Page 64 of Unmask
They were about to get one.
Her throat bobbed, and for a brief moment, she looked…tired. Exhausted.
We pulled up to Brock’s place, and even before Evan killed the engine, I sensed something was brewing inside… Something unpredictable and volatile.
I stepped out first, scanning the quiet street. Too calm.
Kaylor moved like a ghost beside me. She wasn’t okay, and I didn’t know how the hell to fix it. Not yet.
Brock swung open the front door before we reached the steps. His eyes locked on her, then slid to me. One look was all it took. He could tell something horrible had happened. Kenny’sdisappearance hadn’t hit the news yet, so unless Kaylor had texted him, he didn’t know what had occurred.
I handed him the phone without a word.
He took it, glanced at the screen, and everything about him changed. His face turned to stone. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, those cynical aqua eyes crystallizing.
Josie appeared behind him, peering over his shoulder as strands of pink hair fell into her face. “Shit,” she whispered, her eyes flying up to Kaylor. She stepped past Brock to Kaylor, putting her arm around my girl. “Let’s get you a drink.”
I didn’t know much about Brock’s girlfriend, but I liked the way she handled situations because fuck if a stiff drink wasn’t in order. Kaylor needed something to relax her.
Brock left the door open as he followed Josie and Kaylor down the hall. I assumed that was as much as I was going to get for an invitation inside. He still had Kaylor’s phone, so I trailed behind, swinging the door shut behind me.
The rest of the crew filtered in from the living room like blood called to blood. Grayson. Micah. Fynn. Kenna. Mads. Ainsley. I’d spent years trying to keep my distance from this pack, but right now, I was fucking glad we were on the same side.
Brock passed Kaylor’s phone around to the guys. The reactions were so similar, shock quickly giving way to fury. “They sent this picture ten minutes ago,” I said, leaning against the wall. I was too turned up to sit. Josie had Kaylor at the table with the other girls. My gaze flicked to her before I continued. “It came from an unknown number with a threatening message demanding Kaylor trade herself for her best friend’s life.”
No one dared speak for a beat.
Micah broke the silence. “They want to swap her?” He laughed, but it was hollow and dangerous. “What the actual fuck is this?” He dropped Kaylor’s phone in the center of the island,forking his fingers through his blond hair as Mads pulled out glasses from the cabinets behind him.
“No one’s taking Kaylor anywhere,” Brock stated. “We’ve got connections. We can try and trace the number, see if we can get a location.”
“Doubt it,” I muttered. “Burner phone. No metadata. These guys aren’t amateurs.”
Fynn was already moving, pulling out his laptop. “Still checking. There might be something. A reflection. A shadow. Anything. They might not be amateurs, but even the pros fuck up, and I’m extraordinarily good at finding mistakes, even the tiniest misstep.”
Grayson handed me a beer, and I gave him a quick nod of thanks. Beer wasn’t my go-to drink, but I didn’t want to get shitfaced. I needed to keep a clear head. I accepted the bottle as a gesture of goodwill, but I wouldn’t be finishing it.
Everyone was moving. Planning. Throwing out ideas. Talking at once, and it made me realize I needed my crew. Without Raine, Maddox, Mason, and Nash, I wasn’t doing anything. The Elite weren’t the only ones with connections. I pulled out my phone, shooting Raine a message.
Me:Need a meeting at the Rooftop. Can you send out the notice?
Raine:Names?
Me:Everyone.
Raine:Should I be concerned?
Me:I’ll fill you in later tonight.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I took a swig of my beer, my eyes searching out Kaylor. She was staring into her half-drunk glass of what I thought might have been bourbon Josie had poured her. I didn’t want to leave her, but with a house full of people, she wouldn’t be alone. Dropping my barelytouched beer into the sink, I strode across the kitchen, bending down to murmur in her ear. “I’ll be back.”
She grasped my arm. “You’re leaving?”
I nodded. “Just for a few hours. You’ll be safe here.”
“Where are you going?”
I brushed a kiss against her cheek, just below her eye, where the skin was still soft and a little flushed from the bourbon. “To earn your trust back, little raven.”
