Chapter 20
POLANCO
Bryson focused on the road. He had insisted he was well enough to drive, but that might have been debatable. His freshly bandaged chest was killing him, throbbing with every bump, and his entire body was stiff.
He glanced over at the passenger seat. Elena was tapping on her new phone, no doubt talking to Sota. Her number one was in the backseat, keeping an eye out for tails.
With the extra heat on them, Eric had insisted they split up again. Kaydon and Elena’s number two were in another car. Adria, Eric, and Seth were in a third car.
He nudged his sister. “Remember when we tried racing Dad’s old ’73 Camaro?”
Elena didn’t look up. “I used to love revving that engine.”
Bryson managed a small smile. “That one time I let you drive, and you crashed us into a light post. I still have the scar on my forehead.”
She shrugged. “Worth it.”
Bryson took another turn, getting on the highway.
“Do you remember hiding me in the closet when you told him?” Elena said, suddenly looking at him.
Bryson gripped the steering wheel. “Yes.”
He had given her candy and a blanket to hide under. Hoping somehow the comforts would shield her from the sounds.
“Sota okay with all this?” he asked.
Her mouth formed a line. “He isn’t thrilled, but he doesn’t really have a say.”
“And you’re okay?” he asked.
Elena stared at him. “About all this, or in general?”
“Both,” he said, moving his eyes back to the road.
“I like running things. Sota needs me. But this,” she gestured to their space. “I am not okay with. I think that Adria royally fucked things up.”
“This isn’t on her,” he said.
“Really?” she said, eyebrows raising.
“Something is happening behind the scenes,” he said.
“I think it’s Dad,” Elena said.
Bryson froze. He had no doubts that his father wanted to hurt him. Maybe even kill him. But to orchestrate this…
“I don’t think Dad would take things this far.”
Elena stared at him for a long while before turning to look out her side window.
Bryson blinked rapidly. Remembering the time their father had locked them in the backyard shed in the middle of winter. Luca had been alive then, and the three of them had to huddle together for warmth as the temperatures dipped to well below freezing.
“El, I’m sorry,” Bryson said.
Elena said, “You don’t have to protect him.”
“That’s not— You wouldn’t understand,” Bryson finished, feeling miserable.
Elena was quick with her response. “Let me guess. You enjoy pretending deep down he’s some great person, so you don’t have to worry about becoming him.”
Bryson swallowed. “If you’re wrong…”
If they went after their father and he wasn’t behind this…there would be consequences.
Elena squared her shoulders, resting against the seat, staring out the windshield. “I’m not wrong.”
She turned to him. “He didn’t exactly try hard to keep you—us alive.”
“Yeah, but this—”
Bryson tried to imagine his father asking for him to be tortured. Tried to understand the reasoning behind it.
Suddenly the smell of Regan’s sweat filled the cab, and Bryson had to concentrate on the road.
His eyes slid in and out of focus as he felt Regan’s body on top of his. The burn of his skin as Regan gripped Bryson’s waist.
“It’s just hard to believe, even for Dad,” Bryson finished, sweat breaking out on his skin, voice hollow.
“I don’t think it’s hard to believe at all,” Elena said, her voice cold.
Bryson immediately felt guilty. Elena was the last person who needed reminding who their father was.
“Maybe Adria’s X guy can help us. He is supposedly some sort of computer genius. If we had proof,” Bryson said, trying to ignore the sounds of Regan breathing above him.
Elena sighed.
“What?” Bryson asked.
“We trust this X?”
“Adria trusts him.”
“Okay, well, Adria isn’t God, right? She can make mistakes.”
Bryson gripped the steering wheel. The phantom sensations of Regan pressing into him caused a wave of nausea and heat to roll through him.
“X worked with Cahill, and apparently there is no love there. He is trying to take him down. In exchange for Adria’s help, he will help her find her mom,” Bryson said, repeating the words Adria had told him, trying like hell to concentrate on the road.
“Big ask,” Elena said. “Small risk for him, but big risk for Adria.”
Bryson thought about it, and Elena was right.
“Well, we are gonna meet him in a few weeks. We can judge for ourselves,” he said.
Elena looked at her phone. “Eric sent a text with the place for us to stay. Looks like we are staying at different hotels tonight. We will meet at Vega’s in the morning.”
Bryson ground his teeth together. He didn’t like being separated from everyone. He understood the reasoning behind it, but it still felt dangerous.
If they could just get to Vega’s undetected, they would have a good shot at traveling to X’s and no one would have a clue where they were.
“Kaydon’s gonna meet us at the hotel,” Elena said, still looking at her phone.
Like Kaydon would allow it to go down any other way.