My Stepbrother Wants Me-Chapter 188: Finding Her

Catherine’s POV

The walk to the garage felt like it took hours, even though we were running. Julian was silent until we reached his car. The second we cleared the house, he turned to me, his grip on his keys so tight his knuckles were white.

"You are still not saying anything. What’s wrong? Talk to me," he commanded. "Did something happen? Or are you just looking for a way to spend time with me? I didn’t think it would be that fas—"

What was fucking wrong with this moron?! If I wanted to spend time with him, would I panic like this?

"Can you just shut the fuck?!" I yelled, interrupting him, while my voice cracked. "The problem is that Tessa could be in danger right now. She’s being followed by two men in a black car. She thinks Lucy sent them. Julian, she’s in the outskirts near the old trail. Just get in and drive!"

"Wait. What?" He asked but I ignored him. He finally realized how serious this was and didn’t ask any other questions. He jumped into the driver’s seat, and I scrambled into the passenger side, then he keyed the ignition, the engine roaring to life. We tore out of the driveway, the tires screeching against the gravel.

As we sped toward the coordinates on my phone, I explained the rest about the Tessa and Lucy problem. I told him about the threats Lucy made today, and the fact that Lucy was missing from the house.

"That bitch," Julian growled. He hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand, a raw, guttural sound coming from his throat. "I told her to stay in her lane. If she touches a hair on that girl’s head just to get to you, I will personally ruin her."

"We don’t have to be making threats. Just drive fast. Please hurry," I pleaded, staring at the blue dot on the screen. "We have to find her before they do something to her."

He nodded and continued to drive in silence. I stared at my phone again and almost froze.

The location was stuck to a spot, meaning that Tessa had stopped moving.

"Julian, the dot isn’t moving." I swallowed hard. "What if they have found her?"

"Stay positive, Catherine. They’ve not found her. They can’t. Maybe her phone is low or she left it with someone."

"Please stop talking and just drive this damn car fast.

"I’m going as fast as I can."

We hit the outskirts ten minutes later. The area was a deserted stretch of road lined with thick, overgrown brush and rusting fences. It was a "bush" area that people avoided after dark. Julian slammed on the brakes as we reached the last known location.

The road was empty, my eyes searched around and I didn’t see any black car or any sign of Tessa.

"She was right here," I said, jumping out of the car before it had even fully stopped. I looked around wildly. "Tessa! Tessa!"

Julian was right behind me, his eyes scanning the dirt road. He stopped suddenly and reached down, picking something up from the tall grass.

"Catherine," he said softly.

He was holding a phone. The screen was cracked, but the case was unmistakable. It was Tessa’s.

"No," I whispered, the world tilting on its axis. My hands began to shake violently. "No, no, no. They’ve gotten her. Julian, they took her."

I started to spiral, the panic clawing at my throat. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Before I could collapse, Julian stepped into my space and pulled me into a hard, crushing hug. He tucked my head under his chin, his arms acting like a vice to keep me from falling apart.

"Look at me," he muttered into my hair. "Listen to me. We can’t conclude that they haven’t ’gotten’ her yet. The phone is right here, which could mean she probably dropped it or threw it to lead us into the brush. We keep looking. We don’t stop."

He pulled back, his hands steady on my shoulders. "Stay close to me."

We moved into the thicket, the dry branches catching on my sweater. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long, jagged shadows across the ground.

"Tessa!" I screamed, my voice raw. "Tessa, answer me!"

"TESSA!" Julian roared, his voice booming through the trees. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream rang from the left. "Catherine! Help me. I am here.!"

"Tessa!" I lunged toward the sound.

About twenty yards ahead, in a clearing near a collapsed shack, I saw them. Two men dressed in all black, wearing cheap medical masks, were trying to drag a struggling figure toward the shadows.

"Hey!" Julian yelled with a pure venomous tone.

The men looked up, startled by the sight of a six-foot Vaughn charging at them like a demon. They didn’t hesitate. They dropped Tessa and bolted in opposite directions, disappearing into the dense brush.

Julian didn’t stop to check on her; he went after them, his long strides eating up the ground as he vanished into the trees after the kidnappers. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I ran to the clearing and fell to my knees. Tessa was curled in a ball on the dirt, sobbing hysterically. Her clothes were torn at the shoulder, and her face was covered in dust and tears.

"I’ve got you," I sobbed, pulling her into my arms. "I’ve got you, Tessa. You’re okay."

"They... they almost..." she choked out, clutching my sweater. "They were going to take me into that shack, Catherine."

Julian returned a few minutes later, his chest heaving, his face dark with rage. He hadn’t caught them. The brush was too thick, and they knew the terrain better than he did. He stomped over to us, his eyes scanning Tessa for serious injuries.

"Did you see them?" Julian asked, his voice harsh with adrenaline. "Did you see their faces? Who were they?"

Tessa shook her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "No. They had masks. But they... they talked. They told me to stop fighting because they’d already been paid a good amount of money to fuck me hard. They said someone wanted me to learn my place."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and haunted. "It’s Lucy, Catherine. It has to be Lucy. No one else hates me this much."

Julian’s jaw tightened so hard I heard the bone click. He looked away, staring into the dark woods where the men had vanished, his hands curling into lethal fists.

"We’re going home," Julian said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "And then I’m going to find Lucy and make sure she pays for displaying such stupidity."