Hellos… please don't kill me! I know I have updated late, but my attention has been directed to school. Especially since I just had midterms (worst week ever) and with other stories on my mind, I have been distracted too easily. Hope this chapter is okay: D

Disclaimer: All rights to Ally Carter

Nick was having the best day of his life. He finally got his new car, a Ram 1500 truck! His parents were so proud of him winning a soccer match, be on the honor list, get a girlfriend, and send his application to Columbia University. All in one day!

Nick stared at his beauty. A great paint job, awesome tires, and oh! His girlfriend was there. The tall blond was about to regret everything. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was finally going to be with her fiancé tomorrow morning at Italy. After all, Catherine promised her so. As long as Nick was dealt with.

Vanessa Cook walked over to her 'boyfriend' and wrapped her arms around him, in a tight hug. Nick hugged her back and whispered, "You're the best." Even though he only knew her for a little less than a week, she was very supportive when he moved away and into a new town.

Vanessa forced a smile and pulled back. "Hey, Nick, why don't we take her for a spin?"

Nick grinned, looking like a little kid opening his Christmas presents. "Really?"

Vanessa laughed, this time being a real laugh. "Yeah,"

Nick quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the truck. He opened the door for her and as he went around the car to get in, someone yelled, "Now!"

Vanessa locked the car and ducked, covering her ears. Nick was confused and scared as two dudes dressed in black approached him. He ran to the driver's door and tried to get it open. It wouldn't budge. Nick hit the windows, yelling at Vanessa to open them. She would only shake her head and soon, she started to cry.

Nick cursed and turned around, ready to face his opponents. His karate classes as a kid kicked in. He took a deep breath, and before he could attack the first dude, the other took out a sort of gun and shot him. Nick's eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

The first dude kneeled and checked Nick's pulse. "He's alive."

The second one nodded. "Good, now get the girl out and on the plane to Italy."

The first one nodded and stood. He walked over to the door and yelled at Vanessa to open. She did and shakily came out. The first dude smiled at her. "Thanks, Mrs. Cook. I hope you and your husband have a nice future." He grabbed her by her elbow and pushed her into a nearby station wagon. He got in and started the engine.

Meanwhile, the second dude pulled Nick by his hands into a nearby van. Thank god no one saw anything. The second dude thought. So much for a quiet and watchful neighborhood. No wonder no crimes are recorded. Everyone is so damn quiet. With those last thoughts, the second dude drove off, to 191 Bloom St.

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Five hours later…

Cammie and Bex helped Nick sit on the curb. Ana and Jenny went to ask for help, Preston and Macey were checking the van for any clues of what happened, and Liz was calculating how long Nick was in there.

"Approximately five hours," Liz announced. For someone who passed the SAT"s more than three times, she was right.

Bex nodded. "Thanks, Bookworm,"

Liz nodded and blushed at her nickname. She leaned and checked Nick's pulse. Nick was rarely awake. His head was pounding and his breaths were quick and short. His memory was ambiguous.

Cammie put her hand on his forehead. "He's hot."

Liz nodded. "It was pretty hot in there."

Preston and Macey approached them. "There's nothing there." Macey announced.

"The van seems brand new and filled with gas," Preston added.

Cammie stopped hearing them talk with Bex and Liz. She paid close attention to the house number 191. She was sure she saw someone peeking through the window upstairs. It looked a lot like a dude. Cammie wondered if that person had something to do with this.

She stood up and walked over to Preston. "Preston," She started, "What exactly is in that house?"

Preston shrugged. "Just a package in there for me to pick up,"

Cammie frowned. "What kind of package?"

Preston shrugged again. "Stuff,"

Bex crossed her arms and motioned for him to be more detailed. Preston quickly nodded. "Well, sometimes I'm asked to bring something to my father or the post office. Other times I'm just asked to drive a car to a particular address."

All three girls were staring at him. Realization hit Preston. "Oh," He muttered looking down on Nick. "He was the package."

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Mike watched the commotion outside. He was glad his sister wasn't part of this mess. He hoped she was at school and not worried about him. Today would be his final day with Catherine. His deal was almost done and he was bailed out of jail, so now he could go home!

Mike heard some yelling and hurried downstairs. He stopped half-way down the stairs. He inched closer to the bottom and listened carefully.

"You left me!"

"I had no choice, Zachary!"

"Why are you doing all of this?"

"That's not your concern right now!"

"If I am involved, it is my concern."

"Listen, I'm doing this for family, okay? Not just you, but other family members."

"What do Cammie, Mike, and everyone else have to do with this?"

Mike heard Catherine go silent. He thought she finally shut up. Catherine sighed. "Sit down,"

Mike sat down, too, and closed his eyes, eavesdropping on their conversation.

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Rich wondered why Catherine and Zach were so loud. She heard part of the conversation along with Sammy. After a while, they got bored and started talking. They talked about high school, their families, their friends, but not the situation at hand. Finally, Sammy asked, "How's Danny?"

Rich snorted. "I thought you lived together."

Sammy laughed. "We do, but he seems different."

Rich nodded. "He's different."

Sammy waited for her to continue. Rich got the hint and continued. "He was upset when he realized that he made a mistake. Not only did he lose his best friend, Mike, but he lost you when he betrayed Price. Danny realized his mistake and tried to make the best of it. He became a deep jerk. Now, I don't even think he cares about anyone anymore."

Sammy was silent the whole time. He didn't know his brother was feeling like that. Heck, he didn't know but his ex did. Sammy sighed and put his hands around his neck in the back. He leaned forward. He suddenly made a decision.

Rich watched Sammy lean forward, slowly get up, and offer his hand to her. "Ashley, we need to do something."

Rich grinned and grabbed his hand. She trusted Danny, and she figured it wouldn't hurt to trust Sammy. Rich stood up and asked, "What do we need to do?"

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Price was glaring at her hands. She was mad at her father. She was mad at her mother. She was mad at Zach, Danny, Sammy, and Rich. Most of all, she was angry at herself. She was stupid to get drunk and forget what happened. Maybe she made the top stupid people list in the world.

Price took a deep breath and was ready to scream. Again, another headache came. Although, this time, puke followed it. After throwing up, Price groaned when she realized she just wet herself by accident. She even smelled bad. Price was ready to throw up again. She pushed her thought of her father and the SAT's in the back of her head. She crawled the little space to the door and turned around to kick it open.

After several tries, she gave up. Her puke smell was everywhere and it wasn't fun. Price gagged and yelled, "HELP!"

She kicked the door and punched the sides, hoping someone would come and rescue her. She was ready to give up when someone started to tug at the door handle. Price smiled. She was hoping that her rescuer wasn't the one who kidnapped her.

Price heard the person saying something. Confused, she yelled back, "WHAT?"

"STAND BACK!" Price heard the boy, apparently, yell. She crawled back to where she started and saw the doors open. Preston and Macey saved Ashley Price from dying of air and puke smell.

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I hope you all enjoyed this short chapter. It is not my best or my worst, but I have tried to make it more interesting and sort of funny. I know I didn't include Zach but he'll be in like the whole next chapter. Like the title, this story is almost over. Thank you for those who read and reviewed or followed or favorite this story :D

~WeirdButCool