A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd #1)(81)

NO! My head screamed, but I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t move. My feet were glued in place and my body wouldn’t move. I was paralyzed, but I wanted to shake my head. No, no, no. A scream was building inside me. My body was betraying me. Tray was looking at me, waiting for my denial. I needed to reassure him, but it wouldn’t come out. The longer I couldn’t talk, the more I felt him pulling away from me. He didn’t move, but the distance was growing.
“Oh my god.”
“NO!” Finally. It burst out of me.
Tray moved back another step, shaking his head. “Oh my god. That’s it, isn’t it? Do you love him?” I could see the wheels turning in his head, but my words weren’t forming. I couldn’t get them out fast enough. Turning his back to me, he murmured, “Dee said that Brian thought Jace was obsessed with you, but that wasn’t it. Brian was jealous for a reason. There was a connection between you, wasn’t there?” He turned back to me. The hurt was so apparent in his eyes. He added, his voice so damn soft, “You didn’t even know yourself, did you? Did you know that you love him?”
It was like a waking nightmare. I couldn’t stop it from happening and I had no idea why. I was frozen in place.
“Taryn,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “I have to go. I have to get out of here.”
“Tray—” I gasped out and lunged for him, but it was too late. The door closed on me and I was staring into the wood. I heard him walk away. Reaching for the door handle, Chance said from behind me, “I wouldn’t.”
I turned around. “Why?”
“You hesitated.”
I flinched.
He laughed. “The real answer is the silence. Any smart guy knows that. You didn’t say yes, but the truth was that you never said no.”
“I froze. I was surprised.”
Still chuckling, he shook his head and took off his jacket. As he did, two shoulder holsters lifted in the air and he reached back to take the guns out. One was left on the table by the door. He placed the other one on the bedside table. He draped his jacket over the back of a chair. “Now.” He pulled the chair out more and sat down. “Since my brother is gone, why don’t you walk me through where you think your friend is being held.”
I didn't want to talk to him; I needed to go after Tray, but I said, “I don’t know where.”
“You said the school?”
“Yes.” I clipped my head in a nod, but I couldn’t look away from the door. I wanted him to come back through it. He needed to come back to me.
“Yoo hoo.” He snapped his fingers, tearing my gaze away. He had sat at the table and gestured to the opposite chair. “Tray needs to think. When he gets hurt, he won’t listen. He closes up and then he’ll weigh everything in his mind. When he’s ready for some answers, he’ll seek you out. It’s pointless. Trust me.” He lifted his lip up in a mocking grin. “I’m just like him.”
He waited until I crossed the room and sat down, then asked, “So Tray said something about the basement?”
My eyes never left that door. “No. I’ve been down there.”
“Then what was renovated?”
“I don’t know—”
“Hey!” He clapped his hands to get my attention this time. A fierce scowl formed on his lips. “Pay attention. I don’t give a shit what lovey-dovey thing you have going on with my brother. Your friend is missing. No matter what mixed-up emotions you have for Jace Lanser, you can’t deny that he’s dangerous. Sal Galverson is dangerous. If your friend is with him, his life is either over or going to be over.”
I checked back in. He was right. Gray came first now. “The building was the same, but there was added security so they must’ve built something underneath the building.”
“All right.” He stood and retrieved a laptop. “Listen to me.”
I was.
“I need you to leave this room.”
I opened my mouth, about to question him, but he held a hand up. I closed my mouth.
He added, “Do not go after Tray. I mean it. Give him space. The sooner he thinks over everything, the sooner he’ll come back for answers. Now, having said that,” he pulled out his phone and gestured to the computer, “I have to call this in. I didn’t come with my team. I thought my brother was exaggerating, but since this is dealing with Jace Lanser and Sal Galverson, I have to run the entire op through my supervisor first.”
I nodded. “That’s fine.” My chest was growing tight again.
He pointed the phone at me, studying me intently. “You need to listen to me when I say this next part.” He paused a beat to make sure I was listening. And then he said, “I have to get permission to get a team down here.”
He needed permission? “What does that mean?”
“There’s no prior investigation. There’s no evidence except your testimony. If I get a team down here, you’re asking us to go in blind. We haven’t compiled any recent information. We know nothing. Now,” he held his hand up, “I have history down here. My supervisor knows this. Based off that alone, I might be able to get a small team to come.”
“How long?”
“Six hours.”
“You took half of that.”
“Tray texted me earlier that something was wrong. I was coming anyway.”
“Oh.” I frowned.
“Just give me some privacy and I’ll work my magic.” He gave me a forced grin. “Okay?”
I jerked my head in a shaky nod and stood. “Okay.” Going to the door, I paused and glanced around. “I’m going to get some food.” Then I slipped out.