Peter snorted. “A lot of interest. You broke so much of her shit.”

I couldn’t tell her she was wrong; my mouth was taped. Claustrophobia mixed with my panic, and I felt like I wasn’t getting a good breath. I needed my mouth. Roberta had put the tape on in such a way, one of my nostrils was blocked.

Things got fuzzier. With my arms behind my back, I couldn’t help myself. Everything turned black.

24

AUSTIN

Taylor was gone. Just poof. I’d been talking with my brothers when my parents showed up—both in wedding gowns. They were supposed to meet at our apartment but had gotten caught in traffic. We all hugged and laughed at Dad’s version of a bride. He had a beekeeping veil with some silk flowers hot-glued on it.

When Mom asked to say hi to Taylor, I knew. I knew something was very, very wrong.

We came together. We would leave together.

“Maybe she needed to use the restroom?” Tinsley offered.

I pulled out my phone and sent her a text message, and then called. Straight to voicemail.

It was absurd to go from overjoyed and feeling my friends’ and family’s support to having my stomach drop. I found Milt and his buddies.

“Taylor’s missing. Can you find her?” I pointed at the ATM on the sidewalk. I knew there were cameras in there, but I had no idea what it took to see what was on them.

Milt and his friends found a curb and all started to work. In seconds I was looking at footage with them, all of us scouring the faces. So much white, so many veils. It wasn’t Taylor I found first, but Endgame with a veil on. My heart thumped, thinking of how amazing it was for him to support Taylor and me, but all of those feelings washed away as Milt’s buddy showed me footage from a different angle.

Taylor was being put into a van and Endgame helped. They had taken her. She’d fought them.

“Call 911. Shit, call 911.” I looked from my parents' faces to Teddi and then to Gaze. “They took her.”

* * *

TAYLOR

I woke up to an argument. Endgame and Roberta. They were inches from each other, yelling.

“You said we were just going to spook some money out of him. And now she’s unconscious. I want to take her to the hospital.” Endgame was spitting mad.

“She’s weak. That’s not my fault. And you were supposed to handle the tape, but you forgot, you drunk asshole.”

A moan came out of my mouth, and I realized I could take a deep breath. No more tape. My eyes focused. We were in some sort of warehouse, with parts of cars all over it.

Endgame heard me and rushed over. I was on a couch, my hands still bound, but they were in front of me now.