Page 186 of Nothing Special X: The Last Stand

Xander took a slow breath through his nose, trying to keep his voice from rising. “It’s my money.”

“Yes. Which is why I’m protecting it.”

“I have enough to pay it.” Xander leaned closer, anger and fear twisting together. “If it means keeping you guys alive, I’ll pay it.”

Tech shook his head. “You can’t pay them.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’ll kill us afterward.”

Xander went cold.

Tech’s voice stayed low and level. “Maybe the one in charge only wants the money. But that second bastard, the one who keeps coming over every half hour to stare at you, this is personal for him. He wants somebody to pay for his brother’s life. And money won’t cut it.”

“We’ve also seen their faces. Which makes us loose ends,” Free added quietly.

“Then what?” Xander was on the verge of sobbing. “If paying them gets us killed and not paying them gets us killed, then what?”

Free tilted his head, his gaze shifting.

“Morrison said he’s not going to let anything happen to you.”

Xander went still.

Free’s lips curved, small and sad. “He said to tell you to stay calm. To keep breathing and to listen to us.” His eyes warmed. “He said he loves you, and he promises he’s going to say that to your face real soon.”

The warehouse blurred as his throat closed around a sound he struggled to restrain.

“He said that?” Xander whispered.

Free nodded. “Yes.”

Xander closed his eyes.

Cassidy loved him.

He tried to make that fact solid enough to stand on. It wasn’t.

“If they know where we are…” he said, opening his eyes, “then why haven’t they come? They can do what they did at the studio lot.”

“The studio lot was self-defense,” Tech said. “This is a hostage situation. God can’t send his enforcers to shoot up everyone.”

Curtis stirred beside him, opening one eye. “Trust me, you really don’t want my dads coming to get us.”

Xander looked over.

Curtis shrugged. “I sleep lightly when kidnapped.”

Xander dropped his head, sighing. “You are all insane.”

“Shh,” Tech said, his body sharpening with alertness.

Free went still beside him.

Curtis opened both eyes.

Xander froze. “What?”