Page 132 of Their Wicked Secrets: Untouched, Vol 5 of 6

Clearing my mind, I draw in a breath. I don’t have to hold this desk forever. Just long enough.

Caden

I’m right behind Luke as we get to the doors at the school. When we try to wrench them open they barely move. But there’s a metallic rattle.

“Chains.” Eli jerks his head toward the right and leads the charge around the school.

Jack went to get the police. While everyone at the game and the fair is in a state of panic, this is an emergency. We’ve never underestimated Zach, but we didn’t think he’d pull off something this big. The bonfire can be overlooked. Fucking up the fairgrounds and the game? That won’t be overlooked.

It’s possible he isn’t going after Harper and this is just another see-what-we-do move, but there are too many coincidences to be ignored.

What’s his exit strategy? Sidney’s connections? I don’t think they’ll get him out of this one. But then again, Zach has rich parents to bail him out. It probably depends on how far he gets with his plan. At what point does it move from a harmless prank to a felony?

We get to the next set of doors that are supposed to be locked. But the janitor likes to take smoke breaks and puts tape over the lock, so they can’t track how often he goes out.

Eli jerks it open, and we’re in. It’s a lower-level entrance that the students don’t typically know about. No one besides maintenance uses this door, so Zach didn’t think to lock it or reinforce it.

Down here is a maze of hallways but only some lead upstairs. We mapped this place freshman year. We needed to know this school inside out just for our own curiosity. And finding the best places to not be found.

I’m fucking glad we did. We get to the access door and burst through it into the hallway closest to the locker rooms. We’re still fully suited from the game, including our helmets.

The lights haven’t come back on, but the emergency lights are on everywhere, lighting our way. As we get close, Nico’s crutches are on the ground and Nico is slumped against the wall.

Eli breaks off and checks him. “Hey, you okay?”

Nico doesn’t respond. His head hangs forward. Eli checks his pulse as Luke yanks at the door.

“Fuck!” Luke whisper yells when the door doesn’t budge. He can’t be loud. They can’t know we’re here. Not yet. Though this is their only way out. We could wait for the police, but that might be too late.

“He’s breathing.” Eli checks Nico for injuries. His fingers come away from his hair tinged with blood. “They hit his head.”

The door creaks open. Luke grabs it from whoever has it.

Emma squeaks and lifts her fists like she’s ready to tussle. When she recognizes that it’s us, she relaxes. “Thank fuck.”

Penny and Kenz are behind her. They hurry out into the hall.

“They’ve got her and Ashley trapped.” Kenz doesn’t waste any time. She takes the door from Luke. “There’s quite a few of them. We didn’t count, but at least three or four.”

“We’ve got Nico.” Penny crouches next to him and checks him over as Eli stands.

I nod at Luke and Eli before we rush into the locker room. When we round the corner, a pack of guys are working on shoving an office door open. Two of them striking it with their shoulders.

We charge them. No thought except that Harper is in there. Eli and I go for the guys hitting the door. As soon as my guy is down, I grab the other guy standing there and drag him down as I get up, stepping on his back to keep him down. We take the wind out of the guys we hit. They struggle to catch their breaths.

Zach and Sidney are already running away, but Luke is on their heels.

Sidney squeaks, and I glance to see her on her ass, slumped against the wall. If that doesn’t prove what Luke thinks of her, I’m not sure what will.

Zach and Luke round a corner into where the showers are. I lift my gaze to Harper’s through the glass. She has tears running down her cheeks, but she smiles at me. My heart jerks. That fucker trapped her again.

This will be the last time he traps her. But I can’t beat him down here. Not on school grounds.

Eli is already working on binding the hands of the guys on the ground. He takes off their masks to use as ties.

My girl is safe. I just need to make sure Luke doesn’t let that asshole push him too far. Because I know if I had Zach alone, I’d destroy him.

Luke