Page 47 of The Boy I Loved
When I pulled into the back of the shop, the lights were out for the night, casting nothing but a dark blanket of shadows over the parking lot. I sucked in a few shaky breaths after putting my vehicle in park, letting it idle for a few moments as I worked to gain my composure.
Jerking my keys out of the ignition, I grabbed my phone and stepped out onto the pavement, letting the door fall closed behind me and pressed the ‘lock’ button on my key fob.
My legs were heavy as I moved through the parking lot, my stomach twisting with nausea. It wasn’t abnormal for me to feel like this when facing Clay. He was unpredictable as fuck. I hadn’t gotten on his bad side yet, but I’d seen what he did to people who had, and it wasn’t pretty. My uncle was practically untouchable. That thought only caused the weight on my shoulders to grow heavier.
I used my spare key and unlocked the back door before slipping inside, feeling my way through the darkened hallway. When I reached the metal door at the end, I rapped my knuckles against it, tensing when it echoed throughout the silent building. A chill swept down my spine as I waited, a cold gust of air seeping into my skin.
After a few seconds, the door opened with a loud clang, the metal bouncing against the wall nearest me. Vincent’s expression gave nothing away, impassive as always. He stepped to the side to allow me entry, his woodsy cologne filling the space between us.
Reluctantly, I walked past him, my gaze falling on Mason and Nicholas who were seated on the leather couch close to where Clay sat in the armchair.
“Where’s Kurt?” I queried, doing my best to dislodge the nervous edge to my voice.
Clay tilted his hand, swirling the whiskey around in the glass before he bothered acknowledging me. Anticipation built and built until it was rippling through me with an endless ferocity.
“In bed,” he finally replied. “Have a seat.” He waved a dismissive hand toward the leather couch where the other two boys resided. Mason had a bruise decorating the left side of his jaw, the purple marking shining bright beneath the fluorescence. I couldn’t even find it in me to be proud about it. Not when there was so much more at stake.
My legs moved slowly as I walked, but eventually I arrived at the couch and lowered myself into the soft seat, positioning myself beside Nicholas. Clay didn’t immediately speak. He waited for Vince to find his spot in one of the vacant chairs and allowed the silence to fill the room once more.
Nervous energy peppered along my skin, sending my mind into overdrive. There were so many reasons he could have called us here tonight, and typically, none of them were good.
“Greenbriar is a small town,” Clay began with a sigh, a crease tugging at the space between his brows. “People talk. We’re used to doing things in threes because that’s how it’s always been.”
My shoulders eased a fraction, yet my mind continued to spin. Where the hell was he going with this? My first thought was that he was high off his rocker. He tended to want to have heart to heart speeches when he got too fucked up, but still, he usually didn’t call us in the middle of the night just to talk.
“Law enforcement considers three to be a pattern, which is why once we snatch the third girl, we change locations,” he continued. “However, since Greenbriar is so small, they’re already becoming suspicious. I fear that if we wait too long, we’ll be found out, and it’s not a risk I’m comfortable with taking.”
My stomach twisted with a series of knots. “What are you saying?” I rasped, horrified that I already knew the answer.
Clay took a long sip of his whiskey, hissing through his teethbefore he lowered it to his lap and cradled it between his fingers. “I’m saying … that we need to snatch our next target and leave as soon as possible.”
Despair filled every crevice of my body. I’d only just enrolled in school. Clay promised to let me finish out this last year if I was good. I did everything he fucking asked me to do and more. I’d done nothing but show him complete and utter loyalty, and this was the thanks I got—some false fucking hope?
My teeth scraped together painfully, causing my jaw to ache.
“The good news is that Mason already has a target picked out, and we have her details. We can grab her tonight and be gone before the police even realize she’s missing.”
The world tilted around me, the contents of my stomach threatening to rise to the surface. He wouldn’t … What was I even saying? I’d threatened him, punched him, and insulted him. Of course he would, if only to spite me.
“Who?” I forced out, although I was fairly certain I already knew the answer.
Nobody said anything right away, letting the anticipation build like before. I swore they got off on this shit. If he suggested Hazel, I didn’t give a flying fuck—I’d break into her house, drug her, and force her to flee the damn state, my sister included. They could be pissed at me all they wanted; their safety was more important.
Clay swore to keep Alice safe as long as I did what was asked of me, and I’d done exactly that. I’d done so many fucked up things to keep her safe, and I’d gone the extra mile to prevent Clay from developing an interest in Hazel. For all he knew, we used to be friends and nothing more. But that didn’t mean Mason hadn’t said something…
I didn’t believe in goddamn coincidences. Not after all the fucked-up things I’d seen. Clay called us here for a reason, andironically, the same night me and Mason got into it over Hazel. Itwas becoming harder and harder to maintain a passive expression, especially when the girl I loved was on the fucking line.
“Tory Briggs,” Mason supplied, sliding his icy, cold gaze my direction.
Hazel’s friend?
As much as Tory’s disappearance would hurt Hazel, it was better her than Hazel herself, or Alice. It was something I could live with—well … if you could even callthisliving.
“She pissed Mason off earlier,” Nicholas supplied with an eyeroll. “He wants to teach her a lesson.”
“Okay…” I trailed off. “When are we setting the plan in motion then?”
“Tonight,” Clay replied, drawing my attention back to him. There was something in his gaze, something I didn’t like one bit, but he always looked that way when scheming. “Dom, you’re going to sit this one out. Just because we don’t have a lot of time and since you don’t live here…” He motioned around the shop. “You’ll need to pack your clothes.”
