But a sick feeling hit my gut as my chest tightened. Something was wrong. Charging past him, I threw open the front door and jumped down the porch steps. Cece looked dazed as she sat up from where she"d been sprawled in the driveway near the place Gianna"s Jeep had been parked.
"Cece!" Jared yelled, taking in the cut on her temple.
I grabbed Cece"s shoulders. "Where"s Gianna?"
"Josh," she mumbled weakly. "I"d only met him a couple times, but it was definitely him."
"He took Gianna?" I asked. Fear like I hadn"t known since last October built in me.
Dante kneeled down to help her up and she turned her face into his chest. "Yeah."
I pointed to Gage. "Call 911!" Going back inside the house, I grabbed my phone from the kitchen and dialed her dad. Calling 911 would get us Broomfield Police Department and Josh might take her elsewhere in the city.
"h.e.l.lo?"
"Chris, it"s Caleb. Josh took Gianna."
"What do you mean?"
"Josh!" I shouted into the phone. "That f.u.c.ker somehow got out because he showed up here and took Gianna!"
I heard Chance say something to his dad and Chris snapped, "Go wait for me in the car!" Then to me, he said, "I"m on my way and calling Novak. Did you call the police?"
I was on my way to my car, intent on doing anything proactive. "Gage did. I"m going looking for them, they"re in her Jeep."
"Wait there for the police!" he said, hanging up.
Ignoring him, I got in my car and Ian was able to jump in right before I peeled off. "Where are we going?"
I hit the steering wheel. "I don"t f.u.c.king know."
"I thought he was locked up until next year?"
"Me too."
"Do you know where he lives?"
"I doubt he"d be stupid enough to take her there," I told him, forced to stop when a light turned red.
"He"s insane," Ian said. "He could take her anywhere."
"Not f.u.c.king helping," I muttered, my heartbeat accelerating at the thought of all the ways Josh could be hurting her.
"The school," Ian blurted. "He"d take her to their old high school!"
I flipped a b.i.t.c.h, almost causing an accident. Horns honked at me as I sped toward the high school. It was insane that he"d bring her there, but Josh was bats.h.i.t crazy. Thought of it that way, it made sense for him to bring her to the last place he"d seen her. The place where they"d spent time together before I"d come along.
GIANNA.
Josh paced back and forth on the freshly waxed floor. The rubber soles of his plain black sneakers squeaking with each step. His navy polo shirt was wrinkled and his tan pants had dirt stains at the bottom of the legs.
"Get up," he said, coming toward me.
I got to my knees and then my feet quickly in an attempt to avoid his touch. Backing up to the nearest wall, I barely held back a panicked scream. When I"d screamed earlier, he"d slapped me. I could handle a smack, but I couldn"t take him hurting me like before.
My legs shook as Josh grabbed my arm and jerked it so I"d let him lead me around. School would start next week and the gym was left open a lot in August so practicing football players could get into the locker room to change and shower. The weight room was also in the building but I didn"t think anyone was on school grounds except for maybe a janitor in the main building.
No one would know we were here because Josh had parked my Jeep behind the gym out of sight. "Come on!" Josh snapped, his grip bruising my arm.
He opened a door in the gym, revealing a narrow stairway. "Where are we going?" I asked, already guessing it led to the roof.
At his cold expression, alarm bells rang frantically. "To give you a choice."
CALEB.
"They"re not here!" Ian announced. "Let"s drive by that f.u.c.ker"s house just in case. Kidnap his mom to do a swap."
Committing a felony wasn"t the answer. I was close to breaking down, but I needed to stay focused. Think! Where would he have taken her?
I was about to exit the parking lot behind the school when Ian said, "Wait! I think I saw something! Drive behind the gym."
Increasing my speed, I circled around the back of the enormous building, and there sat Gianna"s Jeep. I parked next to it and reached out to clap a hand over Ian"s mouth. "Shh, we go in quietly."
My fingers moved over the screen of my cell phone. I texted to Gianna"s dad, The gym at her old school, and left my phone on the seat. If possible, we"d sneak up on Josh.
The thought of losing Gianna was unbearable, but that crazy f.u.c.ker had zero hold on his volatile emotions and I was afraid he"d take her away from me forever. Gianna was my whole world. There"d be no life without her.
The heavy gym door creaked as Ian slowly pulled it open. The lights were off and scanning every dim corner with my eyes brought no sign of my girl or the psycho who had her. A search in the locker rooms, weight room and equipment closet came up empty. Ian crossed the room and opened a door that concealed a long staircase that led up to a metal door.
"The roof," he whispered.
I pushed past him and took the stairs quietly. The second door squeaked open and my first glance over the roof"s edge showed the rooftops of a neighborhood on the south side of the school. Circling around the brick enclosure of the roof access door, Ian b.u.mped against my back as I came to a stop.
"You a.s.sholes again?" Josh spat out, his hand gripping Gianna"s throat as he stood behind her at the ledge. All he"d have to do was fall back to take her with him as he toppled over.
"Let her go, Josh," I begged, meeting Gianna"s frightened blue eyes. I didn"t even have a weapon to defend her with. But neither did Josh.
Sirens wailed dimly, growing louder as police cars flashing lights neared the school. They"d be too late and their presence had Josh acting twitchy. His eyes raced in all directions, searching for a way out.
I cautiously took a step closer, causing him to jerk her up by the neck. He nodded his head toward the ground below. "You jump, and I let her go."
Ian had been edging sideways in an attempt to come up from Josh"s left. Josh repositioned so he could see both of us and took a step back on the asphalt roof. His heels were now up against the low brick ledge.
I was going wild inside at the danger to the girl I loved. "Fine!" I shouted, holding my arms out in front of me. "I"ll jump."
"You, too!" Josh barked at Ian.
"f.u.c.k that," Ian drawled. "Not when I"m dying to beat your a.s.s again."
I stepped onto the ledge, drowning in her stormy blue eyes. Josh held Gianna several yards away, but at least he wasn"t right at the edge anymore. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ian creeping closer again.
Josh"s crazed eyes needed to stay on me. "How do I know you"ll let her go?"
The drop to the pavement below was about three stories high. It was possible, but highly unlikely anyone would survive it. I"d rather it be me than my girl, but I"d much rather have the future we"d planned.
"No, Caleb!" Gianna shouted as cop cars pulled into the parking lot.
"Hurry up, or I"ll toss her over!" Josh screamed, visibly tightening his grip on her neck.
Ian was now closer to Josh than I"d managed. Gianna struggled to breath and Josh didn"t seem to realize he"d cut off her air. She clawed at his arm but he remained unfazed.
"Don"t jump!" a female cop called out from below.
One foot went into the air. Gianna began fighting Josh in an animalistic frenzy. Despite his threats, he didn"t immediately throw them both off the roof. Gianna finally tore herself away from Josh and he went after her, his obsession overriding rational thought.
At the same time I tackled him, I saw Ian push Gianna out of the way. I couldn"t worry about Gianna because Josh wrapped his arms around me and vaulted us off the ledge.
The moment I felt air under me, someone grabbed my wrist. I gulped in breaths, my gaze riveted to the sight of Josh"s broken body on the pavement. A cop checked his pulse as I felt mine race faster.
My head whipped up to see Ian gritting his teeth as he held onto me with both hands. "You"re f.u.c.king heavy," he grunted.
My girl"s beautiful face peeked over the edge as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Pull him up, Ian!"
Ian pulled me up and I gripped the ledge as Gianna reached down to hook her arms under one of mine. "Get away from the edge!" I snapped at her. From now on she wouldn"t be allowed anywhere higher than two stories.
All three of us collapsed in relief. Safe from plummeting to my death, I told Ian as we lay on our backs, "You"re my hero."
Breathlessly, he said, "Thanks for the awesome first day of freedom, Caleb." He ran a hand over his face. "f.u.c.king perfect. First day out and I"m about to be hauled to a police station for questioning."
Gianna, who"d been quietly crying into my chest, giggled before sobbing harder.
"Don"t worry. I know a chick who"ll bang you later tonight for three hundred bucks."
"Hold up your hands!" a voice screamed at us.
Rolling my eyes, I outstretched my arms as if about to make a snow angel. Ian did the same, chuckling. "This is ridiculous."
We were hauled to our feet and handcuffed. I began fighting them when they did the same to Gianna. "Take those off her! She"s the victim, you idiots!"
They didn"t listen to me, but Chris raised h.e.l.l when he saw his daughter handcuffed. Officer Novak was the one who got the handcuffs off me and Ian. The cops had a mess to sort out and Ian was right, we were taken to the station for questioning.
Josh was gone for good, but the statements of Gianna and Cece clarified that Ian and I were innocent. The whole mess ended up on the news, the escape from juvie, the kidnapping and Josh"s death. It also brought up the old story of his attack on Gianna, which I made sure she didn"t watch.
That night, I snuck into Gianna"s house after going home to shower. As if expecting me, her bedroom door wasn"t locked.
EPILOGUE.
"To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love forever is to live forever."
-Henry Drummond.
GIANNA.
"Tell me you love me," my fiance ordered, pinning me to our bed in the off-campus apartment we moved into last month.
"Caleb, I have to get dressed. I"m going to be late for cla.s.s again," I whined from beneath him, failing to buck him off with my legs. It was our soph.o.m.ore year and I considered moving back into the dorms next semester if he didn"t quit making me late for cla.s.s.
"Not until you say it."
I rolled my eyes, blowing a strand of hair off my lip. "Fine, I love you," I mumbled.
"Say it like you mean it," he teased, his lips trailing down my neck.
"I love you!" I moaned as he sucked my nipple into his mouth.
His head lifted, his hazel eyes dancing. "That"s what I like to hear."
Biting my bottom lip couldn"t hold back my smile. "Pervert."
In reply, he took my other nipple between his teeth. I wasn"t late for cla.s.s, I completely missed it.
But as usual, he dropped me off at the next one.
CALEB.
"Now repeat after me," the pastor said. "I, Caleb, take you, Gianna."
"Actually, Pastor Nelson, I wrote my own vows," I said, pulling the piece of paper out of my tuxedo jacket.
I couldn"t tell if he was annoyed or amused, but he graciously gestured for me to do my thing. Staring into the future I saw in her eyes, I said, "It"s a list of promises to my wife."
Tears glistened in her clear blue eyes as she remembered another list five years ago that I"d made her write. She whispered my name softly enough for only me to hear.
I began reading my promises aloud to my bride and our friends and family. "One, kiss you as often as possible. Two, do something every day to steal your heart all over again. Three, make your dreams come true."
She had the sweetest smile on her face after number three and I continued reading. "Four, travel the world with you. Five, get a tattoo of your name. Oh wait, I did that last night."
Her eyes widened and people laughed. Just as I"d decided years ago, it was my wedding gift to her.
"Six, give you lots of sons just like me."