Page 52

The Night of the Abduction

N icole Cutty pulled her car into the parking lot of Emerald Cove, where the beach party was happening, an end-of-summer tradition for Emerson Bay kids.

It was seven p. m. and the sun was at a steep slant across the water as Nicole and her friends primped in the parking lot, Jessica and Rachel fighting over the passenger-side visor mirror while Nicole smacked her lips in the rearview after applying a final coat of lipstick.

They stashed their makeup into small purses.

“No drama tonight,” Jessica said.

“You sound like my sister,” Nicole said.

She had made a call to Livia after the incident on Matt’s boat.

Wanting to disappear, she’d asked Livia if she could come to Miami for a week.

Of course, Livia was too busy with residency to consider it.

Nicole had wanted to run to Livia and tell her about all the things that were swirling in her brain.

She wanted, for just one week, to be a little sister and garner the attention she once had from Livia.

“Just stay away from him,” Rachel said. “He’s an ass anyway.”

Nicole didn’t answer. She’d been withdrawn, Jessica and Rachel noticed, since the incident between her and Matt the other day.

Nicole refused to tell them what had transpired on Matt’s boat, but it was assumed that he had broken things off for good now that he was with Megan.

Jessica and Rachel knew their role tonight would be as peacekeepers.

They’d work hard to keep Nicole away from both Megan and Matt.

The three walked through the parking lot and onto the beach, where a large bonfire was fighting off the first advances of dusk.

Fifty other kids gathered in packs around the fire.

A volleyball game was in full swing and a few boys threw a football down by the water.

They waited for the sun to set and for darkness to cover the beach before they snuck beer and liquor from their hiding spots.

Jessica and Rachel merged with a group of girls by the fire. Nicole broke away and wandered down by the water. She pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and checked again. Casey hadn’t returned her text.

There was a loud holler from a group of boys by the fire and Nicole looked back. In the glow of the flames she saw that Matt had arrived, greeted by his friends. Holding his hand was Megan.

Nicole looked back at her phone and sent Casey another text.