LIAM'S POV

It was my idea to go for a drive. The sun was shining, it was a gorgeous day in the middle of July, and we were together. Ruby, Suzume, Chubs, Vida, and myself. It did not get much better or rarer than that!

I reached over to buckle my seatbelt, glancing over my shoulder to peer into the back. "You guys all ready to go?"

"Ready!" Zu was nearly trembling in her seat, ready to set forth. She leaned into Vida, the girl who she now saw as a big sister. Vida just save her a small smile, but the fondness she felt for the girl was obvious.

"Where exactly are we going?" Chubs asked. "Do you even have a destination in mind, Lee?"

I chuckled. "The destination is not the important part. The journey there is the true adventure my friend."

Chubs snorted.

I grabbed Ruby's hand, using the other hand to turn on the radio before putting the truck in drive.

"Ready to go, darlin'?" I shot her a famous Stewart grin and I saw the blush start to color her cheeks.

"I've been ready," She said, and with that we hit the road.

As soon as we got on the highway, I just followed the curves in the road. It took us right along a river, following the bends of the water as we moved through a small gorge. The sights were amazing and I could hear the exciting gasps from Zu as she took in the world around her.

Chubs and Vida were in the backseat silently messing with each other. Vida had her arm stretched along the seat, her arm behind Zu, flicking Chubs every so often and then turning away when he glared at her. He huffed, trying to scoot closer to the door and out of her reach, but she still managed to get him every time. It was amusing to watch in the rearview mirror.

It was while I was watching them that I noticed the SUV. I had noticed it a few miles back, and it was still there. The windows were tinted so I could barely make out the driver or if there were any passengers. The exterior was black and it was missing the front license plate. Every so often, it would come right up behind us, then drift back. This went on for several miles. Eventually, the road broke up into two lanes for passing. I veered into the right lane to allow the SUV to pass, but instead it lingered behind my truck.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby whispered, soft enough so the others could not hear over the music.

"I'm not sure," I whispered back, glancing up again to watch the car. "That SUV has been behind us for a long time."

"They might just be going the same way," Ruby said, but even she sounded a little uncomfortable. We were all too familiar with being followed.

"I'm going to test it," I looked into the backseat. "I'm going to take this next exit, just in case anyone is hungry or has to pee. Okay?"

"Oh, thank god!" Chubs exclaimed. "I've been holding it for the last 20 minutes!"

"Geez, grandpa. You gotta pee already?" Vida teased.

Chubs glared at her. "It's not my fault! I drank a lot of water before we left!"

"I'm hungry anyway!" Zu piped up.

"Okay, it's just a couple miles ahead. Can you hold it that long, Chubby?" I looked over at Chubs as he shot daggers from his eyes.

When I took the exit, the SUV followed, but when I pulled into the gas station, it passed us. I breathed a sigh of relief and I saw Ruby visibly relax as well.

"I guess we were just imagining stuff," She said, letting out an airy laugh. "I'm going to go in with Zu to get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm going to fill up the truck."

Ruby nodded and took Zu's hand, leading the girl inside. Vida and Chubs had already run to the bathrooms (apparently Vida had had to go just as bad). This left me alone at the pump.

I leaned against the truck, watching the numbers go up and up on the pump as the gas tank filled. I chewed my lip, trying to get the knot to untwist in my stomach. Something still did not feel right… but I could not figure out what. I tried to shake the feeling, but it would not go away.

The pump clicked, and I removed the nozzle and placed it back on the handle. I glanced inside the store and saw the others still moving around inside.

Wiping off my hands on my shirt, I turned to head inside as well.

"Sir?"

I turned around, spotting a woman, maybe mid-40s, standing beside the pump.

"Can I help you?" I asked hesitantly, standing between the truck and the store door.

"Could you spare a little money? I am trying to get home for my niece's birthday, but I ran out of gas." She motioned toward a little white car parked at the pump next to the one I had been using.

My heart sank. "I'm sorry to hear that. Of course I'll help."

"Thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it. I would be happy to help," I gave her a nod and headed to the pump.

I grabbed my wallet from my back pocket, accidently dropping my keys as I did so. When I bent down to grab them, someone had wrapped their arm around my neck, putting me in a chokehold. Panicking, I started thrashing, but then they placed a wet cloth against my face and everything went fuzzy and dark.

The last thought that went through my head was 'we were watching the wrong car'.

RUBY'S POV

After what felt like hours, everyone had finally made their food selections. After checking out, I led everyone outside so we could get back into the truck and continue our adventure.

"Charlie, did you seriously have to get more liquid?" Vida groaned, motioning to Chubs' 24oz bottle of water.

"Vida, water is very important. And someone had to use the restroom just as bad as I did!" Chubs retorted.

Vida rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Come on, Lee is waiting for us," I reminded them. I turned back to the truck, still holding Zu's hand. But Liam was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" Zu asked, looking up at me. I tried to keep my panic under control.

"I'm sure he is around here somewhere," I told her. We walked over to the truck and I opened the door for Zu. I helped her climb inside, then went to look for Lee.

"I'm going to look for him, you stay here with Chubs, okay?" I gave Zu a look, and she nodded. She needed to stay put and not come after me. Chubs had gotten in beside her and opened up his bag of chips to share with her.

Vida came around to meet me on the side of the truck. "Where do you think Boy Scout ran off to?" She asked.

I took a deep breath, but my hands were trembling. All I could think about was the SUV that had been behind us. What if it actually had been following us? What if it turned back around and grabbed Liam?

"Hey, he probably just ran to the bathroom or something," Vida said, noticing my obvious anxiety.

"I think someone was following us," I admitted, keeping my voice low so the other two couldn't hear.

Vida's face fell. "When?"

"On the highway. That is why Liam took the exit, to see if it would follow."

"Did it?"

I shook my head. "It exited too, but it passed the gas station."

"But you're afraid it came back." Vida voiced my fear out loud.

I nodded.

"Okay, let's just think, okay?" She looked around. "Are there any signs that he was taken?"

I looked around, shaking my head. "Let's look around."

We walked around the building, just to be sure he wasn't hiding somewhere, but no luck. He had just disappeared. There was no blood, fortunately, that would have meant he had been injured.

It was when we were walking back to the pumps that I noticed something shiny on the pavement. I looked closer, and noticed the keys to the truck laying on the ground. I reached down and scooped them up, holding them out to Vida.

"He wouldn't go anywhere without these," I whispered, fighting to keep my voice from cracking. "This truck is like his baby."

Vida took the keys from my hand, holding them tightly in her grasp. "We'll find him, boo."

There was only one problem. We had no idea where to start.