“Is this him?” the lady asks when I finish describing him.
“Yeah, but he also had this big scar down his jaw.” I jut my chin up and stroke a finger down my jaw to show her where it was, and she draws one on the sketch. “That’s him. I win,” I declare.
I slam on the brakes, making the tires screech so hard, I think I may have popped one.
A few paces ahead, Grace is walking toward the campus with Nick, Chris, and the other culprit, Caden. They all stare at me with a mixture of emotions. But there is no time to explain.I only shot Kane in the arm. The Grim Reaper will be back on his feet now, and Mason will come after me if I don’t get the heck out of here.
“Get in,” I yell, rolling down my window. “I know everything.”
Grace and Caden exchange a look. Chris and Nick stare at me like I’ve lost the plot.
“Who are you talking to there, Etheridge?” Nick asks with a questioning gesture. But Grace and Caden know. I can see it on their faces, guilt and denial swirling in their eyes. Yet their feet don’t move.
“Now!” I shout.
They trade uneasy glances, then start toward the car. Caden gets in next to me. Grace slides into the back. I don’t wait for the doors to close before I floor the pedal, making the Ranger Rover surge forward.
“What’s going on?” Caden demands as I swerve past the campus, away from the Fort town center, breaking all speed limits. “And why the hell are you in James’s car?”
“What’s going on?” I drawl. “Let’s see: I just found out my parents didn’t die in a hit-and-run; they were murdered. But that’s not news to you, is it?” I glare at them. “And then I find out I was apparently kidnapped when I was seven. OnlyIwasn’t the one taken.”
Grace’s eyes meet mine in the mirror, and for a tragic moment, the air freezes. To think she went through that, when it was supposed to be me. Everything that happened back then makes perfect sense now—Grace growing distant abruptly, Mum sinking into depression for the next year, their sudden move to London the following year, and most suspicious of all, our parents changing Dan’s and my surnames from Rycroft to Etheridge. A trade made for Grace’s ransom, no doubt.
That thought kills me a little.
My grandfather has an empire to hand down. My father only had Dan and me. Knowing he was willing to trade that legacy for Grace’s ransom makes me ache with pride and bleed with guilt in the same breath.
Grace fidgets in her seat. My eyes rip from hers, unable to face what I see there.
“Kidnapping?” Caden’s eyes flash between Grace and me.I guess I’m not the only one in the dark, then.
“You’ve both been working with Dan,” I accuse. “This one would jump off a cliff if he tells her to.” I throw a look toward Grace. “Why the hell did you agree to this?” I ask Caden.
Caden’s face washes pale. “What do you mean?”
“Drop the poker face. I saw the notes on your phone. It’s like when you took that stupid hack job when you lost that stupid bet. Not to mention, you have been hell-bent on getting close to Hugo since you set foot in Fort, despite my many warnings. Spill it.” I slap the wheel.
Grace peeks at Caden from under her long eyelashes with a secret smile while I blast down the quiet main roads, overtaking a few cars.
Caden presses his lips together. “Dan and Jack asked me to hack the Fort systems.”
“And what would have happened if you got caught? These are dangerous people. When will you learn, Cade?”
“Take a breath, you are freaking out.” Caden makes a calm-down gesture.
“Of course I’m freaking out,” I screech, drawing harsh breaths. “I shot Kane.”
“You did what?” Grace shrieks.
“So, now we need to get the fuck out of here before my boyfriend and his thug friends find us, okay?”
“What?” Caden throws his arm out.
“Stop sayingwhat!” I snap.
“Okay, but what’s the plan?” Caden asks. “You can’t drive us to London. This is their car. You know they have trackers on all of them, and if your boyfriend finds out about me, I’m fucked. That one has had it out for me since day one, thanks to you. I’m definitely taking extra hits for that.”
“No one’s getting hit. I’m getting us all out of here.” I sigh. “And then you are both telling me everything you two know about the accident.Everything. And no one calls Dan. Got it?”
