I see stars. But I don’t give up. My hand reaches out, feeling the carpet for something, anything that I can use as a weapon. I’ve taken years of self-defense, I can do this! I can save myself!

A cord. I dig my fingers into his eyes. My other hand grips the plastic cord and yanks.

Another blow to the head and more stars. A lamp comes crashing down on the floor next to me.

He grips the hand that’s digging into his eyes and squeezes. I scream in pain, but my free hand grabs a shard of glass and stabs.

Blood is everywhere in an instant. It’s on my hand, on my clothes, splashing on my face.

“You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you now!”

I stab again and this time I hit him in the eye. He roars in pain, letting go of my crushed hand so he can manage the blood pouring out of his face.

I scramble up, crab-walk backwards a few paces and then get to my feet and grab an umbrella from a rack near the door.

He’s got one eye open, watching me stalk towards him. “What do you think you’ll do with that, Daisy?”

“It’s Grace, you asshole!” I stab him in the leg. Hard. Hard enough to puncture his jeans and his skin because blood shoots out from there too. He looks up and growls at me like an animal.

I grasp the pointed end of the umbrella and swing the handle at his face. It hits with a whack and he falls back to the floor.

“Asshole!” I scream again as the adrenaline races through my body. “I hate you! I hate you!” I kick him in the stomach with my bare foot and then I step back, terrified that he’ll get back up, terrified that I won’t be able to get out of the house. Terrified that I’m still not safe.

I’m still not safe.

I lunge for the computer and pull up the only lifeline I have.

Twitter.

Chapter Fifteen

THE farmhouse looks cold and desolate. “Does someone live here?” Felicity asks.

I pull the rental car up to the dilapidated structure and turn the engine off. There’s cows in a pasture not too far off and the corn is tall and turning brown, indicating it’s almost ready to harvest, so apparently, that’s a yes.

My phone buzzes and I press Conner’s face. “Anything?”

“OK,” he starts, a little bit out of breath. “Here’s where we’re at. There’s a guy from Nebraska who did in fact work for Asher Productions a long time ago. Like back before the kidnapping took place. But he left and went to work—”

“In a high-school theatre department in the middle of Nebraska?”

“Yeah. How’d you know that?”

“We’re at his house right now.”

“This isn’t our guy. He’s too old. Maybe he’s got more info, so check that out. But the main thing I wanted to tell you is that he had a student who got a summer internship at Asher Productions after the old man left.”

“What’s his name?”

“Derek Hauser. And he fits the profile. Right age. Born and raised in Chadron, Nebraska—just north of the national forest. And I think if we dig deeper, we’ll find a record of him being at camp at the same time Grace was at archery camp. I’ve got the FBI looking into it.”

“So where’s he live? In California?”

“No. He quit his job a few weeks ago. Right before IM2 came out.”

“Tell me he wasn’t on the set.”

“He’s not on our roster. At least not under this name. But we think he was a guest of someone else in the effects department the night of your premiere. That’s how he got inside the theatre to make that call. We’re going house to house with all the effects people to try and get a confirmation. What’d you guys find out?”

“We’re at the old theatre teacher’s house right now. It’s not looking promising.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I mean, there’s nothing here but cows. It looks…” I hesitate to say the word. I hate to say the word But it’s the only one that fits. “Dead.”

“Well, this Hauser guy doesn’t own any property in the area anymore. His family died way back and he sold the farm the same year. So I’m not sure where we’d even look for him. Try to get it out of the old man. He’s our best lead right now. Because this guy could be anywhere.”

We hang up and I look over at Felicity. “I guess we go ask this guy.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird,” she says, her eyes never leaving mine, “that we’ve been sitting in this guy’s driveway for ten minutes and no one’s come out to ask us what the hell we’re doing? I mean, this area strikes me as being filled with shoot-first kinda people.”

I stare at her. “You think they’re in there?”

She shrugs. “I dunno. But we don’t even have a gun. Maybe we should call the police?”

Just then my phone buzzes in my pocket.

@MrsInvsman has logged on to Twitter, my third-party app tells me. “Grace!” I say. “That’s Grace!”

Girl @mrsinvsman

@mrinvsman help me help me help me

Oh, fuck. I almost throw up.

“Answer her, V! Quick!” Felicity grabs the phone from my hand and begins to type.

Master @mrinvsman

@mrsinvsman where are you I’m looking for you in Alliance, Nebraska

Girl @mrsinvsman

@mrinvsman I don’t know! I smell cows and I see corn. I can’t get outside! It’s locked. I can’t get outside! He’s not dead!

I snatch the phone from Felicity and start typing.

Chapter Sixteen

Master @mrinvsman

@mrsinvsman kill him! Now. Kill him and break a window

I’m barely done reading the message when I hear a groan behind me. I whirl around and he’s already on his feet. I reach for the nearest object but I’m not fast enough. He lunges for my legs and tackles me to the floor.

“No!” I scream. I’m so fucking close! I kick and squirm, but he drapes his heavy body over mine and I’m helpless. He’s too big. He’s too heavy. I’m too weak, and tired.

I’m caught.

Again.

Chapter Seventeen

“GODDAMN“ it! She’s gone! She’s logged off!”

“We should check the house, V. Maybe she’s in there? Maybe she’s right in there?”

We both get out of the car and slam our doors closed, running to the front door as quick as we can.