Page 70 of Tag

Leaves scraped across the dirt as I stepped out, the crunch of them sharp under my boots. A light breeze caused ripples in the dark water below, and the old timber behind me groaned. This was exactly the kind of place where things could disappear, secrets stayed buried, and screams would never carry far enough.

Rook was nowhere in sight. He’d disappeared into the trees with Lindsey long before we pulled up. Nick stood near the crumbling ledge where the land dropped off, hands buried in his pockets. He turned at the sound of our footsteps.

“Look who finally decided to join the party.”

“We weren’t that far behind you.” I passed him, heading straight for the Genesis’ trunk.

The second I popped the latch, a weak groan spilled out. DeAndre looked halfway to dead already, sunken eyes barely tracking movement, mouth slack and crusted with blood. I grabbed him by the collar and yanked his ass out. He hit the ground, grunting as his shoulder slammed against the gravel.

“Damn,” Cade muttered, stepping up beside me. “He looks worse than the last time we saw him.” He turned to Nick. “Your handiwork?”

“I had to.”

DeAndre didn’t even try to get away. He had no fight left, nothing but a broken body waiting to see how long it could hold on. Cade and I each took an arm and dragged him toward the edge. Nick flicked on his phone’s flashlight, casting the beam down the steep, jagged slope.

“Same plan as usual?” he asked.

“Same plan,” I confirmed.

We hauled DeAndre upright. He trembled like a leaf, teeth chattering, tears cutting through the dried blood and grime on his face.

“Please,” he rasped, voice barely more than a breath.

Cade and I locked eyes.

Then we let go

His hoarse scream echoed as his body went over the edge, bouncing off rocks on the way down. A distant splash followed, the sound of him hitting the lake at the bottom. The same lake locals warned their kids to stay away from because it was essentially a sinkhole full of water.

Just like that, he was gone.

Nick let out a deep sigh, still holding the flashlight toward the now-still water. “Man, if he could swim before, he sure as shit can’t now.”

Cade chuckled. “Not with that leg.”

“You think he screamed loud enough for Kyle to hear him in hell?” Nick asked jokingly.

“If he didn’t hear him, he heard Lindsey,” Rook’s voice carried to us as he emerged from the trees. He was shirtless, wearing the gloves I’d given him, a pair of sweats, boots, and nothing else. Blood streaked across his arms and chest, half-dried and blending into the ink carved into his skin. Without breaking stride, he launched something over the quarry’s edge. Too small to see or hear when it landed.

Cade arched a brow. “Feel better?”

Rook stretched his neck and let out a breath. “Feel like I need a shower.”

Nick peered around with his flashlight. “What’d you just throw?”

“Ear,” Rook said simply.

Nick nodded. “Oh. Of course.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. My brother held out a hand, and Rook bumped his knuckles without hesitation.

“So he’s down there?” Rook asked, glancing out at the water.

“Somewhere,” Cade answered with a shrug. “Drowning, if he hasn’t already.”

Rook tilted his head, thoughtful. “If we keep dumping bodies in this lake, Hemlock’s gonna turn into that town fromCabin Fever.”

Nick turned, squinting at him. “What the hell was in that joint you smoked?”

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