They both fall silent. “Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures.”
I glance towards the wall separating our room from Rivera’s. His breathing sounds rough though. “We need to flush him out on our terms. The only surprise ambush is the one he’s going to fall into.”
Onyx leans forward, elbows on his knees. “I’ve got one better. Christina writes under a false name, right?”
“Yeah, C.H. Lane,” I say.
“Leak the news that C.H. Lane is gonna be there. Assuming this asshole knows that’s the name she writes under. Drop a few breadcrumbs if not, enough so the asshole knows it’s her.”
I grin at him. “That actually sounds believable. But let’s keep our involvement secret. That way there will be nothing that traces back to Sons of Rage.”
Jinx warms up to our idea. “And when he shows?”
I meet his eyes. “We make sure he doesn’t walk away this time.”
We work the better part of the night on our plan and Onyx begins setting up the press releases. Even if I say so myself, it all looks watertight. It can’t possibly go wrong.
When the others finally crash, I stay up, staring at the map under the flickering light. My mind keeps drifting back to Cedar Falls. Christina’s voice, and that scorching-hot kiss.
I wonder if she’s asleep, or if she’s sitting up waiting for us to come back, pretending she isn’t worried. I told her I was making a parts run for the garage. I lied, and that’s something I’ll have to own up to. I dropped Jasper a text telling him we might be here for a few days and to make up some excuse for Christina—say my bike broke down or something. I’m no Boy Scout but I don’t particularly like lying, especially to people I care about. I tell myself the same thing I always do. Protecting someone doesn’t mean keeping them close. It means keeping danger far enough away that it can’t hurt the people I care about.
I finally fold the map, turn off the lamp, and lean back in the chair. But sleep won’t come. My thoughts keep circling the same place, Imperial Street, the warehouse, and that asshole with Christina’s name in his mouth. Morning isn’t far off. When it comes, we’ll hunt.
Chapter 7
Slate
Our plan works like a charm. This asshole shows up driving the same dark sedan that he used when he abducted Rivera, only to find the parking lot empty. But we’re right there waiting for him, fanned out in strategic locations.
The echo of the first bullet fired rings in my ears. It isn’t mine, though. I peer out from the corner of the building to see that Onyx thought he had a clean shot and took it. The sound ricochets off the metal walls, followed by a return bullet trained on his last position.
Onyx drops low, shouting something I don’t hear because a barrage of gunfire breaks out. I see a shadow moving near the tree line and lunge towards it with my weapon raised. My eyes scan the shadows, alert for any trace of him. Although it seems absolutely impossible, he’s gone.
“Left side,” Onyx calls out, taking aim with his rifle.
My steps are fast and silent as my eyes sweep the flat lawn and parking lot.
Jinx comes in from the other side of me, breathing hard. “You see him?”
“No,” I say, gesturing to the dark sedan. “The asshole’s vehicle is still here, but he’s nowhere to be found.” Jinx and Onyx cover me as I move quickly to the vehicle and yank thedoor open. The keys are in the ignition and music is still coming out of the speakers. It smells like a trap.
I back away even as Onyx approaches, crouching to inspect tire tracks that vanish into the alley beyond the loading dock. “He ditched it.”
“Where the hell did he go?”
“He’s here because he sure as fuck didn’t disappear,” I tell him. “Look, we need to spread out and do a grid search.”
Jinx and Onyx take off, like I asked. We don’t see any movement and there are no sounds to give away his location. Maddox checks one direction, Onyx the other. I look down at the narrow strip between the buildings. There is nothing but dumpsters and a shallow drainage ditch that runs parallel to the street.
Maddox curses under his breath. “You think he went that way?”
“Maybe.” I jump down into the ditch, boots sinking into the mud. It’s narrow, barely chest deep. And dark, murky water creeps along the bottom. I scan the length of it, but I don’t see any footprints or ripples. Just still water.
Onyx joins me, shining a small flashlight across the surface. The beam catches something metallic half-buried near the bend. Reaching down, I grasp the tiny object and discover that it’s a cufflink. It’s simple silver, and rather expensive.
I lift it with two fingers. “Do you think this might be his?”
“Looks like it.” I take it, pocket it, still scanning the ditch. “He went down here, crawled out somewhere farther up.”
