See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(61)

Following Riley’s lead, we stick close to the wall and walk-run around the back of the station until we reach the windows on the other side. Ducking low, we shuffle beneath them.

Riley pops up to do one quick scan of the store. “There’s a guy behind the counter. He’s reading a magazine, but he’ll definitely look up if he hears the truck starting.”

“Fine, let’s push it out of the station and start it up down the road.”

“What if he looks up while we’re doing that?” Riley counters.

“We need a distraction.” I look around me for inspiration while Riley digs something out of his pocket.

Wriggling his phone in the air, he then turns to Kade and whispers, “You guys head to the truck and start pushing. I’ll distract the guy with a call and then make a break for the road. Have the vehicle running when I get there.”

We all nod, then get to work. I hear Riley dialing and then softly asking the operator for the number of the Miles To Go gas station.

Ducking behind Kade, I hold my breath while he eases the driver’s door open. It creaks and moans and we both freeze still. I bob my head above Kade’s crouched body and check out the counter. The attendant is still looking half asleep behind it, flicking through his magazine like a low-battery droid.

“Okay, go.” I pat Kade’s shoulder and he slithers inside, quickly looking for a set of keys. There are none so he immediately rips out the wiring beneath the steering column and gets to work.

“It’s ready to go when we are,” he whispers. “Let’s start pushing.”

Wriggling the stick shift, he puts the car in neutral and releases the brake while I put all my energy into reversing the truck. As soon as there’s enough room to turn, Kade spins the wheel and then jumps out, pushing from the driver’s door while I take the back.

We’ve got the advantage of a small hill, and the truck picks up momentum quickly. I glance behind me. Riley’s still crouched against the wall, chatting with the attendant. I look into the store. The attendant’s scratching his head and looking at the wall of cigarettes behind the counter.

“Good work, Ry,” I whisper and push a little harder.

As soon as we’re out of sight, Kade jumps into the truck and starts it up. I jump in the other door and hope like hell Riley is just behind me.

A few seconds later he’s jumping into the truck and slamming the door closed.

“Let’s go!” he shouts.

Kade takes off down the road, the old truck grumbling at the speed. Leaning forward, he looks past me to Riley and restarts our prior conversation. “So are the Candellas like a crime family too?”

“I don’t know much about them.” Riley shrugs, unlocking his screen and going back into search mode.

“If we’re speculating that they’re taking things into their own hands, then we can assume they are.”

I rake my fingers through my hair. “So how’s that helping us? It still doesn’t tell us where she is.”

“Well, think about the crime movies we’ve seen. If you were them, what would you do with Chris?” Kade stares into the darkness while we all go quiet.

Neither of them have the courage to say it, so eventually I croak out what we’re all thinking. “I’d kill her and hide the body.”

“Where?” Riley whispers.

And then his phone starts ringing.

Staring at the number with a wrinkled frown, he cautiously answers it. “Hello?”

“Riley!”

My heart lurches into my throat as I hear the muffled sound of Chris’s voice. Snatching the phone out of Riley’s hand, I set it to speaker. “Chris, it’s me. Are you okay?”

She whimpers and pulls in a shaky breath. “They’re trying to kill me.”

“Where are you?”

“I don’t know. Some dock. There’s a cargo ship and containers. It’s not a huge place. There’s this old warehouse and I’m hiding in the office.” Her voice is rushed, panicky.

I look to Riley for answers. His face is bunched with concentration as he obviously runs through the geography of the area. “I need my phone.” He snatches it back, keeping Chris on speaker while he pulls up a map.

“Can you see any signs or names around you?” he asks.

“Um…” She sniffs and pulls in another shaky breath. “Wait.”

I hold my breath and think I hear the shuffling of papers, and then Chris’s punchy voice is back.

“There’s a bill for Dynamis Shipping Yard on the desk.”

Riley punches in the name while I assure Chris that we’re coming for her. “We’ll find you. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I know, I just—” Her words are cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Her gut-wrenching scream blinds me and then the line goes dead.

“Chris?” I shout at the phone.

Riley grips the hardware and gives me a pained look before whispering, “Keep heading north, Kade. Turn left at the first intersection.”

Kade nods, his jaw locking as he pushes his foot to the floor.

Leaning forward, I hold my head and start begging. “Drive like the fucking wind, man. Please.”





#37:

A Life For A Life