Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller
T.R. Ragan
PROLOGUE
The ringing of the phone in the kitchen pulled her from her studies, which was a good thing. Solving equations using quadratics and complex numbers was giving her a headache. She needed a break. She grabbed the phone and held the receiver to her ear. It was her friend Allina. She sounded panicked, as if she might be hyperventilating.
“What’s wrong? Where are you?” she asked.
Although Allina was clearly drunk, her voice low, every word garbled, Allina managed to rattle off an address. She was at a frat party . . . lots of people . . . drugs and alcohol . . . boys with grabby hands.
She opened a drawer, found a pencil, and scribbled the address on a scrap of paper, while Allina told her in a string of slurred and broken sentences that the party had gotten out of control and she was scared.
It took her only two seconds to grab the keys to the Toyota Corolla and run out the door. The fear in Allina’s voice and the uncontrollable whimpering had freaked her out. No way would she call Allina’s parents. They would ground her for a month.
Once she was settled behind the wheel, she grabbed a map from the glove compartment, ran the tip of her finger from point A to point B, before she realized the street was super close to UC Davis. She had taken a summer class there not long ago. Getting to the frat house wouldn’t be a problem.
She arrived at 226 Russell Boulevard twenty minutes after Allina had called. The front yard was jam-packed with people. Loud music blasted from inside. She sat in the car for a minute and watched people come and go, hoping Allina would appear at the front of the house as promised.
Allina wasn’t there. Shit. She didn’t want to go inside, but she needed to get back to studying, so she found a parking spot at the end of the road, where she saw Allina’s car. Her friend was still there. She climbed out and walked toward the house. The minute she stepped inside, someone offered her a JELL-O shot from a tray of tiny paper cups. She swept by without taking one and weaved her way through the crowd. Shane, a guy she recognized from her high school, waved at her from the kitchen. He was mixing a cocktail.
“Want a drink?” he asked.
“No. I’m just picking up a friend and then heading off. Her name is Allina. You might know her.”
He shrugged. “Stay for a while.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got to study.”
“Buzzkill,” he said with a smirk before he grabbed a giant red plastic cup and pointed to a punch bowl. “Nonalcoholic,” he said as he used a ladle to fill the cup with punch, then held it out to her.
She declined.
“Listen,” he said. “If you don’t take it, and you wander around looking for your friend, you’re going to be harassed until you chug a beer or take a shot.”
She looked outside, where people were crammed into the backyard like sardines. “I don’t like peer pressure.”
“Have it your way.”
A crash rumbled from the pool area. Two guys were rolling around on the ground, wrestling, knocking into people who were dancing and trying to have a good time. Closer to the pool, a beer pong competition was taking place, everyone shouting to be heard above the music.
Allina owed her one. She reached for the cup Shane was still holding and took a sip. It tasted like berries mixed with Kool-Aid. “Not bad.”
“Come on,” he said, stepping toward the sliding doors leading to the pool area. “Let’s find your friend.”
She sipped her punch to keep it from spilling over the edge of the cup while she weaved a path around all the people outside. As she squeezed through the beer-pong crowd, a hefty guy grabbed her empty hand and asked for a kiss. Shane told him to let her go, which he did. The jerk’s friends all got a good laugh and were still laughing when she walked away, more worried than ever about Allina.
“I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry,” Shane said as he followed her back into the house and through the kitchen.
Was he serious? She set her half-empty cup on the counter as she passed through the house, heading for the main entrance in hopes that Allina had finally made it there.
“We haven’t even danced,” Shane whined.
She looked over her shoulder. “I need to find Allina and get out of here.”
“Okay. I get it.” He pointed to the left. “This way.”
She followed him up the stairs, where a long line of people stood outside the bathroom, everyone waiting their turn. Shane was pushing his way through the throng when an older guy, not quite thirty, took a fistful of Shane’s shirt. “What’s the password?”
“Fuck you,” Shane said.
The guy laughed and let Shane go. “Who’s your pretty girlfriend?”
“None of your business. We’re looking for a girl named Allina.”
“Naturally curly red hair and green eyes,” she added.
The older guy was taller and much more muscular than Shane. When he smiled, there was something about the crook of his mouth and the glint in his eye that made her uneasy.
His nod made her think he’d seen Allina.
“This way,” he said, leading them to a partially open door at the end of the hallway. Music and shouting grew louder as they approached. The older guy’s broad shoulders blocked her view, preventing her from seeing what was going on until he and Shane stepped inside, and she followed behind.
It was a large bedroom. Curtains were closed. Smoke swirled upward, hitting the ceiling and spreading outward. Definitely weed. A group of four huddled together in the corner doing lines of cocaine off a mirror laid flat on a dresser. Guys and girls had gathered around the bed, shouting excitedly, just as they had been doing in the backyard. Stepping closer, she peered between two people, surprised to see two guys and a girl rolling around on the bed, rubbing oil on one another. The female appeared to be enjoying herself, although she looked high, making her wonder if the girl had any idea what was really going on.
Her heart pounded. A swooping sensation in her gut made her stomach knot. Backing away from the crowd, eager to make a quick exit, she paused to take one sweeping glance around the room for Allina. Allina wasn’t there. But the bathroom door was shut. Wondering if Allina could be inside, she knew she couldn’t leave until she knew for sure. She headed that way. Two guys grabbed her arms, one on each side. The one to her right was looking over her shoulder at someone. She followed his gaze and saw Shane nodding at him.
What the hell was going on?
Her stomach flip-flopped. She felt woozy. Instinct screamed at her to get out of the house. Now! She jerked her left arm hard enough to get loose from the guy’s grip, then pivoted fast, kneeing the other guy in the balls. She took off, pushing her way through the crowded room to the doorway. If anyone tried to stop her, she would bite and scratch and scream.
“Where are you going?” she heard Shane calling after her as she ran down the hallway toward the stairs. Stumbling and weaving her way through the throng, back the way she’d come, she felt a hand on her ass and swatted it away.
Her name floated through the air as she rushed down the stairs, hanging tight to the railing to stop herself from falling. Her legs felt like rubber. Relieved to see the front door still open, she ran through it, didn’t bother staying on the path, just ran across the lawn to the street, where she followed the line of cars parked at the curb until she got to the Toyota Corolla her dad had bought her last year. It wasn’t until she slid behind the wheel, shut the door, and locked it that she noticed it was already dark outside. She took a breath. Her head pounded. Her mind was reeling. The adrenaline racing through her body made her feel loopy, confused. She needed to take a breath, calm down, and focus. Once she got home, she would call Allina’s brother and tell him what was going on.