Page 98 of Property of Player

“Got it.” I look to the other three. “Let’s go. I’ll meet you outside. I just need to tell Taylor.”

When I return to the room, the nurse is still with her, sitting on the bed next to her and holding Taylor’s hand. They look like they were having a deep conversation.

Judy stands when I enter, but I wave her off. “No, don’t go.”

Taylor looks at me with questioning eyes. “What is it?”

“Club tracked down Randall. He’s in Pennsylvania. I’ve got to go. A few of the boys and I are pulling out. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

“No. Please, Player. Don’t do this.” She stands and clutches me.

I cup her face. “I’ve got to do this. I need you to understand that. It’s the only way you live safe from that monster.”

“I should go,” Judy says nervously, like she’s intruding.

“No, please. Could you stay with her until I return? I know it’s a lot to ask…”

“I’d be happy to stay with her.”

I kiss Taylor and press my forehead to hers. “Don’t worry. Please.”

“Of course I’ll worry. Every second until you return.”

“I’ll call you when it's done.”

She holds me as if she won’t let me go but finally releases me.

I give her a kiss and slip out.

Chapter thirty-two

Player

We make good time but need to stop to refuel.

We’re parked at the pumps when Drae gets a text.

“He pulled out while we were on the highway. Stone has a hang-around following him in a red minivan. They got off on Route 416.”

I pull up my map app and search the satellite image of the road. My brothers gather around me. I point at an area. “We’re not far. If we catch him in this stretch, it’s all farmland.”

Drae points to another spot. “This looks like a wooded area. That would be the best solution. We get him on the side of the road, maybe with a blown tire. We can drag him into the woods and finish him there.”

“You that good a shot?” I ask with a grin.

“That’s all you, VP. You’re our crack shot.”

He’s not lying. “Fine. I’ll take out his tire. Any of you know how to drive a rig that size with a blown tire?”

“I can manage it,” Beck says. “Won’t be able to go far, though.”

“I just want it far enough from his body that no one thinks to look for him in that area.”

“If it’s a rear tire, I can probably manage a mile,” Beck says.

“Okay. We spot him, I’m gonna hit the first turnaround I see and come up behind him. Let’s move.”

We pull out, and in less than fifteen minutes I spot the neon green and black rig with a red minivan following at a distance. Slowing, I hold up my hand and we make a U-turn.