Nathan grunted. If they weren’t taking Zachary out on patrols yet, they needed to rectify that fast. The kid was a natural in the field. Sharp eyes and smart as a whip.
Andrew turned right when he reached the sidewalk’s intersection in front of the building, and the trio lurched into movement.
“Whoa, hey! Andrew, right?” Alex said, falling into step with him. Zachary took Andrew’s other side, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Andrew glanced between them. “Uh, yeah, that’s me. Do I know you?”
“No, but we have a mutual friend. Jace Gellar.”
Andrew nodded, keeping his expression cool. “Right, yeah. I know Jace.”
“He told us we could find you here,” Zachary said. “See, we’re looking for something fun. A particular kind of fun, y’know?”
Andrew glanced over his shoulder at Nathan, following behind them. “The three of you?”
“Yep,” Alex said. “That’s my big brother. He’s visiting from Oregon, and he likes to have fun, too.”
“Uh-huh.” Andrew’s gaze swept up and down Nathan’s form.
He’d done his best to dress down, in old jeans and a plain T-shirt, but he couldn’t do anything about his military-style haircut. If this kid suspected he was a narc, their mission would be blown before they could find out what they needed. He ducked his head, scratching absently at his jaw. Would it be better to back off, or would that only make him seem more suspicious?
Before he could decide, Andrew stopped, turning fully to face him. His eyes were wide.
“Paladin,” he said, and Nathan realized his eyes were glued to his guild ring. He hadn’t expected anyone on a college campus to recognize it.
He took a breath to speak—but Alex moved first, grabbing Andrew by the arm. “Don’t move,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t run. We just have a few questions.”
Andrew jerked his arm, but Alex held fast. “Let me go,” he hissed under his breath. He didn’t want to draw attention to them, either, it seemed.
Nathan eased closer. “You can answer our questions about the black pills, or I can take you back with me to the guild and let you answer our questions there. What’ll it be?”
Andrew’s upper lip curled. “I’m not telling you shit.”
Alex and Zachary looked at Nathan, waiting.
“Let’s take him back to my car, then. I’m sure Sloan would like a word. I, for one, am very curious how you know about the paladins.” Knowing about the guild meant he knew exactly what he was selling. The only question that remained washowandwhy.
Andrew’s shifty brown eyes darted around them, but he seemed to recognize there was nowhere he could run that they couldn’t follow. With gritted teeth, he let them lead him across campus. Alex kept a hand fisted in his shirt the whole time.
When they reached Nathan’s car, he glanced around to make sure the area was deserted, and then popped the trunk and forced Andrew inside it.
“Hey, you can’t do this! Let me out!” he hollered, his voice muffled through the metal.
Alex grimaced. “Please don’t get pulled over.”
Nathan nodded seriously. “The slowest and safest I’ll ever drive, I swear. Can you call Talon to come and get you guys? I’d rather not have to make any detours on my way to HQ.”
“Absolutely.” Alex brought his phone to his ear and turned away to talk to Talon.
Nathan set Andrew’s green backpack on the trunk’s lid and unzipped it. “Might as well see what he’s got in here.” In the front pocket, he found his cell phone. He turned it off and handed it to Zachary. “See if you can get into that.” A lot of it was actual class stuff. Books, notebooks, a binder filled with chemistry notes. Beneath all of that, there was a hidden pocket in the lining of the backpack, which he only noticed because there was something hard in the uneven padding. When he pried it open, he found multiple baggies of black pills.
“Well, well, well,” he said, tugging a handful of baggies out. “Look at this.”
Talon appeared beside them, squinting in the sunlight. His gaze found Alex first, and he laid a hand on his shoulder. Then he noticed the bag of pills in Nathan’s hand.
“Holy shit,” he declared.
Zachary said, “Depending on what he sells those for, this could be hundreds of dollars worth of pills, you guys.”
