“I don’t even want the money from the Bugatti.” Jared shook his head. “It feels dirty. I know Logan won’t want it, either.”
“Don’t think of it as money from the Bugatti. Think of it as money for everything my father has done to your family. He owes you.” I froze as the phone rang. I watched it as Jared answered it on speakerphone.
“Hello.” His voice sounded a lot more confident than he looked.
“Where is my daughter?” I heard my father’s booming voice and swallowed hard. I still wasn’t sure how my father could be this person. He was the man who had loved me and protected me my whole life. But he was the worst person I had ever met.
“She’s here.”
“Let me talk to her.” Jared looked at me questioningly and I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. “Let me talk to her or the deal is off.”
“Hold on.” He passed me the phone, and I held it for a second before talking.
“Daddy,” I whimpered.
“Maddie, oh my God, Maddie, is that you?”
“Yes, Daddy,” I cried. “Please come and get me.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know!” I cried out again. “Do whatever they ask, Daddy. He has a gun.”
“He has a gun.” My father’s voice was loud and I heard someone in the background saying something.
“Wait, what are you doing?” My dad’s voice sounded angry.
“Maddie, Maddie, are you there?” Logan’s voice sounded hoarse and worried.
“Logan,” I said his name softly. “What are you doing?”
“I know Jared kidnapped you, Maddie. I’m so sorry. I know he hates you, but I never thought he would do this.”
“Logan, please—” I bit my lip and looked at Jared’s anguished expression. This was not going according to plan at all. “Please just give my father the phone.”
“Tell Jared I told him to release you now. Tell him I said if he loves me, he will let you go now.”
“He can’t do that, Logan,” I cried, hoping he would realize that there was something else going on.
“I love you, Maddie. Please, please tell him that. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“Logan, I—”
“Give me back the phone, you piece of scum.” I heard my father’s voice in the background. “Maddie, it’s me again. Where are you?”
“I don’t know, Daddy,” my voice was louder this time. “Please just do as he asks.”
“I’m going to get the cops,” he breathed into the phone. “Try and find out where you are.”
“No cops, Dad. He’ll kill me!” I screamed out. “No cops. Just get the money.”
“I can’t just let them—”
“Noooooo!” I screamed and hung up the phone. I turned to Jared with a panicked look. “He said he’s going to call the cops.”
“You said he wouldn’t do that. You said he would just pay so he could get you back.” Jared’s eyes looked wild.
“That’s what I thought.”
“What are we going to do?” He looked at me in fright and I grabbed the phone again.
“I have to call my mom.” I grimaced. “I have to call her and trust her to help me.”
“Fuck.” Jared sat back down on the ground with his head in his hands. “It’s over.”
I didn’t answer him, because I felt the same way as well. What had I done? What had seemed like a way out now seemed like it had only made the situation worse. The penalty for kidnapping was going to be a whole lot worse than it would be for stealing a car.
***
“My mom said not to call him or answer his calls again.” I looked at Jared. “She’s going to bring them to us.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s going to tell them the address here. She’ll say this is where the dropoff is supposed to happen. She’s going to call the police from a neighboring town and have them waiting outside while everything goes down. She knows the chief of police in Sawyerville and so she has told him what’s going on. She trusts him and knows he won’t interfere with anything. I sure hope it all goes well. All we need is for my dad to bring the money and give it to you and let you and Logan go.” I shivered again. “I’m cold.”
“Come here.” Jared called me over, and I picked up the gun and went and sat next to him. I put the gun down and then huddled next to him. He put his arms around me and I wrapped my arms around him so we could stay warm. I closed my eyes, and we must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew we were lying flat on the ground and I could hear his heartbeat against my ears. I cuddled into him to stay warm, and then I heard the footsteps. Everything seemed to happen so quickly, and I was even able to jump up before Logan and my father burst into the room with Vincent and Marty behind them.
“Logan!” I cried out as I saw his distraught face. Jared and I sprang apart and Logan looked back and forth at us furiously.
“What the f**k is going on?” My dad charged towards us and Jared grabbed me.
“Stay back!” he shouted and grabbed the gun on the ground. “Stay back or I’ll f**king shoot.”
“What are you doing, Jared?” Logan screamed furiously and I tried to make eye contact with him so that he could see that everything was okay.
“You f**king Martellis, I should have—” My dad ran forward and pushed Jared back into the wall, he stumbled back and dropped the gun, and my dad and Logan both jumped to the ground to get it. Everything seemed to happen in a blur but before I knew it, a shot had been fired and I was screaming. I looked to the ground to see who had been shot, and my screaming intensified as I saw Logan just lying there. My father stood up with a shocked look on his face, and I gave him the most venomous look. I ran to Logan and fell to the ground, kissing his cheek. “Please, Logan. Please be okay!” I screamed at him, but he didn’t answer me. And then I saw the blood seeping out of his body onto the ground and the next thing I knew, I had fainted. It all seemed like a bittersweet poetic justice. After all that I had done, I still hadn’t been able to save my darling Logan.
***
I woke up in a hospital room. There were white lights all around me, and I could see my mom whispering to a nurse in the corner. I tried to stretch but my limbs screamed out in pain, and I tried not to moan.