Page 37 of Smoke

14

Smoke

The only sound toreach my ears when we went outside was the tapping of the rain against the pavement. In any other circumstance, it would’ve been comforting.

I had always liked the rain. I even liked being on guard duty when it rained, though the others didn’t, and were constantly trying to get me to switch shifts with them whenever the skies opened. Rain washed things clean.

I didn’t like it now. It only added to the sense of disquiet hanging over the motor court.

My brother stood beside me, looking back and forth. “Where did he go? Somebody was walking outside the room.”

“The clerk?”

“Nah. Why would he skulk around?” I asked.

That was when I spotted movement between the Jeep and the SUV. Just the flickering of a shadow, but it was there. I pointed, and both of them grunted softly when they saw what I did.

I also noticed for the first time a low-slung, extremely flashy sports car parked at the far end of the lot. Like the driver was afraid of the motor court’s grime rubbing off on his precious car.

It hadn’t been there when we first arrived—I would’ve noticed it, shining like a beacon, even though the owner had clearly wanted to keep it out of sight. There was no hiding a car like that.

Had she described Bradley as being wealthy? I couldn’t remember. My memories were jumbled up with the strong, almost blinding desire to deliver punishment.

“Only two people could’ve fit in that car, at most,” I murmured, nodding toward the flashy, red machine.

“Hardly an even fight, then.” Gate snorted. “Not like it would be if he brought fifty of his buddies.”

“What are you waiting for?” I called out. “An engraved invitation? Show yourself.”

More movement between our cars, then the sharp clicking of footsteps over falling raindrops. The man who stepped out under one of the lights was almost exactly the way I had imagined him just from Alina’s description of what he did and said: good-looking in a cold, sneering sort of way. He dressed well, as I would expect from somebody who drove a car like his. Tailored clothes. Dress shoes. All dressed up to do what? Kidnap Alina back to the clan?

Or Jasmine?

“You and I have a few things to discuss before I take back what’s mine,” he announced.

“And what would that be?” Pierce asked with a chuckle. “We don’t have anything that belongs to you.”

“You have two things in that room. I only came looking for one, so imagine how excited I am to find them both.” He smiled. “I might have to borrow one of your cars to get them home, though. I don’t know that they could both fit in my car at once.”

“You’re not taking either of them,” I snarled.

Movement from the office stole my attention for a moment, but it stole Bradley’s, too.

The clerk was barely visible behind a fake fern, but he was getting up from his chair and coming to the door.

I scanned the area.

“Back there,” I suggested, pointing to a second building which looked as though it hadn’t been in use in decades.

It was designed exactly the same as the one we stood in front of and sat behind it, even further from the road and out of the clerk’s line of sight. There were no lights on there, and the strip of pavement which ran in front of the doors was cracked and choked with weeds.

I turned to Gate. “Stay here and guard the girls.”

“What if you need help?”

“They would need it more than we would—and what if this is all a trap to get us away from them?”

He clearly saw the sense in this, since he stayed in front of the room while Pierce and I followed Bradley to the abandoned half of the property.

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