All Eyes on Me

Chapter 10

He'd been holed up in a black escalade for the last couple days, scouring maps and other well-known places for possible leads. He needed to find Maci. It was a want, a desire to have her, one that was so insane it was overwhelming to him at times. Did he sleep? No. Sleep was for the weak. Did he eat? Rarely. She was consuming all of his time. There were worse things to be addicted to, he supposed, although none quite as torturous as the one he couldn't have. Yet, that is.

He looked over to his side where his new bag of tools sat. Chains would replace the ropes, duct tape would be a new necessity. He couldn't have her mouthing off. No, this time, he'd be in complete control. It wouldn't be so much about the physical as much as the psychological. He'd use the one person she cared about most of all, and he would be her downfall. It was the perfect plan for revenge. He just had to figure out how he was going to lure Evan Calligan out into the open. But first, he had to find them.

Trent continued to pour over maps of Tennessee. He'd called in some favors he'd had with a corrupt sheriff, and managed to cross off the majority of the Western cities like Camden and Brighton. He knew to eliminate major cities like Nashville and Memphis; he'd already searched the areas of Clarksville and Chattanooga. He had to narrow it down to more isolated regions. Knoxville? No, too easy. Townsend? No, too small. They couldn't be completely cut off from the world -- it just wasn't feasible.

He'd let out a groan of frustration when his phone rang. It was one of his girls. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby," she purred on the other end of the phone. "I have some news for you."

Trent's ears perked up at that. "What is it, Tiff?"

"A dude at one of the local bars you told me and Britt to look at kept rattling on about how Pigeon Forge is perfect this time of year because there's vast woods and lots of lodging. Might be something to look into."

Trent couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, thank you. You and Britt make sure to go buy yourselves something nice and have a good rest of your night." He rolled his eyes at their predictable excited squeals in the background. He hung up the phone and hopped into the driver's seat of his vehicle. He didn't mind that it was nearing 2AM. He had some driving to do.

It was near daybreak when he arrived at what appeared to be one of the more remote destinations in Pigeon Forge. Tiff and Britt were right: there were a ton of little Podunk places, from tiny lodges to Mom & Pop eateries. Prime hiking trails were everywhere, which left him feeling a little uneasy. They could be anywhere.

He'd gotten out of his car and was muttering to himself when a Southern accent appeared. "Ya'll from around here? Need help findin' somethin'?"

Trent composed himself, proud of himself for making up his cover story as he went along. "My cousin, have you seen her? She may have run away with her boyfriend, but my aunt's been worried sick." He pulled up a couple of photos of Maci and Evan on his phone.

The woman shook her head. "No, nobody that I've seen. But you know who would know? The ranger, his name's Joe. He's in the lodge at the top of that hill." She pointed north.

Trent nodded, departing for the hill. He could handle a measly park ranger. When he arrived, he didn't know why he even gave it a second thought. The guy simply grumbled a "no" to his same questions, then pointed him in the direction of either Gatlinburg, or Townsend. Considering Trent had already crossed Townsend off of his list, he knew where they had to be.

He grinned to himself on the way back down the hill. Like taking candy from a baby. He hoped it was just as easy to get Evan in the crosshairs...because where he went, Maci would follow.

So, with that in mind, he geared up to go to Gatlinburg, and dialed up Britt and Tiff. He figured he could use them easily, as they'd been so eager to help before. Considering they actually provided him information, he couldn't think of two better minions.