Page 37 of Get Me (The Keatyn Chronicles 6)
"Yes. He was really upset when I told him I wasn't coming there."
"You were planning to?"
"Yeah. He wanted me to go with him to meet his mom. When we found out about Kiki, I called him. Begged him to reschedule. Told him i
t wasn't safe. He wouldn't listen to me. Then I suggested that it could be a set up. That's when he hung up on me."
"We located his mother and interviewed her."
"So it wasn't a set up?"
"No."
"What did she say?"
"That they talked. That she was so excited to see him but that it was more awkward than she imagined. I think she had grand images of the little boy she left rushing into her arms."
"Do you know the real story?"
"Brooklyn's father said she's bipolar. That, back then, the disease wasn't as widely understood. They diagnosed her with depression but she wouldn't take her medicine. When she didn't, she was all over the place. Crying for days, then, the next, getting dressed up and maniacally shopping. She'd have fits of anger, too. In one of those fits, she pushed B down the stairs. He was fine, just a broken wrist, but that's when his dad knew he had to do something. He had her charged with child abuse, filed for divorce, and got the court to issue a restraining order."
"That's sad. But I can see why his dad just let him think she left. It was easier than trying to explain everything else. We have to find him, Garrett. As soon as I get off the phone, I'm heading to the airport. I'll see you soon."
"No, you won't."
"I won't see you?"
"Keatyn, would you like me to use every resource I have available to search for Brooklyn?"
"Yes."
"Then I need you to go back to Eastbrooke."
"I can't go back there."
"Yes, you can."
"But everyone knows who I am. I'm still the one Vincent wants. I can't put Eastbrooke in that kind of danger. I can't go back!"
"We successfully kept everything off social media. Vincent would've already gone there if he believed you were there. It's safe. That's why we sent you there in the first place. And I can't do my job if I'm worried about you. I need all our manpower focused on finding him."
"But you have the police. I sent you the screenshot."
"Keatyn, the screenshot doesn't really prove anything. You didn't get any photos of Vincent. Had you recorded the call it would be a different situation. We would have some proof. All we have is a photo of a young man lying on a mattress. It doesn't prove he was kidnapped. It doesn't tell us who kidnapped him. It helps that his dad believes you and reported him kidnapped, but since there is no proof of that either--"
"What kind of proof do they need?"
"They interviewed the staff at the restaurant. No one saw a struggle. No one saw anything or anyone remotely suspicious. The police see a young man who is upset with his father and didn't come home. Now, the fact that his motorcycle is still at the club helps us a little, but the police work at their own pace."
"I thought you had guys following Vincent. Where the hell is he?"
"We don't know."
"What the fuck, Garrett? How can you not know?"
"Our men report that Vincent has been in his home since you fired him."
"We know Brooklyn is with Vincent. So, if Vincent's home, someone got Brooklyn and took him to Vincent. They're probably in his house! Go get him!"
"We tried that. I called in a favor with the police. Got them to agree to question Vincent. They went to his home, but Vincent didn't answer."
"So they just left?"
"The police can't search a property without a warrant unless they have just cause. When they looked in the windows, they reported seeing a room trashed in a way that indicated a struggle. They suspected Vincent might be hurt, so they broke the door down and went in."
"What did they find?"
"Nothing."
"Did they search for clues?"
"They didn't. But after they left, one of my guys may have had a look around. He came up empty. There wasn't one shred of evidence that would suggest he was obsessed with you or your mom. No photos. No magazines. Nothing. Which is a bit unusual in cases like these. Do you remember anything from your video chat? Did you see anything or notice any details that could give us a clue as to where he was. What about sounds? Could you hear a city? The ocean?"
"When he swung the laptop around I saw a blur of colors and images. Pictures, I think, on the walls."
"That would make sense. Wherever he's holding Brooklyn is his base. The place where he keeps his obsession hidden from the outside world."
"Like a secret apartment or something?"
"Yes, and we've got to find it. If we find it, we'll find Brooklyn. We're meeting with a judge in the morning to request a warrant to search all of his properties."
"Technically, I own some of those properties now, right? The business ones?"
"Yes, we've already scoured the county records and have compiled an extensive list of both personal and business real estate holdings."
"You have my okay to search anything owned by the company. He is obsessed with making the movie, so it would make sense that he might do it somewhere there's already a set."
"We'll start searching the company's properties now. On one condition."
"What's that?"
"You go to Eastbrooke while we do."
"And if I don't?"
"I quit and you can let the police handle it."
"You're not serious."
"Oh, yes. I am. And just so you know, if you decide to accept my resignation, even with your family connections, it would be at least 24-48 hours before you could get another firm on board. Do you want to lose that time?"
"No."
"Then here are my terms. You and Cooper are going back to Eastbrooke. You will give me seven days to find Brooklyn before you threaten to come to Malibu. And you promise that during those seven days you will not set foot off campus. No getting your nails done. No pizza dates. Nothing. I will be sending additional guards to the school's entrance. They will be under orders not to let you leave. Am I clear?"
"Seven days is a long time, Garrett! Why don't I just come home? I'll let Vincent find me. Take me to where Brooklyn is. You can rescue us both."
"Keatyn, I can assure you it would not be that easy. A simple case of kidnapping would quickly escalate into a hostage situation."
"Then get some special forces to come in the middle of the night. Kidnap Vincent. Save us."
"I'm wasting precious time right now, Keatyn. You know my terms. Seven days or I quit."
"What if you don't find him in seven days?" I ask, hating that the words even came out of my mouth.
"Then we'll do it your way." He sighs. "Look, Vincent has been planning this for months, maybe even years. I know seven days seems like a long time, but it really isn't in the scheme of things. You said Vincent told you that he has Matt, right?"
"Yes."
"So, in a warped way, Brooklyn has agreed to play the role and signed a contract. Vincent won't hurt him until he has you. That's the main reason I want seven days. If Vincent gets his hands on both of you, his plans will accelerate. And when they do, I can't guarantee that either one of you will survive. If you want to keep Brooklyn alive, you will give me seven days."
I nod, knowing that he's right. Vincent will keep Brooklyn alive until he's able to redo the movie his way.
And he can't do that until he has me.
I let out an audible sigh. "Fine. I agree."
"Thank you. I'll keep you posted every step of the way."
As I hang up, Cooper says, "What did you just agree to?"
"We're going back to Eastbrooke," I say.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4TH
My guilt.
9:30am
Aiden wakes up when I get out of bed.
"You go back to sleep. I'm going to check in with Garrett."
"I'll get up too. I want to hear if there's any news."
I throw on a robe and go out into the living room, where Cooper is already up, dressed, and on the phone.
"No news," he says as Peyton and Damian wander out in matching robes.
"You know, Cooper. I promised to go back to Eastbrooke, but I never promised to go to cl
ass."
"Not go to class?" Aiden asks. "How's that going to work?"
"I'll sneak onto campus, but I won't check in. I'll call the school and say that I'm staying with my family and will be there later or something."
"Will you just sit in your room all day?"
"I'll just sneak in with Damian and stay with Cooper. I can't go to class. I don't even have my uniforms. They're all at my loft and I can't go back."
"You can wear mine," Peyton suggests sweetly. "My parents are meeting us at school with all our stuff."
"It's not just that. I don't want the other students to know I'm back. I can't deal with that right now. I can't deal with homework or teachers. I'll go crazy. Besides, it's silly. I'll be going back to Malibu in six days."
"I thought it was seven?" Cooper asks.
"Seven started yesterday."
"Technically, when you agreed to seven days, it was today."
"Fine. Whatever. It's silly to go to school for even a few days when I know I'm leaving."
"It will give you something to do," Aiden suggests, kissing my nose. "Keep you busy. And it won't be bad. The first two days of classes will be getting back into the swing of things. We won't have homework. There's a basketball game on Friday night and a dance. Saturday we'll hang out and watch football. It will help pass the time."
"Brooklyn is lying on the floor somewhere, helpless, Aiden," I snap. "I'm not going to a damn high school basketball game and pretending I give a shit about it."
Aiden gives me a glare, gets up, and walks out of the room.
Cooper watches him go and says to me, "I'd like you to be enrolled in school. If you want to pretend to be sick, you can."
"Thanks. Um, Cooper, can I talk to you in private?"
"Sure, let's go downstairs to the lobby."
"That's not exactly private."
"Why don't I take my brother and Damian down to the restaurant for breakfast?" Peyton offers.
I give her a hug and say, "Thank you."
"We're all trying our best to help you get through this," she says quietly. "Especially Aiden."
Her words just add to my guilt.
And my guilt is piling up higher than the Empire State building.
They clear out and Cooper sits on the edge of a chair. "Shoot."
"I can't do it. I can't wait seven days. We need to come up with a new plan to present to Garrett. Or I just need to go myself. I'm stronger than Vincent thinks I am. I'll attack him when he doesn't expect it, like you taught me to. It worked on the guy in the club. Or I could take a gun, a knife, and some pepper spray."
"Keatyn, he'd check you for weapons. And a wire. And trackers. He's not stupid."
