See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(60)

Thumping the door, I step back and assess the window next to it. I don’t have time to hesitate. Offices have phones and right now, I need any help I can get.

I pull off my shirt, wrapping it around my elbow before punching it against the glass. It takes three attempts, but finally the glass shatters enough for me to reach through and unbolt the door. My arms get nicked and I’m sure I’ll be picking out splinters of glass for the next week, but adrenaline is a magical thing. I can’t feel any pain as I smash through the door and leap around the desk.

Snatching the phone, I don’t even think to call 911. Instead, I punch in the only number I can trust.





#36:

The Eton Breakout



Trey



Shadows cloak us as we creep towards Henry’s dugout. As far as we know, no teacher has ever found it. The hole was made by the legendary Henry Trenchman as a way to sneak in and out of the school. He went down in Eton history, and his hidden passageway beneath the south-line fence has been passed down through the last few years. We’ve used it a couple of times to get to weekend parties or to sneak out to buy booze on a Friday night.

I’ve never needed it for something so important before. My heart is still hammering. I don’t know if it’ll ever stop. Breaking for the trees, we dash across the last patch of exposed lawn and disappear into the forest. The guys are puffing behind me, Riley bringing up the rear as he tries to run and hunt for clues on his phone.

“So if Ivan does have her,” he puffs, “and he’s handed her over to the Sorrentinos, then he must be getting some kind of payout or something, right?”

I nod. I don’t know what else to assume.

“No, wait!” Riley slows to a stop. I spin in frustration, urging him on with a flick of my hand. He won’t be able to see it in the darkness, plus he’s too busy looking at his phone screen.

“Come on, man. Talk and run. Talk and run.”

He catches up with me and shares his theory while we jump over tree roots and weave our way out of Eton.

“There was an article on the news about the Candellas thinking Chris did it, right?”

“Only you would know that, dude.” Kade dodges a low-lying branch in the nick of time.

I crouch against a tree trunk and scan the field in front of us. Henry’s dugout is about a football field to our left. We’ll stick to the tree line and should make it undetected. By now teachers will have been woken and told to search the school.

“We just read about it.” I glance over my shoulder at Riley. “What’s your point?”

“They interviewed Mr. Candella on the news and he said he’d pay good money to see her brought to justice. What if Ivan’s not connected with the Sorrentinos at all? What if he’s getting paid to deliver her to the Candella family?”

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Kade shakes his head. “Won’t they be after justice? They’ll want her to testify.”

“Not if they think she’s the killer.”

“That’s insane!” I whisper-bark. “She didn’t kill that guy.”

“But they might still want her dead,” Riley counters. “A life for a life. A child for a child. They might be after retribution. They don’t want the law getting involved with something they can do on their own.”

“It’s like a Hollywood movie,” Kade mutters. “This shit can’t be real.”

“Yeah, well, it is.” I smack his arm. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to get to a car and find Chris…before they kill her.”

I close my eyes, battling off the wave of nausea. I don’t want to think about how she must be suffering right now, but I can’t help it. Images torture me as I stand up and start running for the dugout. I’m going to freaking kill Ivan…after I save Chris.

In spite of the evening chill, my hair is wet with sweat when we finally reach the fence. I check both ways are clear before pulling back the grass-covered canvas and scrambling through the hole. Standing on the other side, I brush the dirt off my clothes while the others crawl through. As soon as we’re clear, we start jogging for the gas station.

We’re still on high alert and even though no one’s saying it, this feels like a futile mission.

We have no idea how Ivan got Chris out of school, which direction they went, where they might be hiding. So what if we manage to steal a car? Where will we start driving?

But it’s all I’ve got. Pacing around our bedroom while we waited for news from the incompetent agents would have driven me insane. I have to act, to move, to do something that feels like it’s helping Chris.

Pumping my arms, I pick up the pace, hauling ass down the country road towards the distant glow of the gas station.

*****

Leaning against the darkest edge of the building, I peek my head around the corner to scan the station. Every pump is empty, but there is one car parked on the other side of the building. It’s a red pickup that looks bone-tired and ready to fall apart. But it’s all we’ve got.

Kade creeps back from the other corner and whispers, “Looks like we’re gonna have to go for the pickup.”

“Great,” I grumble.

Riley checks my view, then looks to Kade. “I doubt it’s locked, but we’ll still have to be careful. Let’s sneak around the back way. There’s no point walking across the lot and drawing attention to ourselves.”