Chapter 16 #2
“I was there. He snapped a guy’s arm like it was a twig. And then tried to shoot him. These are not things you do to your confederates.”
“Hmm.”
“He wasn’t on their side. He was on the same side he’s always on. His own. War wouldn’t partner with guys he doesn’t respect, and he didn’t respect them.” I climb inside and slide over so Scott can get in next to me.
“Lately, he doesn’t seem to respect anyone.” Scott joins me in the back and closes the door. “And his smart mouth may earn him a bullet between the eyes.”
“Yeah, tempting isn’t it?” I say lightly. “But we can’t.”
“No?” His tone is feather light, too.
“He’s right that if he hadn’t been with me, I would still be down there. And they would’ve done bad things. They were working up to it.”
“Think so?”
“Yeah. I think the guy who threatened me was just pretending there was a way I could get out of being sexually assaulted. To motivate me to give him the location of the thumb drive. And then it would’ve still ended in rape.
They have a cell where they chain a girl to the wall while she lies on a mattress.
In terms of assaults, this would not have been their first rodeo. ”
“How was War in the cell?”
“I mean… being comforting isn’t in the guy’s wheelhouse.
But I wouldn’t have wanted that anyway. I was trying to get the kidnappers to see me as more than a girl victim.
There was no way I could’ve leaned into being cuddled and petted.
But when it comes to survival, War is aces.
Seriously. Without the slightest tell, he got us a gun and broke a guy’s arm through the bars.
It paved the way for my being able to thin the herd way more.
And when I was freezing my butt off, he made me a robe out of a sheet.
Also, I could not have gotten out of that cell.
He broke us out. If he hadn’t been with me, I would’ve been there until you found me.
And chances are they’d have made good on their threats before then.
So, all things being equal, I’d definitely take his help during my next kidnapping. ”
Scott exhales a derisive sound.
“Sorry, Scotty. I know you’d like an excuse to shoot him.”
That causes Scott to smirk. “True story. Though annoying me could be excuse enough if he catches me in the right mood. ”
I squeeze his forearm in solidarity.
We drive through campus and beyond, toward where Jamie’s new condo is. When we reach the site where the kidnappers forced me to a stop, I look around with a sense of dread since there’s no sign of what happened. My car is gone.
After climbing from the SUV, I continue to look around. It’s like they swept the road clean. Maybe they did.
Sasha walks along the shoulder and then crosses over to the woods on the right and enters them.
When he whistles, C and Scott immediately join him and all three stride forward.
Crossing my arms over my chest to brace against the cold, I follow.
My eyes drop to a tire tread in the mud.
From the size and its generic style, it must be the Crue truck’s.
Billie’s got custom wheels, and I know their tread pattern by heart.
As I pick my way down the slope, War’s beside me, silent as a grave and just as cheerful. Between the trees and brush, I have to work to keep the guys in view. When they stop, Sasha pulls on a pair of black leather gloves and starts shifting branches that have been used to cover the truck.
Once we reach them, I spot a brown camouflage-print tarp. Pulling it free reveals Billie’s bright red color.
Hooray!
Upon seeing the dented side panels and the smashed front windshield, my heart sinks.
I knew there would be damage, but it’s a lot more than I could see at the time.
My gaze stops at broken headlights. Those didn’t get injured in the crash.
I immediately picture what happened… a rifle butt to the glass.
A strangled cry of outrage erupts from me.
They did extra damage to her on purpose.
“It’s surface shit,” War murmurs.
“I don’t care,” I hiss. “I will kill them.”
“Sure, but that’s a given.” His voice is low, so we’re having a private conversation. Like friends. As if.
Narrowing my eyes as I look up at him, I say, “Meaning what? That now I should torture them first? ”
“Or ask someone else to.” He says this with such casual ease I almost think he means someone else.
“Like you?”
“Why not?”
“Because your favors come with too high a price tag.”
For the first time since that one brief smile in the cell, he smiles. For a ferocious grizzly, he’s got a shockingly pretty smile. “Surprised you haven’t snitched about the deal. Gotten yourself out of it by?—”
“I don’t snitch. And I don’t renege.” My tone is harassed and frustrated, not at all as cool as I can sometimes make it when I’m focused. Seeing Billie’s damage has thrown me off my cool girl game. “I pay my debts.”
“Good girl.” War’s tone is all things cool, igniting burning resentment in my chest. He’s a better gangster than me in every way.
Not that I’m exactly trying to be a gangster right now. But when I got the nickname, I felt like I was starting to belong in the brotherhood with Scott and his formidable friends. Now I realize I’m nowhere close to that. And probably wouldn’t really want to be.
Yeah, I can kill when I have to. But I wouldn’t want that life.
As Scott walks over, I spot my phone through the shattered glass.
“Hey, look.” I pull the driver’s door open carefully.
Both my phone and War’s are sitting on the front seat, powered off and waiting.
When I press the button on the side, mine fires up instantly.
“Oh good.” A litany of cheerful beeps greets me. I’ve missed a lot of messages.
War reaches for his phone, but Scott grabs it. “You’ve got nothing to hide, right? So you don’t mind if I take a look?”
Their harsh stare-down lasts several beats.
Scott powers it on. “Code?”
“Fuck off, man.” War’s tone is annoyed, but not heated. It’s as though he was anticipating this .
“That’s the code?” Scott says. “Or just the best you’ve got on short notice?”
War ignores Scott, leaning down instead to pick up a set of keys that have fallen on the floor. Billie’s are still in the ignition and have no fob since she’s vintage. The keys must be to the Crue SUV.
“They broke into the locked glove box,” I say, frowning at the empty compartment.
“Was the thumb drive in there?” Scott asks.
“No. Just a gun you gave me. But it’s a ghost, right?”
“Yeah, not worried about the guns. Where’s the drive?”
“My dorm room. There’s pretty decent security, and there are lots of people always around. Figured it would be hard for guys to bust in without an immediate call going to campus police.”
“Smart.” Scott runs a hand through his hair.
As War strides over to C and Sasha and hands the Crue SUV’s keys to C, my attention is drawn to them. They speak in low voices, and I wonder what they’re discussing. I like to know everything about the people that interest me, especially the ones who are the most secretive. Like War.
I can’t tell where I stand with him. Sometimes, I feel like we’re developing a close relationship. Others, he feels as distant as he ever was.
Scott plays with War’s phone, trying a few passwords that don’t work before sliding the device into his coat pocket.
“When you open it, can I look?” I ask.
“Why?”
“I’m nosy.”
Normally this bald admission would earn me a smile, but Scott glances me over with concern. “He’s not playing at being brutal, baby. He actually is. And he doesn’t seem to distinguish between genders, so he’s not for you.”
“He does distinguish. Not overtly, but I promise you, he does.”
“Based on what evidence? ”
“Picked me up and lifted me over debris that would’ve cut my bare feet.
Demanded a coat for me and blocked a random frat guy’s view of me in my undies.
I’m guessing that if War had escaped with Killian or Jamie, he wouldn’t have been carrying them princess-style over a threshold or trying to protect their modesty like it was Regency England. ”
“Maybe he was preparing for the debriefing and wanted to score some points.”
“Do we think scoring points is a priority for him right now? I feel like pissing contest is more the vibe.”
Scott’s eyes narrow, studying War, and then he exhales slowly.
“What?”
Dragging his gaze away, Scott shakes his head. I can tell he’s thinking something interesting he’s not gonna share.
“Come on,” I say, nudging his arm with my elbow. “This concerns me, right?”
“Nah, it was nothing. Hey, what’s that Spencer guy up to lately? You ever think about giving that another shot?”
Laughing out loud, I toss my head back. “Bang. Right on the nose with it.”
Scott shrugs with a small smile. “That kid was a older brother’s dream. Smart. Slightly nerdy. Worshipped the ground you skipped on. Fully understood how lucky he was to land a girl as pretty and nice as you are.”
“He’s still a friend, but… I don’t know. He was more friend than boyfriend material, even when he was my boyfriend.”
“Don’t knock that. My wife is one of my best friends.”
“Yeah, but you also think she’s gorgeous. Can’t take your eyes off of her when she walks into a room.”
“That right?”
“Definitely.”
“All right, so not the right chemistry with the ex. But you need a guy with a better heart than the ones hanging around you lately. ”
Forcing myself to stop my gaze from drifting to War, I stare straight ahead at my brother. “Yeah, agreed.”
Scott touches the top of my head. “Good girl.” From my brother, the phrase is affectionate and proud. Funny how different it lands coming from him.
When War used it, there was an undercurrent of something. Not flirting exactly, but something darkly sexy. And, against my better judgment, I was intrigued.