Gone (Gone #1) Read Free

there's no picture. I wish I could remember his last name. Is Macy going to be okay?"
    "I hope so. Listen, Zoey, if you hear anything else, or think of anything, call me back. Okay?"
    "Yeah, sure. I'll see if I can find anything else."
    "Thanks. Bye."
    "Bye, Mrs. Mercer. I'll do anything to help find her."
    Alyssa nodded, knowing, and not caring, that Zoey couldn't see her. She opened the app on her phone and went to her daughter's profile, searching for clues.

 
     
    Awake
     
     
    The ground beneath Macy bumped up and down, waking her. She looked around, her head pounding, and reached for the side of her head. A tender bump stuck out near her forehead. The last thing she remembered was going into the truck with the madman who had pretended to be Jared.
    She rolled to the side of the truck, slamming her already-sore head as they took a sharp turn. On all fours, she crawled to the back of the truck to see if she could unlock it. Everything was sealed tight. Not that she was surprised, given how much effort the guy had gone to with everything else.
    The two of them had spent hours and hours messaging and texting. "Jared" had always seemed so interested in her, like she was special. But all he really wanted was to figure out her passwords. She wanted to kick herself; her parents had told her countless times not to give out personal information online. She had thought Jared was safe, but she had obviously been wrong.
    Macy went to the sides of the truck, feeling around for anything she could open. She searched every single inch of the truck bed and canopy. It was no use; he had made sure everything was locked. All she found was a blanket, folded up and tucked into a corner.
    Where was he taking her? And who was Heather? That name seemed important to him. Maybe if Macy could figure out why, she could figure out a way to escape.
    The truck stopped, and the engine cut. Her stomach rumbled, and Macy realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and who knew how long ago that had been? She'd been planning to eat with Jared, who didn't even exist. She leaned against the corner of the walls.
    Minutes ticked by as she waited. She shivered and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around herself. It had the light scent of a girl's perfume.
    As she started to doze, a loud click snapped her back to reality. The door of the canopy opened and the madman looked in. "Good. You're awake. I got some food. You'd better eat it because we're not stopping again for a while." He threw a wrapped hamburger at her. "I know you're vegan, but that's what you're getting. Eat it or go hungry."
    He lowered the canopy door.
    "Wait! Where are we going?"
    "You'll find out soon enough." The door slammed, and Macy heard the lock slide into place.
    She stared at the hamburger, sitting on the blanket. She hadn't eaten meat in more than six months, but her stomach roared, begging her to eat the greasy, dead animal.
    The irony didn't escape her. Macy had gone vegan to lose weight, tired of everyone calling her "Muffin-top Macy." She'd lost the weight, but the name had stuck. That's what had led her to seek a boyfriend online. Now, here she was.
    She wouldn't let the psycho win. She wasn't going to eat his burger. He might have poisoned it, anyway, or slipped something in to make her more agreeable.
    She'd show him. If he saw she couldn't be controlled that easily, maybe he would give up and let her go. She had skipped meals plenty of times. When she first went vegan, her parents hadn't taken her seriously and continued to serve meat-filled meals.
    Once they figured out that she would starve herself if that's what it took, they changed their minds—and Macy's diet.
    She threw the burger across the truck. She wasn't going to eat it. If nothing else, it would take off a little more weight.
    She leaned her head against the wall of the truck bed, tired and scared. There was no getting away yet, she knew that. So she let herself fall asleep again,