“I will,” I told him and squeezed his hand before I opened the front door and turned to Slade. “Can you?—”
“Stay here with Zach? You got it, pal. Good luck out there. Go get that son of a bitch.”
I clenched my jaw and nodded and was out the door and into my car at record speed. I drove to the Outpost where Wyatt, Joey and Ash were waiting for me, and I exchanged brief pleasantries with everyone but Wyatt before we were on the road again.
The coordinates from Slade lead us to a warehouse off Elmwood Beach. It stood empty and ransacked in the middle of the field, haunted by rats and roaches. I had to admit; it was a good hideout. It was inconspicuous, although I had a bad feeling about it. I didn’t know why, but something in my gut told me this was wrong. And I always trusted my gut.
As we got out of the car, Wyatt handed me an earpiece and I glared at him.
“What?” he asked.
“We’re not back in the Navy, Wyatt. I don’t need that.” I brushed his hand away and walked ahead.
“What are you doing?” Ash asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Don’t—” Ash tried to stop me, but it was too late already.
I kicked the front door down—which wasn’t hard considering the warehouse’s state—and marched right ahead.
The others followed me, weapons at the ready but there was no need for them. There was no need for any of this.
The warehouse was empty. Were there hiding spots? Of course. But we wouldn’t find anyone.
That was because there was a circle in the middle of the floor, drawn in red paint or blood. In the middle of the circle was a handwritten note with a knife stabbed through the paper.
I ripped the note away and showed it to the others, engaging the lock on my handgun and putting it away.
“He knew we were coming,” Joey said and I stared at the back of the note, re-reading the words in reverse.
“Do you like games?”it read.
EIGHTEEN
ZACH
Istared at the door.
Long after he left, I stared at the door, like Lookah. As if waiting for my owner to come back and give me life again.
I felt exposed out here, on my own, with a stranger in the house. Not that Slade was astrangerstranger. He’d been a regular like most of the other guys from their little group. Their Navy SEALs group. But I didn’t know Slade well. Not like I knew Dare.
I guessed Dare was also a stranger. Or he had been until two weeks ago when he pulled me into his arms and carried me away to safety.
We’d gotten closer since then. A lot closer. I mean, we slept in the same bed. It didn’t get closer than that.
Well, it did, but we hadn’t gone there. I didn’t think we ever would. If he was interested in me in that way, he’d have said so by now. Or done something about it at least.
It was okay. I’d made my peace with that.
And yet every second he was away from me was agony. Torture. My stomach hurt and my head throbbed.
What if he found Victor?
What then?
What if he didn’t come back?
