“That’s a good pussy,” he says, licking his upper lip with his tongue. I fix my eyes on the ceiling and try with all my might to block out my feelings.
Suddenly, the door opens, making me flinch. A man I haven’t seen before enters the room. Karl immediately lets go of me and takes a few steps back.
Thank God. I try to control my breathing as my heart regains its normal rhythm.
The man pulls Jesse toward him by his shirt and starts whispering.
“Coming… get out of here as fast as you can… MC… track… pass them on…”
My heart leaps at the few words I understand. Could it really be?
“I told you so!” Jen shouts at the men, and I wince.
Karl rolls his eyes. “The bitch got a big mouth,” he sighs, turning sideways to the cupboard against the side wall and rummaging around in it.
“I warned you,” Jen continues.
“Jen,” I whisper. “Stop.”
“He’s coming for you. You’ve got the wrong person.” Her eyes are wide and she pulls at the ropes. “He’ll come for all of you.
“Jen,” I whisper again as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Shut up, club slut,” Karl growls, and takes a step toward her. A glint of light from the window above catches something glittering in his partially hidden hand.
“He’s coming to get me,” Jen sobs. “You guys better—”
Suddenly there’s a shot and I scream.
I look at Jen with wide eyes. Blood is dripping from her forehead and her eyes stare lifelessly at the floor.
At that moment, I can’t hold it anymore and I wet myself.
“What the fuck did you do, man?!” Jesse yells.
Baldie cracks his neck. “She got on my nerves. The bitch already gave birth. She got saggy tits and a big mouth. She wasn’t worth much anyway.”
I swallow my bile repeatedly. My whole body trembles, my heart seems to be pounding out of my chest, and my ears are ringing. Jen… Jen… She’s…
Dead.
Twenty-Eight
Istartlewhenmyphone rings and, with my eyes still closed, grab it from my bedside table. On autopilot, I slide my thumb from left to right across the screen and press it to my ear. “Yeah,” I mumble sleepily.
Pax starts talking right away. “The Kid mentioned a possible transport, but he claims he knows nothing else. He said he’d call me if he heard anything, and he’s got my phone number.”
“You know he can trace you now, right?” I grumble, lying down on my back and rubbing my face. I glance at the alarm clock, which shows that it’s two a.m.
“Duh, but I thought this was more important. The least we can do is see what happens.” Pax’s voice sounds tired.
“Right. Did the kiddo find anything yet?”
“Not much. He’s gone through everything, but can’t find anything about locations or dates.”
“Damn it,” I curse. With a deep sigh, I mumble, “Thanks, man. Go to sleep. We’ll see what we can find in the morning.” I throw my phone on the nightstand and press my face into the pillow with a groan. “Where are you, Laynie?”
I walk up to Colt’s porch, a large cup of coffee in my hand. The familiar creaking of the wood under my feet as I walk toward the door soothes me. The house blends beautifully into the surrounding forest thanks to the dark green color Colt painted it. I bang my fist on the door a few times and take a sip. My gaze wanders through the forest. Footsteps echo from behind the door.
