Deep Waters

BONUS CHAPTER: KASON'S POV

**My alarm woke me up at exactly five-thirty in the morning. I didn't have time to dilly-daddle so I got up, changed, and brushed my teeth. Throwing all of my last-minute things in my bag, I zipped it up and made my way down the hall. I couldn't believe that we were leaving in less than half an hour to catch Charles. Dad hadn't told me his plan, but I knew he was going to use Delilah to reel Charles in and catch him. The thought of using Delilah as bait made anxiety consume me but I trusted my dad. I knew he had all the precautions needed to protect her. She'd be fine. Safe. At least I hoped so. I prayed so.

I joined my friends in the living room. All faces were accounted for except for Delilah and Sam. Gavin set his suitcase down beside mine. I immediately noticed his eyes were bloodshot red and dark blue bags hung under his eyes. "Didn't sleep?" I asked him, understanding his worry because it was the same that I suffered from.

He just shook his head. "I couldn't. Not knowing that we are going to be seeing Charles today." Gavin looked up at the clock on the wall. Only ten minutes until six. The car could be here any minute. "Can you go check on Delilah and make sure she's awake? We need to be ready as soon as the car gets here."

Nodding, I turned back and made my way to her room. I knocked twice but didn't get an answer. I swear if this girl wasn't already up...she was going to be the death of me. I opened the door, finding the lights still off. The only light shining in the room was the sunrise coming through the open window. "Babe, wake up," I sang, heading toward her bed. "You know, going to sleep with the window open isn't—." I stopped after not finding a limp figure in her bed. Jumping back to flip on the light, I looked again. The blankets were wrinkled and messy as if they had been slept in, but she wasn't there. "Babe?" I asked, looking in the attached bathroom. The doors were open and the lights were off.

I couldn't control my erratic heart now pounding in my chest. My eyes darted to the open window, quickly making my way to look out of it, I saw nothing but open farmland. Did I expect her to be standing right there in the open or something?

Okay, Kason. Calm down. There is no reason to be jumping to conclusions.

This had become a habit of mine ever since I found out the truth. I wasn't calm, collected, and fine unless I knew where my girlfriend was at all times. It's just what happens when someone so important in your life is going through something so dangerous. I worried about her every second of every day. Her safety was my every thought.

I couldn't slow my feet down as I raced back to the house's open doorway, where everyone was, looking up at me in confusion as I entered. I could only imagine what my expression looked like as I tried to hide the panic impeding itself in my veins. Maybe I wasn't hiding it as well as I had thought. "Has anyone seen Delilah this morning?" My voice came out strained, no matter how hard I tried to sound calm. All of their faces just looked flat out confused. This wasn't how our morning was supposed to go. We were supposed to get up and get in a car. That's it. That simple.

"Is she not still sleeping in her room?" Gavin asked, his tired eyes looking a little more stressed.

I shook my head. "She's gone."

Marla and Aria sprang into dramatics instantly, both frantically asking everyone to tell them we were pranking them. Holden comforted them and started easing their minds. But I didn't lose eye contact with Gavin. We knew something was wrong. We knew Delilah better than anyone. We both stood and stared at each other, basically reading each other's minds. "I would have seen her get up and leave," he told me. "I've been up and in the living room all night...I would have heard her walk down the hallway."

My heart hammered in my chest and sunk deep as what was happening started sinking in. "Her window was open," I informed them.

Gavin cursed under his breath. Tears sprang in his eyes and he immediately pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Daniel."