“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. It’s still half your fault. That’s not the point!” he throws his hands out, then brings them in and holds his forehead. “We’re a bunch of dumb asses.” He chuckles manically.
“Oh, great. Nowhe’slosing it.” Serena gestures to him before letting her hand fall back to my arm.
“No. He isn’t.”I’m not so sure about that.“What do you mean, Zeke?” I ask him. He holds his arms back out mid-air like he’s won the lottery.
“D’s pregnant wife wanted ice cream and didn’t get it. Do you think he’d stand for that shit?” He smiles triumphantly, and for the first time in weeks, a genuine grin pulls at the corner of my lips. “No. He wouldn’t.”
“Did you just come up with a lead?” I ask him, and he quickly grabs his keys off of one of the chairs.
“Hell yeah, I did.” He turns to leave, but then he stops in his tracks, like he’s hesitating. As he faces me, his eyes meet mine. Fear and regret are the only things that shine past the determination, and I just shake my head at him. Hope blooms in my chest for the first time since we found Popov’s location, and somehow, this feels more real. I’m so sure that Zeke is right, that I almost want to jump out of bed and follow him, but I can’t. I have to trust that my brother knows what he’s doing, and that he’s capable of bringing Damien home. I have to let him go to get him back, and as much as I hate it, I do.
“Zeke. I’ll be alright. Go get my fucking husband back,” I demand. He nods once, hardening his features like he’s prepared for war, and he pulls Alex with him as he walks out the door.
Chapter 40
Zeke
‘Hip To Be Scared (Feat. Jacoby Shaddix)’ – Ice Nine Kills, Jacoby Shaddix
I walk out of Ashia’s room with a new sense of determination. For seven weeks, my life has only revolved around three things: my sister, my best friend, and dying. I had to abandon ideas of the last one for now, so all of my attention has been on my sister. It’s kept me focused up until this point. Now? I practically have a green light to go as ape-shit as I want, and I’m going to let it all out.
It’s about fucking time.
My need to shed some blood has reached an all-new tipping point. Ezra was a good kid, and a good friend, but I knew I shouldn’t have left Ashia alone without me. Hell, Alex and Carter are lucky I let them watch her without me close by. How could we not have known something wassomessed up with her car? She’s barely driven it the past few days, if at all, now that I thinkabout it. I can’t say I would’ve done anything different in Ezra’s shoes, though. I’m thankful that it was him driving, but I can’t help but think about what if I was with her?
It would’ve been me driving the car. It would’ve been easy.
Damn it, I can’t think like that. I can’t. My sister needs me. Ashia would be devastated if something had happened to me. We’re finally in a good place, and I can’t fuck that up. My mom needs me. I mean, my dad would be really upset, too, but not like her. I’m not sure my mom would be able to breathe if something happened to me. I have to save Damien and keep my other friends alive, too. Other people are counting on me, and my best fucking friend is one of them. There’s no way I can sink back to that place right now.
I nudge my head towards an empty room at the other end of the hall, and push Alex inside the moment we’re clear.
“Are there cameras in these rooms?” I ask and check every corner.
“Fuck if I know.” He shrugs. So, without hesitation, I shove him into the adjoining bathroom and close the door. He stumbles inside and turns back to me with his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, this is awkward.”
“What? You want to pucker up? Fuck you. You’re married and I’m grieving—so, maybe some other time.” He rolls his eyes at me. “I need you to stay here with her. We may be on a secure floor, but until we know the reason her car blew, one of us needs to be with her. AndmaybeCarter, but we both know he can’t shoot for shit.”
“That’s fair.” He tilts his head from side to side, and I force my car keys into his hand.
“Take these in case you need to get her out of here and tell Ash to send me a picture of Damien. I don’t trust that someone isn’t tracking all of us, but I need a recent photo.”
“Are you really still on the whole ‘Satori is a spy’ bullshit? You’ve got to let that go,” he huffs.
“Fuck you. I don’t have to do a damn thing. I’m serious. When he does something stupid, I’m going to say ‘I told you so.’” Satori has walked a fine line between just being an annoying shithead, and a real fucking problem. I don’t care what kind of sob-story he carries, and his experience doesn’t mean a damn to me. Even when he was solely Sahara, it was clear thathewas the unhinged one. My hatred for him only got worse when he tried to turn us all against Damien. A man with no loyalty or respect isn’t a man at all, and I don’t take orders from anyone with such a low set of morals.Plus, I swear if he rolls his eyes at me one more time, I’ll make sure they stay that way.
“Well, how the hell are you going to get around if you’re giving me the keys?” Alex asks, and I grimace.
“That’s why I didn’t want to discuss this in front of her.”
He raises an eyebrow and grins.
“You’re going to steal a car?”
“I’m going to steal a car,” I confess and press my ear to the door—just to be sure no one is listening. “If I take it from the long-term-stay parking lot, it may go unnoticed. I’ll bring it back once I find D.”
“I’m sure Ashia doesn’t expect you to find him based off an ice cream theory, Zeke. You’re riding too much on this. I want Damien back as much as anyone else, but we shouldn’t get her hopes up like this.”
I turn my head lightly to stare him down.
