Kai

 

Dawn broke as we pulled into the driveway of the Malibu house and Soraya jerked awake in the front seat. I was staring up at the house, eyes riveted on Isla’s room. Was she awake yet?

“Wasn’t the Maserati parked in the driveway when we left?” Balt was asking and then he rubbed his face. “Or am I losing it?”

“You’re losing it,” Soraya said grumpily, flinging herself out of the car.

We were all on edge after a long and unsuccessful night of investigating the building at the address Tina Ruyes had given Isla. It was an abandoned warehouse with no apparent connection to the TLO. Balt was sure we’d been given a red herring. Soraya was stalwartly insisting there was probably a clue we were overlooking.

And I was starting to feel like we were running out of time.

Isla’s birthday was tomorrow.

Balt was the last to get out and his entire body slumped towards the ground as we dragged ourselves to the house. More than the physical fatigue was mental. My brain was begging for sleep after all the gymnastics it’d performed.

Suddenly I tensed, watching Balt and Soraya do the same.

They looked at each other, all signs of tiredness vanishing and then back at the house. There was a trace of a sickly-sweet smell on the air. One I knew.

“No,” I gasped, going to rush into the house, but Balt caught me.

“Look,” he said, pointing to the gas mask at the bottom of the stairs. “This could have just happened.”

“Isla is in there!” I shouted at him. “Move.”

Soraya was already at the door and peering in. “We need to open windows. Air the place out.” She sniffed daintily. “Although, it has mostly dissipated. Balt, you’re wrong – this happened probably five hours ago or so. Maybe one-thirty a.m.” Pulling up her shirt over her nose, she slipped in and called back, “It’s safe, guys.”

We walked in, Soraya running into the kitchen, where she let out a shout of surprise. Rushing in after her, we found Hayes and Mark unconscious on the floor. A dark look of anger crossed Balt’s face and he marched over, pulling out something from his pocket. Waving the salts under Mark’s nose first, then Hayes, I watched the two blink, and stir.

“What the hell?” Hayes muttered, trying to sit up and cocking an eyebrow at Balt.

“I could ask you two the same question,” Balt roared, folding his arms and glaring down at them. “What happened here?”

Soraya was nudging a canister with her foot. “This is SoA issued. TLO wasn’t here.”

“Unless they’re using our stuff,” I said, turning to run out of the kitchen and check on Isla.

“It was her,” Hayes said groggily, stopping me in my tracks. “At like one a.m. or so, she came down and–”

“Isla did this?” Soraya asked in a tone of disbelief, with an undercurrent of laughter. “But, why…” She trailed off as we looked at each other and horror leaped into her eyes. "I'll kill her."

“Not if I don’t first,” Mark grumbled. “Dammit, my head. I can’t believe we got knocked out by a tiny little woman like that.”

I couldn’t process what was happening. My body entire body had locked up.

Isla, no, what were you thinking…?

“Watch it, Mark,” Soraya growled.

“That’s what you get for underestimating people!” Balt bellowed. “Now the girl in our protective custody is gone! Do you two jackasses realize what you’ve done?”

"Balt, screaming at them isn't going to get anything done. Calm down. And where the hell did she even get a knockout canister?" Soraya asked.

“Probably Piper’s room,” Balt snapped back.

“Okay, well, let’s search the house,” she said, trying to sound calm. “Mark, Hayes, drink water and take some Tylenol. And be ready to pay for this in gallons of tears.”

Regaining the power of motion with a gasp, I ran out of the kitchen and vaulted up the stairs. Bursting into Isla’s empty room, I stared around and a sound of pain escaped me.

She was really gone.

My eyes landed on the desk at that moment and on a folded piece of paper. Stalking over, I grabbed it and read it. Only three words were there.

Trace my phone.

A bark of bitter laughter escaped me. How naïve was she? They’d search her and find it, immediately destroying it. I know, I’d lost my own phone seven years back to the same fate.

Sinking into the chair, I let my head fall into my hands as reality crashed down on me. This was all my fault. I’d driven Isla away to take this stupid risk.

I’d ruined everything.

Staring down at the carpet, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper lying there and I reached down for it on instinct. Smoothing it open, I read the title and my entire body began to shake.

Isla’s List as requested by Kai, everything I need to be happy.

You, Kai Weslark.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I grit my teeth together to keep from howling in agony.

Underneath, she'd doodled a picture of the Maui House, or part of it, as though she was hovering over it and looking to the west. You could see the porch, with the cats, lined up on it, the beach, and the wide expanse of ocean.

Reading it over again, the pain grew acuter, but it sharpened me, too.

Enough of this blame game.

I was going to get Isla back. No matter the cost.

“Find anything?” Balt asked suddenly from next to me and I glanced up at him. Silently I handed him the first note and his eyebrows raised. “She’s joking, right? This was her big plan?”

Pulling out his phone, he frowned as his fingers flew over the keyboard. My heart was beating loudly, hoping against hope. Please, please, please…

“Hey, guys. Mark is missing his phone – I think Isla stole it,” Soraya said, appearing in the doorway. “Any idea why?”

Balt and I looked at each other. And for the first time in days, a real, genuine Balt smile broke over his face and he breathed, “I take it back. That brilliant, beautiful girl.”

Standing up so fast, I knocked the chair over, I asked, “You can trace it?”

Soraya ran over as Balt actually let out a happy laugh. “Not only that, I think we now know exactly where the TLO is holed up with our girls. Let’s go.”