Page 67 of Tag

CHAPTER TWELVE

RYDER

“Who wants to drive the car?”

I pulled back onto the road and stopped beside the Genesis.

“I’ll take it,” Nick volunteered. “Where to?”

“Old quarry. I’ll be right behind you.”

“I’ll ride with him,” Rook said, already sliding out of the truck with Lindsey in tow.

She didn’t resist. She let him lead her like some docile pet, obedient and pliant, eyes cast down like she’d accepted her fate. None of us were buying that shit. She was probably still clinging to the hope that if she acted sweet and scared enough, one of us might change our mind. She would’ve had better luck getting mercy from the devil himself.

Rook tossed Nick the fob he’d been given earlier, and he caught it mid-air before turning away. He pulled the Genesis driver’s side door open and brushed shards of broken glass off the seat with the sleeve of his hoodie.

Rook glanced over at me. “I’m gonna play with her. Then she can join DeAndre.”

“Do whatever you want. Just make sure she’s not breathing by the end.”

“She’ll be gone long before it’s over.”

I huffed a low laugh, shaking my head. Sick bastard. But he was ours, the one we pulled into our tightly stitched-together family from the day we met. Twisted in all the right ways and loyal in all the ones that mattered. He’d protect our girls, especially Sanj, with his life.

That made what came next personal.

He turned to go, then paused, patting his pockets. “Wait—gloves?”

Cade’s brows rose. “Look at you practicing safe criminal hygiene.”

“Yeah. I’m proud of you,” I joked, popping the glovebox open. I grabbed two pairs and tossed them through the window. “Take these. Give a pair to Nick.”

Rook released his grip on Lindsey to catch, and she decided this was her window of opportunity. She wasted no time. She bolted, kicking off her heels and sprinting barefoot down the road, screaming for help like it might actually show up after all this time. We all stood and watched her for a second.

“She runs in slow motion,” Nick stated casually, leaning over the door of the Genesis.

“And she’s going the wrong way.” Cade laughed. “There isn’t anything out there but more farmland.”

Rook sighed and pulled on his gloves. “Let’s get DeAndre in the trunk first. Then we’ll go fetch our stray.”

He reached into the back seat and grabbed DeAndre by one arm. Nick came to help him, taking hold of the other. They dragged him between them, his busted leg catching on the ground and drawing another pained moan. Without ceremony, they hoisted him into the trunk and then slammed it shut.

Nick dusted off his hands and caught my eye. “Quarry, right?”

“Yeah. Kyle won’t take but a minute.”

He nodded and hopped into the driver’s seat of the other car. Rook climbed in beside him, and they pulled off to get Lindsey.

Cade and I hopped back in my truck, and I drove into the field again, headlights bouncing over uneven terrain.

“What did Sanj say about all this?” Cade asked.

“She knows she’s been Marked, or she has a good idea she is. If she got an official notice, she hasn’t said anything yet, but neither have the others. I told her she had no Huntsman, but you know her. She’s not naïve enough to believe that after today.” I slowed, scanning ahead of us for where we’d left Kyle. “I should’ve had a better handle on this. This should never have happened.”

Cade sighed. “You can’t put this all on you. We knew it was coming, and we’ve been waiting since the spring. Admittedly, I didn’t think Chess Club would be the one to get the ball rolling.”

“He wouldn’t have been my first guess either. Doesn’t change the fact that he got too close to her. More will do the same if we don’t get ahead of this.”

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