taking the risk I am, and you can’t stop me from following you.” I sighed and turned to Zeke. He just shrugged looking just as lost as I felt.

“Okay so where are we going?” Will asked. I rolled my eyes at him.

“I go find out.” I turned and started for the stairs with all of them including Sara following. I reached my locker and opened it. Sure enough there was a note stuck to the inside of the door. “They took her to a warehouse on the outskirts of town.” I said marveling at how cliché that was I thought they had more imagination than that.

“Let’s go.” Jake said and started walking toward the front doors to the parking lot. We followed until we were at the foot of the steps outside when Sara stopped us. She turned me around to face her and it was the first time I had seen her so serious.

“I’m coming with you.”

“No you’re not it’s too dangerous.”

“She’s my daughter I have every right.”

“Yes she is, and yes you do, but you’re not. There is much more at stack than you know.”

“She’s right Sara.” I turned to see Rob standing behind me.

“How’d you get here?” I asked in surprise. He smirked.

“I drove.” I gave him a look and he sighed.

“Sara called me when she gave up looking. She told me she was coming to get you and I came as quickly as I could.” he turned to Sara. “Does Koner know what’s going on?” he asked her.

“Yes I do.” Koner answered approaching us and I got the satisfaction of seeing Rob jump.

“Good then you and Sara can go home and wait for me to call you.” I said hopefully. He shook his head and I sighed. I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Look you guys don’t know what’s actually going on, and if you show up with me they might hurt her. I need to do this on my own.” Zeke cleared his throat loudly, and I looked over to see he was looking at me expectantly as were Will, Jake, and Frank. “With only a few friends.” I amended and they looked satisfied.

“There is no way I’m letting a bunch of teenagers go save my daughter by themselves. Especially if it’s as dangerous as you say.” Koner answered in a no nonsense tone.

“That’s why I’m going with them.” Rob told him with certainty.

“You’re not coming either.” I told him and he rounded on me. I held up a hand to shut them all up, and started to tell them the plan that had been forming since the arrival of Koner. “We’ll go in three cars. Me, Will, and Zeke will go in one. Jake and Frank in another, and the three of you in the third. But only the five of us will be going inside. I need you three to wait outside for when I send Kristi out. Rob I need you to make sure she’s okay. You are a doctor after all. Sara and Koner I need you to be ready to get her out of there quickly.” I finished and they started yelling at me.

“We’re not leaving you there!” Sara and Koner yelled in unison.

“They can take Kristi to the hospital I need to stay to make sure none of you get hurt.” Rob answered more diplomatically. I gave him a meaningful look.

“No I need you to make sure she’s completely okay.” he took in my expression, and finally nodded, but clearly not liking the turn of events.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m not leaving you in there with three severely disturbed teenagers.” Sara cut in. I looked at her in surprise. I thought she was too upset to really listen to what we were saying. I looked at Koner and he nodded in agreement.

“Kristi is more important. Once she’s safe I can handle myself, and besides I’ll have four guys watching my back.” they exchanged a glance then nodded reluctantly.

I gave them the address that was on the note, and we separated into our respective vehicles. We took the drive in silence and Zeke was squeezing my hand so hard it hurt, but I didn’t say anything and I didn’t pull away.

We pulled up in front of the ware house they told me to go to, and I took a deep breath. I could see Chase’s mustang in the driveway, and a Cadillac I assumed was Sam’s. Why is it that the assholes get all the nice cars. The five of us that were going in got out of our cars and gathered together. I looked over to Sara’s car and the three of them nodded to us in unison as an unspoken token of good luck.

The five of us looked at each other then started for the door together. The door was cracked open so I knew they were at least expecting me. I nudged the door open with my shoe and stepped in silently. The ware house was huge but it was mostly just one room.

There was only one light on in the whole building, and sitting under that single light sat Kristi. She sat there with her feet barely hanging off the end of her chair, and her head down so her hair covered her face. I took another step and it echoed around the room. Kristi looked up and I saw her face. She had tear stains down her cheeks and she had dirt caked on her cheeks.

I crossed the room quickly and the closer I got to her the more clearly I could see her. The more clearly I could see her the angrier I got. Her eyes were rimmed in red and it looked like she had a bruise forming on her right cheek. Her arms were tied behind her back and I started to work on the knots constantly glancing around for the sorry excuse for human beings that did this to her. She was too small to tie her arms around the back of the chair so they tied her wrists together and tied the rope to the chair itself.

When I freed her hands she brought them together. Her skin was chaffed and raw new tears started pouring and she threw herself into my arms. I rocked her back and forth for a moment then whispered for her to run outside as fast as she could. She nodded then did as I commanded. I watched as Koner swung her up into his arms and rushed her to the car. I let out a relieved breath just as the door closed from the force with which Kristi had run through it. The guys stood to the side of the door and looked at me nervously.

I heard a girlish giggle coming from the back left had corner of the room and stiffened. I looked that way but I could only see darkness.

“I’ve never been much for theatrics.” I said evenly.

“Oh you’re no fun.” Megan answered with a dramatic sigh. I heard a switch being flipped and had to blink several times for my eyes to adjust to the sudden light that filled the room.

I looked around and took stock of where every one was. Megan was next to the light switch right where I thought she was. Chase was standing at the back just a couple yards from the chair that separated us. Sam was standing in the back right corner with his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

“This is great like a nice big party. I can’t wait for the fun to begin.” Megan said in her sickeningly sweet voice which I was beginning to see as her cruel voice.

“Okay you’ve got me here what do you want?” I asked.

“Oh nothing just a tiny bit of blood.” Megan answered as she walked up to join her brother. Sam joined the ranks taking up Chase’s other side. I looked at him and raised a brow. He shrugged.

“I knew