Set Me Free (A Fugitive #2)(40)

Zach’s teeth ground together, I could practically hear the enamel chipping. His hard gaze made it just a little easier to turn away. I didn't want to have to face it anymore. As much as it tore me in two, I spun on the top stair and quickly descended. Wrenching open the front door, I took off down the street, my legs moving double time before I could change my mind or he could catch me.





Chapter 21





ZACH





The only thing to break the awkward silence between Elliot and Zach was the slamming of the door. Zach flinched, but kept his eyes on the floor, his jaw aching from being so tense.

"How the hell is she planning on dealing with the L.A. Feds on her own?" Elliot finally muttered.

"Damned if I know." Zach shook his head. "Shit!" Punching the air, he let out another curse. "She can't do this to me again. Come on, let's go get her."

Elliot hesitated before reluctantly closing his laptop and packing up his stuff. His movements were slow and infuriating. Zach was still fired up after their scuffle. The urge to hit and throw made his muscles twitch, but he contained himself by clenching his fists.

"Any chance you can go a little faster?"

Elliot gave him a deadpan glare. "Are you sure you don't want to let her blow off some steam?"

"Last time I let her do that she disappeared. We're already taking too long, now hurry up."

Elliot slowly unzipped his bag.

"Okay, I get it. You don't want me to go after her."

"I didn't say that."

"You're saying it right now, Mr. Slow Ass!"

"Look, maybe it's a good thing she's gone. If things went wrong tonight you'd be in deep shit, not to mention the fact there is still a chance the FBI are gonna catch up with us at some point. Do really you want to go further along this path? It's gonna jeopardize everything."

Zach's eyes rounded as he pointed at his friend. "You were the one who encouraged her to keep going!"

"Yeah, that was before I thought I was going to lose all my friends."

"You're not going to lose them!"

"It's looking pretty dicey right now, Zach." The way he said his name with such scorn made Zach realize just how cut up Elliot was over AJ's scathing words.

"It's gonna be okay," Zach sighed. "AJ will forgive you, we all know he will."

Elliot zipped up his bag and pulled out his keys. "It's not just that. I mean I was on fire about this before, but it's starting to sink in...what we're really doing and I'm..."

"Chickening out?" Zach spat.

Elliot shot him a dark look as the front door creaked open. Zach sucked in a quick breath and raced to the top of the stairs.

His expanded chest deflated as Alex ascended towards him.

"What?" He frowned.

"I just thought you were Lucy," Zach mumbled.

"Isn't she here?"

"She took off."

Alex's confused frown morphed to wide-eyed surprise as he stepped into his living room. "What the hell happened in here?"

Elliot went instantly red, shoving his hands into his pockets. Zach scratched the back of his neck and tried for a chuckle that came off as breathy and guilt ridden.

"We just had a disagreement and then Lucy ran off."

"Again?" He looked pissed as he threw his keys onto the table. "What is it with that girl? We need her to pull off tonight. She can't just ditch us now." Alex sighed into his hand. "I know you like her a lot, Zach, but she seriously needs to get herself a backbone. We're trying to do something huge here."

"A back—What did you just say?" Zach's voice sparked with rage. "A backbone?"

Alex nodded, stepping away from his fiery nephew as he paced towards him.

"She— Lucy Tate is one of the strongest people I have ever met! You know what she's been through, right? The fact that she's still sane is a huge credit to her. Do you honestly think at the age of 13, you could have survived that kind of trauma? She's intelligent and resourceful and amazing and she has every right to walk away from this! She's not doing it for her, she's doing it for us!" Zach slapped his chest.

"Which is why we owe it to her to keep going! We have to convince her not to bail. We're too close to gold. Tonight could end this...for all of us!"

Zach growled, running his hand through his hair. "Look, you just need to back off. She's entitled to freak out. If we don't get into the house tonight, we'll find another way. We'll work it out."

Alex looked pissed as he jerked his head. "This is a really good shot and possibly our only one for a long time. It's a safe bet. Lucy can fool this kid and if Tenner's hiding anything, he'll have it in his office, that's just basic logic."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Oh come on!" Alex flicked his hand in the air. "It's a damn good guess."

"I don't care. If she doesn't want to do it, I'm not gonna make her."

Alex licked his bottom lip and crossed his arms, the answer not appeasing him. So far today, Zach had managed to piss off everyone he cared about. He felt like a piece of dog poo on the bottom of someone's shoe. Pinching the back of his neck, he closed his eyes with a huff, wrestling to rein in his emotions.