Chapter 33
It’s not long before the team stands huddled around a table in a warehouse, less of a warehouse, and more of an oversized garage.
Tyler has a map of the U.S. spread out before them.
She watches intently as he marks the coordinates given to him by Paula.
He defines multiple paths they could take to the safehouse nestled into a rural part of West Virginia.
Her nerves grow as the men begin to bicker about which path is the safest to take.
She tunes them out, eyeing the bright red lines following the winding roads from where they are to where they are going.
At least, she tries to until she hears her name.
Liz looks up so fast it hurts.
“She’s not fucking going with you,” Riley snaps, stepping around her and closer to Alex.
She looks at Tyler and Mikey who are looking at each other uncomfortably. Realizing, maybe, she should not have tuned them out, she stays quiet, waiting to hear what they are arguing about.
“Don’t pull this overprotective she’s mine bullshit right now, Ry. It was your idea to split up,” Alex barks.
“Since when does splitting up mean she is going with you over me?” he asks.
Liz closes her eyes, silently begging Alex not to be stupid enough to answer that question.
“Since she is safer with us,” Alex snaps back.
Liz lets out a long exhale, knowing it can only get worse from here.
“My girlfriend is safer with you? I gave my fucking life to keep her safe,” Riley states.
“And look where that got you! Got both of you!” Alex shouts back. “You were captured and she spent weeks having panic attacks, knowing exactly what the fuck was happening to you.”
Riley recoils as if he had been hit. Liz drifts closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Riley opens his arms for her, pulling her against his side.
“Everyone makes bad calls, Alex. That’s not fair,” Liz snaps, defending Riley. He may have made a mistake, but she won’t sit by and listen to anyone use it against him. “What is the big deal with me going with Riley?”
“I already explained this to him,” Alex says, glaring daggers at Riley. His grip tightens instinctively around her. “If you are together and get caught, they will use you against him.”
“And if one of us is caught, they will use that to get to the other one,” Riley snaps.
Liz looks to Mikey and Tyler for backup, not realizing they snuck away at some point as the argument grew heated.
“No one is going to tell me who I am driving with, for one,” Liz starts, hoping to put an end to their petty squabble.
“For two, it literally does not matter, and you both are being stupid. If I go with you and we get caught, they will use me to get to Riley,” she explains to Alex.
“If we are together and get caught, they will use me to get you to cooperate” Liz says looking up at Riley.
“Bad people will do bad things, regardless of what precautions we take. I’m sorry, Alex, but if shit goes down, I need to be with him.
I would rather be taken together than be used as Riley bait again. ”
“Suit yourself,” he grumbles, walking away to join Tyler and Mikey who quietly raid the gun safe. Riley drops his arms, snapping a photo of the map laid before them.
“I’ll be right back, I have something for you,” Riley says.
She watches, confused as he rushes away.
Liz turns to the map, running her finger along one of the bright red lines leading to their next hideout.
The thought of them splitting up has her stomach in knots.
While it makes sense logistically, the last thing she wants is to not be together.
Every time they are forced apart, something bad happens.
She continues eyeing the lines, a deep sadness settling into her soul as she does, knowing this very well may be the last time she sees two of her friends. She turns to watch Mikey, Tyler, and Alex load up as many weapons as they can into bags, anxiety creeping in.
Packing more weapons is a waste of time. If Scott has men on their way to look for them, they should already be on the road. Footsteps approaching from behind eases her tension, only slightly, but enough to stop thinking about everything that could go wrong.
“Put this on,” Riley says, shoving something hard into her hands.
A squeal escapes her lips. She bounces on her toes looking at the mask she’s holding.
A skull mask like his, modified for her, sits in her hands.
Large, pointed ears top it while long sharp teeth jut out of the bottom.
Small metal plates adorn the sides and top, matching it perfectly to Riley’s favorite mask.
The smile fades from her face. She pieces the color scheme together.
With a look that could kill, Liz turns to Riley and asks, “What the hell is this?”
A wide smile spreads across his face. A smile that, for the first time in a long time, reaches his eyes.
Liz almost drops it right there and throws herself into his arms, just happy to see him smile again, but she holds firm.
She glances at the mask again, knowing if she looks at Riley any longer, she will break.
It’s the perfect mix of beautiful and terrifying, if only he hadn’t painted it to look like a honey badger. The colors are muted and far darker than the animal, but the pattern is there. And, based on the look plastered on his face, she knows she is right.
“I’m sorry, princess. I hate him just as much as you do, but I can see it,” he says, wrapping his muscular arms around her.
“Of all the things you could have made it look like, you just had to go with the fucking badger?” she questions.
“Love... you are small and scary. You have been known to try to fight men four times your size just for looking at you wrong, and you fear nothing. Even you have to admit it suits you. But, if you hate it, I can make some changes,” he starts, reaching out to grab the mask back.
“Don’t you dare!” she shrieks, gripping the mask to her chest like it could disappear at any moment. “This is my new favorite thing.”
Her grip loosens. Liz slides the cool, carbon-fiber mask over her head, settling it perfectly on her face. The immediate confidence has her ready to take on the world.
“How do I look?” she asks, playfully striking a pose. The way Riley’s eyes glide over her body sends a wave of heat flooding her veins. The sensual way he licks his lips, watching her with an almost predatory intensity causes her breath to hitch.
“I get it now,” he says, stepping into her. His hands instinctively grip her hips, pulling her closer. She peers up at him. Tilting her head back, Liz lifts herself onto her tip toes, praying she has enough skin exposed to kiss him.
“Will you two cool it?” a voice like thunder calls from across the garage, followed by footsteps that match.
Liz jolts away, ripping the mask from her face before turning her anger on Alex.
“What is your issue today? I thought we were friends, but you’re still being a dick,” she practically yells, ignoring her guilt for being so mean.
“We are, but I’m not going to pretend I’m not pissed. Neither of you will listen to reason and only care about being together,” he snaps back. Alex glares at Riley who is moving to position himself between them.
“Yet you get to be with Tyler at all times? No one ever says a fucking word about you two being inseparable, but when we want to stick together, it’s a problem,” Liz barks, stepping around Riley.
His hands wrap around her once more. Riley may let her fight her own battles, but it will be a cold day in hell when he lets her give into the anger and actually swing at Alex.
“Scott doesn’t care about catching us! He wants Riley!” Alex shouts back. The other two men finally find their way over, looking ready to jump in if it comes to blows.
“Okay, smart guy. What’s his number one way to get Riley?
Me. And if I’m with him, they won’t need to keep hunting.
You two will still be out there fighting to end things.
If I’m with you, we get caught, then they will end up with all five of us and you fucking know it.
You have the willpower to leave us behind and do what needs to be done, but he won’t leave me, and you know damn well that I won’t leave him,” she says, leaning into the muscular arms snaking their way fully around her waist, morphing from holding her back to holding her close.
“You know she’s right, Alex,” Tyler finally says, speaking up for the first time since they started arguing over what route to take.
Liz softens, giving him the smallest amount of grace when Tyler slips his hand into Alex’s. None of what is happening is easy on any of them. She can only assume Alex is still grappling with the switch from their confident leader, back to his position under Riley’s command.
“If you get caught, I won’t bail your asses out. I’m not risking everything for your mistakes again,” Alex seethes, turning on his heels, and storming away.
Riley’s arms tense around her. Liz can feel how much that hurt him.
“He, uh, he has a lot going on right now,” Tyler says, clearly trying to smooth things over.
“He’s not the only one. Maybe getting space will do him some good, but he can’t keep snapping like this. We’re supposed to be a team, man. It’s getting harder to trust that he will have our backs when he fights every decision Ry makes,” Mikey explains.
Her heart sinks into her stomach. Tensions between the guys must be worse than she picked up on if Mikey is the voice of reason.
“Let’s just get going. What route does he want us to take?” Liz asks Tyler, hopeful that following Alex’s preferred route for them will ease the anger simmering within him before it erupts. She misses the tight pressure around her when Riley releases her from his grip.
They scan the map again, watching Tyler point to the lowest line drawn across it. Mikey gives him a curt nod before rolling the paper back up and handing it to Tyler.
Liz watches him go to Alex, seeming to argue quietly before getting into their blacked-out SUV and driving away. She hopes Tyler is right and things will go back to normal within the group once their names are cleared. Or, at least, what she knows as normal.
Maybe he had always been like this, butting heads with Riley’s every order. Both men had admitted to having a complicated relationship. Even after Alex explained some of their past, she didn’t expect to find jealousy at its root.
With a deep sigh, Liz goes to their own vehicle, helping load the bags into the trunk.
Standing in a silent circle, the remaining three double check their weapons before climbing in.
Insisting on driving, Riley gets in the front.
Liz settles in next to him while Mikey clamors into the wide back seat, ready to take on the long road ahead.