rewards. Sadly, he’s not here.”
Sawyer raises his brows in understanding. “A guy?”
I unleash that dumb, starry-eyed smile.
“You like him,” Sawyer concludes. “A lot.”
I nod, still grinning like a fool.
“Sucks for me,” he says, surprising me since I thought he was into Ashton.
“He goes to Printz-Lee too. Have you decided if you’ll enroll?”
“I don’t know. It has a good reputation, but it’s pretty remote. My parents would love for me to attend just for that reason. But I need some sort of nightlife.”
“Clubs?”
“Music. Austin has a great music scene. Doubt that’s the case here.”
I laugh. “Not much of any scene around here, except for trees and the lake. Oh, but there’s plenty of drugs and drama if you’re into that.”
Sawyer shakes his head. “Whiskey is the hardest drug I’ve ever taken. And I don’t think the decision will be mine in the end anyway. My parents want me to feel like I have a say. But I’ll be enrolled here if that’s what they really want.”
“It’s not the worst place in the world,” I tease. And the truth of my words hits me as soon as I say them. I’ve held on to the bitterness of being sent here against my will since I arrived. But honestly, other than the psycho, currently being confined to my room and, well … Brendan, Blackwood really isn’t that bad.
I look in Ashton’s direction as affirmation, but she’s no longer seated on the hay bale with the others.
“Where’s Ashton?” I ask Sawyer, spinning toward the keg line in search of her.
Sawyer scans the crowd, having the height advantage. “I don’t know.”
I catch a wisp of red fabric floating out the back door.
“There,” I say, pointing after her just as she disappears. “Ashton!” I yell, my voice instantly swallowed up by the drunk bellows.
I push through the bodies, Sawyer a step behind me. I reach the corner of the barn and stop, searching again. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom. She’s had way more to drink than I have. That’s when I catch sight of the red fabric billowing between trees.
“Ashton!” I yell, cupping my mouth to project my voice.
She’s not alone. There’s someone next to her. My heart skips a beat when I see a flash of a leather jacket. His hand is gripping her bicep, forcing her deeper into the woods.
He turns his head, as if he knows I’m watching. I inhale quickly.
Vic.
“Ashton!” I scream and begin running after them.
Except Sawyer is no longer with me. I glance back and find him leaning against the side of the barn with his hands on his knees. I stumble in my steps at the sight of him. He wipes his face with a hand, like he’s trying to clear it.
“Sawyer?”
He looks up. His eyes are out of focus. His head lolls on his neck like it’s too heavy to lift. He can barely stand.
“Stay here. I’ll be back,” I tell him before taking off after Vic and Ashton. But they’re gone.
Panicked, I rush in the direction I last saw them. My feet stumble over roots jutting out of the ground, unable to find my footing. My legs aren’t cooperating, feeling even clumsier than when we walked out here.
I pull out Joey’s phone. My heart is beating so fast, my hand is shaking. I keep searching for a hint of red in the dark, but I feel like I’m going in circles.
“Lana?” Joey answers. “Everything okay?”
“Vic is here.”
“Where?”
“At the barn. He has Ashton.”
“What? Why does he have Ashton?”
“I don’t know. He drugged us.”
“Where are you right now?”
“In the woods … looking for them.”
“Go back to the barn.” It’s not Joey on the line anymore. It’s Brendan.
“I have to find her.”
“I’ll find her. Lana, go back to where there are people.”
“I can’t. He has her. I promised …” A sob cuts off my words. I place a hand on the rough skin of a tree, a wave of dizziness overtaking me.
“Go back to the barn,” Brendan demands sternly.
I hang up and press the flashlight feature to illuminate the rocks and roots that are determined to bring me to my knees. Branches scrape against my jeans, and I push others out of my way as I continue my frantic search.
A branch snaps behind me. I whirl around and catch sight of a shadowy figure and a flash of red. For the first time in my life, I want to run. But within a few strides, my boot catches on some malevolent root, and I can’t correct my