32. Reed
Chapter thirty-two
Reed
Ihave no idea where the fuck we are.
A tall building, like a dorm, stretches over the nearest sidewalk. We’re parked only a few feet away from it, Rowan’s truck idling as he taps his fingers on the wheel. He’s staring intently at a car that’s parked a vehicle ahead of us, the red taillights illuminating the back license plate.
“You had better be right about this,” Rowan warns his brother.
Atlas scoffs, his head rolling towards the center console from the passenger seat. “When have I ever been wrong?”
“I’m not answering that.”
I lean forward. “Um, where are we again?”
“Ohio State,” Connor says from beside me.
I nod. “Uh, huh. But why?”
“Just follow our lead,” Atlas instructs as he kicks his door open.
I swallow, pushing out onto the sidewalk as Atlas stalks ahead of me. Across from us, on the other side of the vehicles, Rowan and Connor pass quickly until they reach the car we’ve been staking out since we showed up here thirty minutes ago.
Rowan knocks on the glass, startling whoever is inside as they roll down the window and stumble through their words.
“Um, hi? How are you?” The young man curses under his breath with embarrassment.
“Better than you,” Rowan steps aside at the same time Atlas plants his hands on the roof of the car and swings his momentum through the closed window, shattering it with his boots before kicking the man in the head so hard he slumps over the window seal.
My mouth gapes in shock as I watch Connor rip the door open and grab under the student’s arms. “Get his legs, Reed.”
I blink frantically, looking anywhere but at the incident that’s playing out before me.
“Come on!” Connor bites. “He’s heavy as fuck!”
I screw my eyes shut before taking a deep breath and stepping over the sidewalk. I take the man’s pant legs and ball them into my fists as we lift him together and toss him into the bed of Rowan’s truck.
Connor dusts his hands before slapping one roughly on my back. “You’re a natural!”
I’m left gawking at the still form of whoever we just kidnapped. “What the fuck?”
Atlas steers me in the direction of the back seat, slapping a hand over my cheek. “Hey, don’t go getting scared now. We aren’t gonna make you kill him or anything.”
I deadpan. “Oh, thank fucking god! It’s not like I’m going to be an accessory to cold-blooded murder.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“You’re a menace to society,” I mutter in disbelief before sliding into the back seat.
We drive about ten minutes out of the city, coming to an outlook post that has a big cliff. My heart pounds even harder when I connect the dots in my head.
They’re going to kill this man and drop his remains off that…
What the fuck?!
Atlas and Rowan jump down from the truck, and Connor and I follow. I hang back, trying to think of a way to reason with someone as delusional as Thalia’s brother.
Nothing pops for me as Atlas releases the tailgate and reveals the unconscious man. Before he can snatch the guy’s ankle, Rowan grabs his wrist tightly. “Tell me again what this guy did to Loxley?”
Atlas rolls his eyes. “He’s the fucker who’s been sending flowers to my wife. Any more questions?”
Rowan scowls, his left eye twitching with unchecked rage. “Atlas.”
“What?”
“That was Thalia. You know that, right?” Rowan grits through his teeth. He throws his head back before placing his hands on his temples. “Oh, my fucking god! You don’t even know who this guy is!”
Atlas scoffs, retrieving the man’s wallet from his pocket. “I know who it is—”
“No,” Rowan wags a finger at him. “Don’t look at his driver’s license. Just admit you have no idea who the fuck this is!”
My head tilts as I blink at Atlas. “You mean to tell me you had no proof to begin with?”
Connor scrubs a hand across his chin. “Yeah, man. This is kinda fucked.”
Rowan crosses his arms as he shakes his head. “You’re going to give me an aneurysm. When I die, it will be your fault, Atlas.”
The burly man throws a hand up in the air. “How was I supposed to know Thalia was the one doing it?”
“BY NOT FUCKING KIDNAPPING A RANDOM ASS PERSON!” Rowan rages. “IT’S SO EASY TO BE NORMAL!”
Atlas points to the unconscious man. “HE KEPT FUCKING HANGING AROUND SWEET HAVEN!”
Rowan rubs his temples, sucking in a deep breath as if he needs the strength. “Your wife is a baker. Maybe he just enjoyed the sweets. Ever thought of that?”
“He enjoyed them a little too much,” Atlas mumbles under his breath. “Okay, fuck! I’m sorry!”
The sound of a phone blaring cuts through the intense staring match that’s happening between the siblings as Atlas fishes his phone out of his pocket. He holds up a finger as he answers.
“Hello—” His face falls as someone talks quickly to him. “We’ll be right there. Tell Short Stack I’m coming, okay?”
“What’s going on?” Rowan asks urgently.
Atlas releases a breath, looking up at the stars overhead. “We’re having a baby.”
“Whoa,” Connor says. “Tonight?”
Atlas nods. “Yeah, tonight.”
“Let’s get back home,” Rowan orders before he turns on his heel and stops dead. “Aaaaand there’s a random fucking dude in my truck.”
“Shit,” I curse.
Connor nudges me with his elbow. “Reed, what should we do with him?”
I brush him off, shaking my head. “Don’t look at me! I didn’t kidnap him.”
Atlas huffs a laugh. “You did, actually. It’s fine! Let’s just drop him back off and make him swear secrecy.”
“Good enough for me,” I shrug.
Everyone else agrees, and we pile back into Rowan’s truck before circling back around to the college. Atlas hoists the man into the driver’s seat of his car before slapping him around a little and making him groan as his eyes lizard-blink open.
“Hey, nothing happened tonight, okay? Give me a thumbs up if you understand.”
No response.
Atlas folds the man’s fingers into a thumbs-up before patting his shoulder. “Knew I could count on you. Stop going to Sweet Haven or I will kill you next time.” He clambers back into the passenger seat before slamming a hand on the dashboard. “I’m gonna be a dad!”
The pure joy in his voice makes me realize just how thrilled Atlas is about this. He’s a good person even if he does have a few screws loose.