A World Without Trust

Chapter Sixteen

Orange and red flames warm my face and hands as I place another piece of wood onto the fire. It's been a couple of days since we left Ashton's home city, we've now made it to the state of Arizona where the nights are becoming colder and the days shorter. We have hunkered down in a small shack a few miles of the interstate for a couple of days, just so all of us can rest up and have a proper break from the mayhem that has been occurring.

The wooden floors creak behind me and I look over my shoulder to see Calum holding a dusty guitar in his hand.

"Haven't played one of these in a while!" He says, excitement in his voice. He sits down opposite me and adjusts the instrument in his lap. He positions his fingers on the thin strings and starts to strum. Ashton enters the small lounge with a huge grin on his face.

"A guitar! Where did you find that?" He asks Calum.

"In that cupboard in the hall way, there's another one but it doesn't have any strings."

"Dammit, would have been cool to have jam with you! I can't remember the last time I played an instrument!"

"What can you play besides the drums?" I ask Ashton. He takes a seat in between Calum and me so we are sitting in a half circle around the fire.

"Well, Drums were my main instrument but besides them I can also play guitar, piano and saxophone." Ashton answers giving me a dimply smile. Calum whistles and nods his head.

"Quite the talent!"

"Thanks man." Ashton says to Calum giving a small laugh. "Play us a song?" He adds and Calum nods. We spend the night singing old songs that we used to love and laughing at Calum's impressions of rock singers. The more I get to see this side of him, the more I trust him. Yet there is this small part of me that doesn't want to after what Harry did. Right now though, Calum is the best chance of us getting my brother back and potentially finding Ashton's.

"ESSIE! HELP ME ESSIE!"

My eyes snap open and I'm lying in a pool of sweat. My breathing is fast and my heart is beating out of control. I've been having nightmares about the day my brother was taken away from me for the past few weeks, but instead of him staying quiet and forcing me to hide he screams my name and pleads for me to help him. Every time I try to run towards him, my feet are stuck to the ground. Tears stream down my face and I slip out of the damp bed sheets. I pull on my pants and coat before I walk outside. The cold air hits me sending a shiver down my body. I lean against the wooden frame work of the shack and admire how peaceful the silhouettes of the trees look against the moon lit sky. That piece is broken as I hear yelling coming from inside. I turn and rush back into the house towards the noise. I pause in the door way of Calum and Ashton's room to see them wrestling with three other men. I frantically look around me for a weapon and spot the guitar resting up against the wall in the hall way. I grab it and race back into the room smashing the first man I see over the head. His body goes limp and he crumbles to the ground catching the attention of the second guy. He turns to me which gives Ashton the opportunity to punch him hard in the back of the head. He tumbles forward and I bring my leg back kicking him as hard as I can in the gut, which causes him to let out an agonizing groan. I gunshot suddenly fills the air and my ears ring at the expense. We freeze and turn towards the door frame to see a large figure standing there holding a smoking pistol in his hand.

"What the hell is going on?" His voice is smooth and masculine like a radio presenter.

"That's exactly what I would like to know!" I spit through clenched teeth. Shaking from the amount of adrenaline rushing through my body.

"You're quite aggressive aren't you babe?" He answers stepping towards me. I can see his face properly now and I am shocked at how young he looks, maybe mid-twenties. The bone structure in his face makes him look very masculine and handsome, not to mention his solid looking body. Short, brunette hair falls over his forehead and his piercing blue eyes stare menacingly into mine.

"Did you just call me... babe?" I question standing taller to hopefully make myself look unintimidated. He winks at me completely ignoring the question. Reminds me a lot of someone I used to know...

"I told you three idiots to tie these spies up and instead you get your ass whooped by a female."

"Zac we tried but..."

"No buts! There are THREE of you!" He says a little more aggressively.

"Wait... spies?" Ashton asks as he holds his bad shoulder. "We aren't spies... we thought you were spies?" Zac looks at Ashton then at me then at Calum.

"So you're telling me that the black van outside doesn't belong to you?"

"It does but..." Calum begins to explain but Zac cuts him off.

"So then you're spies! Tie them up boys, and someone carry poor Dylan back to the truck!" Zac instructs prodding the lifeless man with his foot. He walks right up to me and pulls a piece of rope from his back pocket holding his gun to my chest.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask.

"Hands please." Zac says smoothly, ignoring my question again. I keep my hands close to my side stubborn not to move them and ignoring the gun. "Come on babe, be a good girl!" I cringe at him calling me babe and step back. Calum and Ashton are both trying to resist getting tied up too until they are both smacked over the head, causing them to go unconscious. I gasp and turn back to Zac who leaps towards me forcing my hands together and tightly wrapping the rope around my wrists. All of a sudden every fighting urge in me disappears and my mind goes blank. What if this is it and I really don't get to see Luke again?

I let Zac lead me outside into the night and towards a large truck that looks like an old furniture removal van. He opens the back door and I step inside without being asked. The look on his face is shock as he presumed I'd kick up a fuss about being forced in there. Ashton and Calum get thrown in the back with me, still unconscious. I lie down, the surface cold against my burning cheeks. I close my eyes feeling defeated when suddenly I sit up remembering something. I reach behind me and my fingers brush up against the cool metal body of my gun.