Page 84 of The Bad Brother

When I turn back around, Cade is practically standing on top of me.

“Are you sure it’s the hospital?” he asks, gaze narrowed in suspicion. “Could it be Ethan?”

Ethan?

Why would it be Ethan?

“What?” Confused I shake my head while I skirt past him on my way down the hall. “Why would it be?—”

A strong hand closes around my arm and jerks me to a stop before whirling me around. “Could it be Ethan?”

“No,” I shout back, yanking my arm out of his grip. “He doesn’t have access to this number.I have to go.” Turning away from him, I make my way down the stairs. When I step into the bar, it’s empty. Quiet. Not even a church lady to toss me a piously knowing look over her shoulder on my way out the door.

I don’t even realize Cade is following until I’ve got my hand on the deadbolt to unlock the door.

“Wait.”

The order is barked in my ear, right before his hand appears over my shoulder, slapping it against the door to keep it closed while the other leans its bat against the wall beside it. “Listen to me—” Hand free, Cade flips the security panel open to key in the system’s deactivation code. “Get your keys out. You got remote start?” Punching the keys like they owe him money, Cade turns off the alarm before resetting it. Flipping the panel closed again, he looks down at me while I nod. “Good—start your car.”

Fumbling my keys out of my bag, I aim the fob at the door and press the button that starts my car. “Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on or are you just going to keep?—”

“We’ll talk about it on the way to the hospital, Doc,” he says, making it clear he has every intention of going with me. “We’re headed straight to your car. Nowhere else.”

Looking up at him, I feel the first tickles of real fear, bubbling against the back of my throat. Something happened. Something bad. “Where’s Jensen?”

“Jen’s fine—I swear.” Cade’s expression softens slightly. “He’s with Colt like I said, but you gotta listen to me now. Straight to your car—don’t stop. No matter what happens, you get in and you drive away.”

Fear starts to slide into panic. “I thought you were going with me.”

“I am.” Reaching down for his bat, Cade gives me a reassuring smile while he shoulders his bat. “Open the door. Straight to your car. Get in and drive away—got it?”

Keys clenched in my fist, I nod. “Got it.”

“Let’s get goin’, Doc.” Dropping his hand away from the door, Cade takes a step back. “I’m right behind you.”

Taking a deep breath, sure I’m about to open the door onto a parking lot full of zombies, I yank it open to find the parking lot empty except for my car and the shiny black BMW parked next to it, crowding the driver’s side door.

Ethan’s car.

“What’s he doing here?” I ask, my tone more irritated than frightened while I watch him climb out of the driver’s seat.

“Change of plans,” Cade says while he pulls the door closed with a hard slam. “I’m driving.”

“What?” Looking at Ethan again, I wonder how he found out where I’ve been living. “Why? It’s just my?—”

“I know who it is,” Cade growls at me, wrapping his hand around my wrist before pulling me across the porch and down the steps. “I’m driving.”

Confused, I let Cade pull me across the parking lot, tomy idling car while Ethan leans against the hood of his BMW and watches.

“Pretty sure that’s a parole violation you got there, Killer,” Ethan calls out to Cade but his gaze is on me. Tracking every step I take.

“This?” Cade answers him, pointing the bat in his direction without stopping while he scans the parking lot. “This isn’t a parole violation.” Leading me to the passenger side door, away from Ethan, he takes the keys out of my hand and uses the fob to unlock the door. “This is a brand-new felony, just waiting to meet the side of your fuckin’ head.”

“My last name is Pryce.” Ethan laughs like Cade just made a joke. “I think you’ll find there’s a difference between killingmeand killing some white trash whore nobody gives a shit about. You kill me, you get the needle, for sure.”

“If I get to killyoufirst—sign me the fuck up.” Gently feeding me into my seat, he closes the door behind me with a murmuredlock the door.I do what Cade says, locking the door while he skirts the front of the car on his way to the drivers’ side. They’re talking—Ethan undoubtedly taunting Cade—too low for me to hear what’s being said with the door shut. As soon as Cade makes it to the driver’s side door, I lean over and unlock it. Popping it open, Cade slams it into the side of Ethan’s too close car, gouging the metal and scraping paint. “Sorry.” Standing in the wedge of the door, Cade shoots athe fuck I amkind of look in Ethan’s direction. “I’d offer to take it to Red’s and have it fixed, but…” Levering the bat off his shoulder, Cade points it at the bar. “You mind these cameras now.” Feeding it through the door he quickly follows after it. Slamming it closed behind him, Cade shifts the car into gear.

Turning in my seat, I look for Ethan through the rear window as we drive away. He’s standing in the spot where my car was, watching us.

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