Page 1 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

Rebecca closed her eyes and leaned back against the smooth leather, listening to the heavy rhythm of the drums. She ran her hands along the decadent leather of the red and black seat.

Rebecca had never been in a car this expensive.

She glanced at the guy in the driver’s seat, trying to remember his name.

He turned up the volume as the next track started. The subwoofers made her ears itch. “What’s this song called?”

“‘Breaking Skin,’” her new friend answered. “It’s about being miserable and trapped in it. You can’t escape your thoughts, so you’re constantly scratching at the itch. Like your body needs to purge the pain, but all you can do is scratch.”

“I get that.”

“Me too. I’m so sick of my parents making me feel shitty just because I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I’m working at least. Who knows what they want at twenty?” He smacked the steering wheel. “It’s not like it’s inconveniencing them for me to still live at home. They can afford it.”

Rebecca caught herself before she started laughing. He knew nothing of hardship, much less the real world. “What kind of car is this?”

He sat up straighter in his seat. “Nissan GT-R. Almost 600 horsepower. It’s not just a generic coupe with a big engine either. It can compete with the Porsche 911, maybe even beat it. Spent over 100k on this baby.”

Rebecca was glad he couldn’t see the disgust on her face.

Her family might have survived with that kind of money.

Still, the car was beautiful, with leather black and red seats that were actually comfortable for bucket seats.

Rebecca hadn’t been in a car with a touchscreen that had so many options. “It’s yours?”

“Yep.”

She thought about asking how he afforded something that expensive, but he’d already told her his parents were wealthy.

“My parents have kept me down for so long,” he droned on. “That’s why I relate to the lyrics so much. I walk around anxious half the time because I know they’re going to rag on me again.”

She bit her lip against the tirade of emotions.

This spoiled boy knew nothing of actual hardship, much less real life.

But Rebecca did. She knew what it was like to have your entire world shattered over and over again until every last bit of hope had been extinguished.

Some days she thought she’d rather die than continue carrying on like this. But she had people depending on her.

He switched lanes, barely making the exit for Stillwater. “Sure you don’t want to come to mine for a while?”

Darkness prevented him from seeing her recoil. “Maybe another time. I have to get back before my mom figures out I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “I can sneak you in.”

Rebecca wasn’t really worried about her mother. What could she do at this point? But the younger kids would be scared if she didn’t get home until the crack of dawn.

“I’ll take care of your mom if she finds out.”

Rebecca nodded. “Just drop me off at the drive. I’ll sneak into our apartment.”

Rebecca sat up in bed, still in the shirt she’d worn out last night.

She looked at the clock on her bedside table.

How could it be this dark at nine a.m.? She peered out of the blinds.

Storm clouds decorated the sky, lightning flashing through them.

Her brother’s bed was already made. He’d been asleep when she snuck back inside the dark house, just like everyone else.

She’d better get up so her mother didn’t question why she’d slept in so late.

Rebecca changed into a clean shirt and pajama pants and then wandered through the tiny apartment to the bathroom, where she washed her face and brushed her long, dark hair.

Hopefully her mother didn’t question the circles around her eyes.

She grabbed a clothes basket and tossed last night’s clothes in, along with several other dirty items.

The main house door was unlocked as usual. She balanced the basket on her hip and headed towards the door where her brother Jason now stood.

“Does she suspect that I was out last night?” Rebecca whispered.

“Don’t think so.” Jason squeezed by her. Her fifteen-year-old brother’s peach fuzz needed a trim. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Rebecca quietly closed the door behind her.

Wind rattled the picture window in the living room, and she could see the dark clouds moving closer.

She snuck past the master bedroom and then crept down the hall.

Her mother and Bailey’s room was right before the kitchen, and Rebecca could hear her mother talking to the toddler about making their bed.

The room had no door, only heavy drapes that blocked the room from the hall.

Rebecca tiptoed past the closed drapes, careful not to stumble on the two steps down into the kitchen.

She glanced to her right. The table and built-in booth had already been cleared from breakfast. Lightning flashed outside the large window behind the table, the oak tree’s limbs straining under the force of the wind.

Rebecca snuck into the laundry room on the other side of the kitchen.

It looked like a closed-in porch, and she loved how the scent of fabric softener seemed to make the whole house smell fresh.

The washer was empty, so she jammed her dirty clothes inside.

She dug through the pockets of last night’s jeans in search of the ticket stub.

It fluttered to the floor, but before Rebecca could grab it, her mother snatched the ticket.

“What the hell is this?” Bianca demanded.

“Exactly what it looks like.” Rebecca shoved the jeans into the washer, turning her back to her mother. Bianca’s rough hands closed around her arm, forcing her to turn around. Anger flashed in the sultry dark eyes Rebecca used to envy.

“You are not to go anywhere without my knowing.”

“I went to a concert in Rochester,” Rebecca snapped back.

“No one there knew me, I promise.” She yanked her arm out of her mother’s grasp and headed back into the kitchen.

The counter split the room, the refrigerator and stove across from each other in the narrow galley.

She grabbed a bowl and spoon and then poured Cheerios into the bowl.

“You don’t know that,” Bianca hissed. She blocked Rebecca’s path. “This isn’t just about you, Rebecca. Other people could get hurt.”

“You should have thought of that before.” Rebecca stood toe-to-toe with her mother wondering why she’d once worshiped the ground she’d walked on. “All of this is your fault.”

Her mother smacked her, her rough hands stinging Rebecca’s cheek. Her fist clenched; she’d never hit her mother. She might not be able to stop if she did. Still, Rebecca couldn’t help but get one last insult in. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d be sober enough to notice I was missing.”

She waited for the battle, but her mother’s face had turned white. Her shaking hand pointed past Rebecca. “Look.”

At first, Rebecca saw only the storm outside the big kitchen window. It looked like nighttime, with rain hitting the window. Then the lightning flashed.

A piece of white material looked like it had been stuck into the tree with something. Bianca grabbed Rebecca’s hand, and they crept toward the window.

Eternity passed as they waited for the next flash to light up the sky. It struck close, the thunder following quickly.

“It’s my veil,” Bianca whispered. “He’s here.”

Panic built in her chest until it reached Rebecca’s throat. “Call the police.”

Bianca picked up the phone and then set it back down on the receiver. “The landline isn’t working.”

Rebecca’s knees weakened. She helped her mother pay the bills. The phone hadn’t been shut off. “It could be the storm,” she tried.

“It’s not the storm.” Her mother’s brown eyes searched Rebecca’s before pulling her daughter close. “It’s going to be okay. We practiced this.” She smoothed Rebecca’s dark hair. “I need you to be strong, okay?”

“I’m not leaving you.” Rebecca spoke into her mother’s neck.

Her mother’s nails dug into Rebecca’s arms as she pushed her away. “Yes, you will. It’s our only chance.” She quickly took something from her pocket and pressed it into Rebecca’s hands. “You remember where the gas station is?”

Lightning flashed again, and Rebecca thought she saw a shadow running across the yard. “Mom?—”

“Go now! Get Bailey.”

Rebecca raced into the guest room, where the three-year-old slept.

She gathered Bailey in her arms, ignoring the sleepy complaints.

She raced across the house and breezeway, refusing to look outside.

Once she’d reached the apartment, she locked the door and then set Bailey on the floor.

Rebecca grabbed the bungee cords they’d kept near the door.

She wrapped one end tightly around the doorknob and anchored the other to the cellar stairs.

Bailey seemed to understand something wasn’t right and stayed quiet as Rebecca hurried them down the hall to the bathroom. She banged on the door. “Jason, get dressed. He’s here.”

Her brother opened the door, his wet hair plastered to his forehead, a towel around his waist. “What?” He looked terrified.

“Yes.” She thrust Bailey into Jason’s arms, smoothing the baby’s soft hair. “I’ll see you guys soon. You know what to do.”

She hurried into the little kitchen while Jason and Bailey took refuge in the bedroom. Jason would secure the door the same way she’d secured the other one. Rebecca yanked open the drawer where they kept the burner phones. Both were gone.

She didn’t have time to worry. Her running shoes were by the side door. She shoved her feet into them and reached for her sweatshirt. Her stomach bottomed out. The sweatshirt was in the bedroom, along with her wallet, just in case. She had no time.

Rebecca locked the porch door behind her, wishing she could do more to secure it. Cold rain lashed at her skin, and the sky seemed darker than ever. She reached for the cement block that hid the handgun her mother had purchased not long after they’d arrived.

But it wasn’t there.

Instead of taking the stairs leading toward the main house, Rebecca slipped under the porch rail and shimmied down the wood, splinters embedding in her hands. Without looking back, she ran past the old machine shop, darting into the dead cornfield.

Heavy spring rains had turned the ground into mud, slowing Rebecca down. She kept running, knowing she would come out near the road, not far from the gas station.

Adrenaline carried her through the field, and she burst out of the stalks blinded by cold rain. She started for the road and slipped down the ditch.

She wasn’t going to fail.

Rebecca crawled up the embankment, finally reaching the roadside. She didn’t see a car in sight, so she started running toward the gas station, her lungs begging for air. Headlights emerged over the hill, and Rebecca ran into the other lane, waving her arms and jumping up and down.

The rain became a deluge, but surely he would see her in time. She had to get his attention.

As the white car bore down on her, Rebecca realized the driver was going too fast and the roads too wet.

She ran to her right, and the driver must have seen her, because tires suddenly screamed, the car fishtailing.

The back of the car collided against her spine, sending her into the air.

A thousand memories flashed through her mind until her body hit the side of the road.

Blood gurgled from her throat. She didn’t feel any pain, but she couldn’t move. Black boots appeared next to her, and a familiar face suddenly loomed next to hers, screaming they hadn’t seen her.

Rebecca pressed her most treasured possession that her mother had given her into his hands. “Save them.”