Chapter 86: Secrets Behind the Gates
Micah’s POV
How was this even possible?
My mind spun in chaotic circles as I stared at the shattered rose-gold phone in my hands. There was no way a student could just be snatched off campus in broad daylight right after a major university game, right? What about the security guards stationed at every gate? What about the CCTV cameras lining the parking lots? How could someone just vanish into thin air without a single person noticing?
Panic clawed viciously at my throat. Unless... unless it wasn’t an outsider at all. Unless it was done by a fellow student. Someone who knew the campus layout, someone who knew how to bypass the security protocols, or someone with enough money and power to make people look the other way.
"I... I need to call my family right now," Raven stammered out, her voice completely stripped of its usual razor-sharp edge.
She was panicking hard. Her fingers were trembling so violently that her grip failed entirely and the device slipped through her fingers, crashing onto the hard pavement once more.
I quickly knelt down, picking the cracked phone up before any more damage could be done. Standing back up, I placed my free hand firmly on her trembling shoulder, squeezing lightly to ground her.
"You need to breathe, Raven," I said, forcing my voice to stay as steady and reassuring as possible despite the wild beating of my own heart. "Panicking isn’t going to save your sister. We have to think clearly."
Raven shut her eyes tight, taking a deep, shuddering breath. She held it for a second before exhaling loudly, trying to force her composure back into place. She gave me a stiff nod and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her car keys with a sharp clink.
"Can you drive?" she asked desperately, her dark eyes wide as she stared at me. "I have to get to the Phoenix Club and see Phoenix right now. He’ll know what to do."
"Uh..." My voice hitched in my throat, a sudden wave of helpless embarrassment washing over me.
I was supposed to go to the Phoenix Club later tonight anyway, but right now, I wished more than anything that there was an easy way to escape all of this. My life felt like it was pulling me in ten different directions at once. To make matters worse, Noah had explicitly told me last night that he had somewhere important to take me immediately after his game.
"I... I can’t drive," I admitted softly, looking away from her desperate gaze.
Raven’s shoulders visibly dropped, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she turned her head to look out toward the empty parking lot road, completely at a loss.
"I can," a smooth, calm voice spoke up from behind us.
Both Raven and I whipped around instantly at the sound. Standing at the edge of the parking lot pavement were two tall figures walking side by side... Damon and Noah.
My breath caught in my throat. My jaw practically dropped open. Why on earth were these two together all of a sudden? They hated each other’s guts. They were practically enemies who couldn’t stand being in the same room, yet here they were, walking out of the athletic complex together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Before I could even process the bizarre sight, Noah completely ignored Damon and strode straight toward me. The moment he reached my side, his heavy hands clamped onto my shoulders. His dark eyes scanned my body frantically from head to toe, checking every inch of me as if he were inspecting me for hidden injuries or bruises.
"Are you alright, Micah?" he demanded, his voice thick with intense, suffocating concern. "Did something happen to you out here?"
The sudden warmth of his hands made my heart jump into my throat, but I quickly shook my head, pulling his attention away from me and directing it toward Raven.
"I’m fine, but... it seems like Sunny has been kidnapped," I said quickly.
Noah furrowed his dark brows, a look of utter indifference flashing across his face. "I don’t know who Sunny is."
A flare of annoyance burned in my chest. Of course he doesn’t. Noah didn’t care about anyone outside his immediate circle. I rolled my eyes away from his stone-cold face and turned my attention straight to Damon, who was standing a few feet away with a relaxed, lazy posture.
"Can you please drive Raven to the Phoenix Club?" I asked him, my voice practically begging.
"Sure, I can," Damon replied effortlessly. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a sleek key fob, and pressed a button. A loud double-beep rang out from a high-end black sports car parked just a few rows down.
I immediately pulled away from Noah’s grip, stepping closer to Raven and guiding her trembling body toward Damon’s car. She was still in absolute shock, her entire frame shivering with pure, unadulterated fear for her sister’s safety.
"You should meet Phoenix first," I whispered softly in her ear as we reached the passenger side. "I’ll probably come by the club later tonight..."
Raven looked at me, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and gave me a quiet, grateful nod. Slowly, she climbed into the passenger seat, looking completely drained. I pulled the heavy car door shut, locking her safely inside.
Damon strolled over to the driver’s side, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. As he approached, I stepped forward and pressed Sunny’s shattered phone directly into his palm.
"Please take care of her," I said softly, looking up into his dark eyes.
A slow, devilish grin spread across Damon’s lips. "Sure, I will, darling."
An intense, scorching heat instantly crept up my neck and flushed straight into my cheeks at the familiar, taunting nickname. Before I could even snap at him or tell him to stop calling me that, Damon brushed past me, his shoulder lightly grazing mine as he slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut. The powerful engine roared to life, and within seconds, the sports car shot out of the parking lot, speeding away down the road.
I stood there, staring at the empty street with my heart pounding wildly against my ribs, trying to swallow down the confusing flurry of emotions raging inside me.