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a plant and you’re working for Jace, you take that message back to him. You got it?”
“You think I’m a narc?” Acid dripped from my tone and I stood upright, moving away from the wall where I was leaning. My arms unfolded and went to my side. I didn’t like being called a traitor.
He moved forward, his arm muscles flexing at the same time. “No. I called you a plant. This whole thing could be a set-up. So you tell me. You brought my little brother to a hotel that the Panthers own. You don’t think I know what that means? If Lanser’s alive and kicking, they’ve already told him you’re here. Now they know where my little brother and I are too.” He glanced at Tray, whose eyebrows were bunched forward. Chance turned back to me. “I don’t buy your bullshit that it’s the closest hotel to the Pedlam School.”
Ice was forming in my blood. The more he spoke, the more accusations he sent my way, only made me more firm in my belief. He wasn’t there to help. He was there to interrogate, blame, and I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to take his brother with him when he left. Casting Tray a swift look, I wondered if this room would be the last I’d share with him. I had no idea what was going to happen after this conversation, but I knew my destination. Whether he helped or not, I was going to that school. I was going to break in and I was going to find my friend.
I had no idea how I was going to get out, but I had to try.
“Taryn?” Tray asked softly as he moved to stand beside his brother. Suspicion had formed in the depths of his eyes too.
I shook my head and bit out a laugh. “He’s right.”
Chance’s eyes got big.
Tray jerked backwards like I had hit him.
I added, “I picked this hotel for a reason. I want Jace to know I’m here. I want him to come to me. I have to try.”
“Try?”
I didn’t dare look away from Tray. I moved closer to him and softened my voice, “Tray, you heard Dee. They looked everywhere for Jace. If he was around, they would’ve seen him. Jace knows Gray. He would’ve gone out to see what he wanted. The only place they didn’t search was the school.”
“What’s with this school?” Chance asked.
I turned to him. I felt rushed. I needed to keep appealing to Tray to repair the small damage done by his brother, but this was a DEA agent in the same room as me. I needed to appeal for his help too. “They did renovations over the summer. They changed things and now there are cameras everywhere. They have guards too, guards with guns.”
Tray told him, “We were in the building. We pranked it one night.” He lifted a hand towards me. “She helped us get in, so if Lanser is using the building for something, it’s got to be in the basement. We didn’t see anything on the main floors and I think we would’ve.”
“Stun guns? Pepper spray?” Chance asked me.
“Guns. Handguns and a couple of them had rifles.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I scoped it out one night. What school has guards like that? You have guards like that if there’s something inside you want to protect. What’s around here that’s so precious?” I shook my head. “Drugs. We’re in the center of the country. I’m not stupid. Something’s changing. It’s why Jace wanted me gone. He didn’t want me to get involved or he didn’t want me to find something, and he knows me. He knows I’ll get in wherever he doesn’t want me.”
“Why?” Chance narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, reassessing me. “What’s so special about you?”
“I’m a thief.” I flinched at my words. “I was a thief. I can get in wherever I want.”
“Yeah?” He lifted his chin. “I’ve known a lot of criminals and a lot of people who grew up hard like you. They didn’t have any special criminal skills like that. Where’d you learn yours?”
My stomach clenched, and I avoided Tray’s gaze as I answered, “Because Jace Lanser is the one who taught me.”
No one said anything after that. The ball of anxiety that was in my chest dropped to my stomach. The longer I waited for Tray to say something, the lower that ball moved in me. It was almost to the floor when he said, “You never told me that.”
Regret seared through me. “I didn’t tell anyone.”
“It would’ve changed things.”
“It shouldn’t have.”
“You said Jace was like family, but I didn’t believe how much.” He shook his head and turned away. “It’s why you’re so mad. It’s why you want to hurt him so bad, it’s because you still care about him.” He jabbed a finger at the door. “What if he walks through there? What if he comes in here to talk to you? What then? You’ve been saying how much you want to hurt him, but what if it’s not to hurt him? I think you want to see him one last time. You want to see if the guy you loved like family is still inside him. Don’t you? This is all about reconnecting with him, isn’t it?”
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.”
