Page 83 of Until Forever

“What are you going to do?”

“Get my son.”

“Don’t go alone.”

I stare at him over my shoulder, then do a double-take at the metal baseball bat next to the door. It isn’t much, but it’s something. I leave my childhood home, jumping over the two short steps and beeline it to my truck. The tires skid when I speed off the way I came.

* * *

The sun has gone down, and night blankets the sky. Everything around me is still except for the building in front of me. I twist my grip around the bat, the skin on my knuckles turning white from how tight I squeeze.

I’ve sat in my truck, tucked behind one of the dilapidated structures, waiting to see who enters. It’s been nearly two hours now, and no one has arrived yet. There’s a single light above the only exit that I can see, and even though most of the windows are boarded up, light peeks through the cracks.

Remembering my father’s warning to not come here alone, I search for my phone, recalling that I threw it earlier. I groan and stretch across the seat to retrieve it from where it fell on the floor. Pieces of the broken screen fall onto my lap, but I ignore them.

Thankfully, it still works. I find Bax’s number and hit the call button. He answers on the first ring, his greeting drowned out by all of the voices in the background.

“Yo. J, where are you? We’re at your house with Toya, and she’s fucking freaking out.”

I pause for a second, watching the building for any sign that there’s someone inside.

“I need you to meet me—with guns,” I deadpan.

“Tell me where you are, I’ll get Cobi and we’ll meet you there.”

“No. He’s going to want to arrest them, and I want them dead.”

“Okay. Okay. I know shit’s fucked up. But you ain’t no killer.”

“Is that Jasper?” I hear Latoya’s voice, and I know she’s still crying.

I grip the wheel and grit my teeth. “Can I count on you or not?”

“Yeah,” he whispers. “Send me your location. And whatever you do, don’t go in there alone.”

I end the call without another word, ping him my whereabouts, and toss the device in the passenger seat. A moment later, headlights turn onto the road a few miles up ahead. I sink into my seat so that whoever it is doesn’t notice me. My heart is beating fast, and the closer they get, I recognize the black van.

I sit up, my eyes moving frantically around, hoping for a glimpse of my kid. The driver’s-side door flies open, and a second after a man jumps out. I notice him immediately, getting a good look at his face when he turns to walk around the vehicle. Though far away, I can still see the two black spots under his eyes.

Then the side door slides open with a grating noise, and I’m unable to stop myself when two pairs of feet appear from under the van. One large pair and—JJ. I exit my truck, bat in hand, throwing caution to the wind as I storm forward.

“I’ma take this lil bastard inside and text his father back and tell him if he wants to see his kid again to pay up.”

“Let me go,” JJ demands, and then there’s a groan.

“Ouch. You lil fucker.”

I duck behind a wall when the guy with the tattoo slams his door and tucks his weapon into his waistband. Then Scar steps in front of the headlights, fisting JJ’s collar and shoving him inside.

My blood boils, and I see red again. My fingers go numb from my hold on the bat, but I know if I want to get out of this, I need to think clearly.

“All right. The others should be here in an hour with the goods,” tattoo man says, even though Scar ignores him.

Scar goes inside with JJ, leaving his friend alone. The man rounds the back of the van. When he opens the door, the sound of the lock releasing travels through the air. He tussles around with something inside, unaware of my presence.

I creep toward him, looking in all directions as I raise the bat. I’m behind him now, and in the back of the van is a slew of semi-automatic weapons and what I assume to be bricks of cocaine. He’s distracted, counting the blocks and stuffing them into a duffle bag.

“Hey,” I let out.

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