Page 66 of Rise of the King (Checkmate 5)

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Roadtrip

Jay

Waking just before the sun and sliding inside my sweet Sophia, we say goodbye to the shitty Cherry Drop Inn with just the clothes on our backs and climb into the red Enclave Ace had stored at a parking garage a few blocks from the Benson building.

Ace is Sophia.

Sophia is Ace.

It’s fucking weird! Because my natural instincts are to grab my phone and send him an email. To give him an update on what happened yesterday, an update on Trenton, an update on the fact my building was firebombed, and request instructions on where to go next. But he’s not a he; he’s a she, and she is Sophia.

I glance to my right and drag her hand into my lap to assure myself I still have her. Sophia is alive and well, albeit a little bruised, but I still feel like I’ve lost a friend.

Ace isn’t Ace anymore, and for two years, he’s been my sort-of safety net. If I was lost or confused, I’d send an email and would always get a reply and new instructions.

That’s gone now.

“Stop staring at me,” Soph mumbles. “And give my hand back; I’m working.”

I roll my eyes at the laptop in front of her and crush her hand in mine. “Work one-handed. I’m having a moment and don’t wanna let go.”

She doesn’t take her eyes from the screen in front of her, but she smiles. “Fine, but watch the road. I don’t wanna die because you were staring at my boobs.”

I turn my gaze forward and count the white lines as we head toward home. We’re a few hours out, and nerves swarm in my belly and make me sick. It’s weird that I’m nervous to see my brother. He won’t see me. It’s not time for that, but I’ll see him. I’ll watch over him and make sure he’s safe, and when the time is right, I’ll come back out.

The time has to be right.

“Couple things.”

I lift my chin in acknowledgment. “What things?”

“You have a lot ofmomentslately. You’re getting soft in your old age. That wasn’t a question.” Her eyes warm the side of my head. “It’s a statement, and I don’t like it. It’s dangerous.”

“I used to be a trained machine, Soph. I was never soft, because this world doesn’t allow for it. But now you’ve come along and changed everything. I’m havingmoments, because you’ve made it so I have something to lose. How do you think I feel about that shit?”

She squeezes my hand and smiles. Her smile makes me think she cares about me too, but then she adds, “You need to harden the fuck up. There’s no room for weakness, Jay. We still have an objective. We still have to take CAB out. Don’t fuck this up just because you got laid. I already told you once: if the girl is messing you up, we remove her from the equation.”

So fucking harsh.“Yeah. Next?”

“I got into Trenton’s cell. Just as he said, CAB is saved only as CAB, so that doesn’t help. But Trenton was in town not so long ago.”

My eyes shoot to hers for a beat. “Which town? Abel’s town?”

She nods. “But it was after Infernos, so even though that club was gone, and even though Abel, you, and according to the statements released, Kane, were all dead, Trenton was still in town. Why?”

“You can tell that from his phone?”

“Mmm. I have his GPS data right here.” She turns her screen a little to the left. “People think just because they turn GPS off in their cell, that it’s no longer recording.” She scoffs. “It’s all a lie. They know. They always know. So, I guess you were right; the next step is to go back to town. We’ve gotta find whatever they want. And when we find that, we find out whotheyare.”

“Theywant Kane,” I grind past clenched teeth. “They want my brother.”

“But he’s dead,” she offers callously. “At the time of Trenton’s visit, Kane was still in the program and believed dead. His girlfriend thought he was dead. The local PD thought he was dead. And Jay Bishop had a memorial already. You’re all dead. So eithertheyare looking for something else, or they know the truth and know he’s alive.”

I grind my teeth again and try to think. “I mean, they obviously already know he’s alive because they’ve got the contract on his head. So who’s the leak? How do they know he’s not dead?”

“Someone already employed by the government,” she ponders. Pulling her hand from mine, she gets busy working the laptop and doesn’t notice the way my hand chills at her absence. “Theyare employed by the same people you were. Either that, or they’ve got someone in their pocket who works for the same people you did. Feds, DEA, ATF, military, Congress?”

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