“Then who was it?”
His hood was pulled over his baseball cap. He’d been standing in the shadows, hidden by his black clothing and a tree. At my question, he pulled me further into the shadows with him and shook his head.
“Elijah.”
His mouth went into a flat line.
“Elijah!”
He hissed, “I can’t tell you shit, okay? You can’t know about this stuff.” He cursed, regret flashing in his eyes for a moment. “You shouldn’t even be here with me. What are you doing? You and pretty boy should be long gone by now. I told you to go.”
“We’re looking for Braden and Emerson.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes. “They’re gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“They took off. I saw them running for the cars a minute ago.”
“They’re safe?”
“Yeah. Emerson texted; he said he’d wait at Rowdy’s with the band.”
Sudden tears threatened to spill. They came hard and fast. My brother was safe. Emerson was safe. I closed my eyes. Luke. Where had Luke gone?
Elijah watched me. “What’s wrong?”
“Luke went looking for them.”
His eyes darkened in anger. “Why aren’t you people normal? Run for safety next time instead of running toward the danger.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“Not the time to hash this out.” He tried to shield me with his body, moving me closer to him so I was against the tree. As we both heard twigs breaking behind us, he put his finger to his mouth. I nodded, and we waited. My heart started racing. More branches broke. Someone was coming toward us. A tree branch was shoved out of the way. They were near, just on the other side of the tree. Then they stepped right beside us. Elijah’s hand tightened on my arm as his other hand moved to the inside of his sweatshirt. I knew what he was grabbing, and I held my breath.
Please no. Please no. Please go away, repeated in my head. I didn’t dare look at who was right next to us, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the shape of a very large man. He was so close. If he turned even an inch, he would see us. Elijah’s hand tightened on the gun, and he began to turn it in his sweatshirt so it was pointed at whoever was there.
The man scoffed to himself and spoke into his phone, “Yeah. No sign of Turner. Let’s go to his house. He must’ve gotten out earlier than we thought—”
Someone moved into the trees next to him. They yelled, “He’s right next to you! Watch out—”
Elijah shot at him and then shoved me away from him and lunged for the guy next to him. The second guy, the one Elijah had tried to shoot, cursed but hadn’t been hit. He grabbed for Elijah, but Luke came out of nowhere. He wrapped a hand around the guy’s neck, kicked at his knee so he fell down, and then grabbed onto his arm. He squeezed until the guy went unconscious, and then Luke let him go, stepping back.
He looked at me, an unspoken question in his gaze. I shook my head, letting him know I was all right. Then he turned toward Elijah, but he didn’t need help. The guy who had spoken on the phone was unconscious, too. Both Luke and Elijah were too calm. It sent an eerie shiver down my back.
Luke broke the silence. “His buddies are on their way.”
“I know.” Elijah jerked a hand to me. “Get her out of here.”
I said, “Emerson and Braden are heading home. Elijah saw them leave.”
Luke nodded. “I know. I came looking for you.” His tone was accusing. “I told you to stay put.”
“Over here!” someone shouted, followed by sounds of people running through the woods.
Elijah started to say, “Take he—” but Luke had already grabbed me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he held me in the air, carrying me toward the van. Luke threw me inside and jumped in after me. A guy I didn’t know was behind the wheel, and as soon as the doors shut, he took off. I turned, expecting Elijah to be with us, but he wasn’t.
“Where’d he go?”
Luke whipped his head to mine, narrowing his eyes. “He took off.”
“What? Why? He’d be safer with us.”
“No.”
I stopped, hearing the authority in his tone and couldn’t look away from him. His eyes flashed in anger. He had made a decision. “Elijah is dangerous. The farther we are from him, the better. He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself.”
That was true. I sat back and leaned my head against the seat while the adrenaline pumped in my veins. Feeling Luke watching me, I asked, “What?”
“No argument?” He was ready for one. I could see it in his eyes.
I shook my head. “No. No argument. I know he’s dangerous.”
I sensed the surprise from him, but he didn’t say anything. He leaned back in his seat, and we were silent the entire way home. I didn’t want to think about what Eli had gotten himself into. He wasn’t my problem anymore.
“I need your guitar.” I shoved open Luke’s bedroom door. I had sprinted from my house and into his. His dad wasn’t there. His dad was never there, but I knew Luke was. His music was blaring. I heard it from my house earlier. It got louder the second the door opened, but I saw a girl on his bed. She was bent over. Her shirt was raised, and her legs were positioned out, ready for him.
The girl gasped, glanced over, but didn’t move. She had black hair that hung down, covering her face, and she tucked some of it behind her ear. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Who are you?”
I wasn’t even shocked. I glanced around. No Luke. “Where is he?”
She shrugged. “He told me to get ready. I’m ready.”
I turned around, but a hand came to my side and gripped me. I jumped, not from fear, but at how close he stood behind me. “Hey!”
His grey eyes held mine for a second before the corner of his mouth curved up into a cocky smirk. With high cheekbones, dark hair that he had recently gotten cut so it gave him an edgier look, and a ripped body, Luke had grown up with his fair share of women willing to bend over, ass naked, and waiting for him. His fingers curved into my side, and he asked, “What’d you say before?”
“I need your guitar.” I removed his hand from my side and pushed past him, back to the hallway.
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because? I’m not letting you touch it until you tell me why.”
His hood was pulled over his baseball cap. He’d been standing in the shadows, hidden by his black clothing and a tree. At my question, he pulled me further into the shadows with him and shook his head.
“Elijah.”
His mouth went into a flat line.
“Elijah!”
He hissed, “I can’t tell you shit, okay? You can’t know about this stuff.” He cursed, regret flashing in his eyes for a moment. “You shouldn’t even be here with me. What are you doing? You and pretty boy should be long gone by now. I told you to go.”
“We’re looking for Braden and Emerson.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes. “They’re gone.”
“What do you mean?”
“They took off. I saw them running for the cars a minute ago.”
“They’re safe?”
“Yeah. Emerson texted; he said he’d wait at Rowdy’s with the band.”
Sudden tears threatened to spill. They came hard and fast. My brother was safe. Emerson was safe. I closed my eyes. Luke. Where had Luke gone?
Elijah watched me. “What’s wrong?”
“Luke went looking for them.”
His eyes darkened in anger. “Why aren’t you people normal? Run for safety next time instead of running toward the danger.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“Not the time to hash this out.” He tried to shield me with his body, moving me closer to him so I was against the tree. As we both heard twigs breaking behind us, he put his finger to his mouth. I nodded, and we waited. My heart started racing. More branches broke. Someone was coming toward us. A tree branch was shoved out of the way. They were near, just on the other side of the tree. Then they stepped right beside us. Elijah’s hand tightened on my arm as his other hand moved to the inside of his sweatshirt. I knew what he was grabbing, and I held my breath.
Please no. Please no. Please go away, repeated in my head. I didn’t dare look at who was right next to us, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the shape of a very large man. He was so close. If he turned even an inch, he would see us. Elijah’s hand tightened on the gun, and he began to turn it in his sweatshirt so it was pointed at whoever was there.
The man scoffed to himself and spoke into his phone, “Yeah. No sign of Turner. Let’s go to his house. He must’ve gotten out earlier than we thought—”
Someone moved into the trees next to him. They yelled, “He’s right next to you! Watch out—”
Elijah shot at him and then shoved me away from him and lunged for the guy next to him. The second guy, the one Elijah had tried to shoot, cursed but hadn’t been hit. He grabbed for Elijah, but Luke came out of nowhere. He wrapped a hand around the guy’s neck, kicked at his knee so he fell down, and then grabbed onto his arm. He squeezed until the guy went unconscious, and then Luke let him go, stepping back.
He looked at me, an unspoken question in his gaze. I shook my head, letting him know I was all right. Then he turned toward Elijah, but he didn’t need help. The guy who had spoken on the phone was unconscious, too. Both Luke and Elijah were too calm. It sent an eerie shiver down my back.
Luke broke the silence. “His buddies are on their way.”
“I know.” Elijah jerked a hand to me. “Get her out of here.”
I said, “Emerson and Braden are heading home. Elijah saw them leave.”
Luke nodded. “I know. I came looking for you.” His tone was accusing. “I told you to stay put.”
“Over here!” someone shouted, followed by sounds of people running through the woods.
Elijah started to say, “Take he—” but Luke had already grabbed me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he held me in the air, carrying me toward the van. Luke threw me inside and jumped in after me. A guy I didn’t know was behind the wheel, and as soon as the doors shut, he took off. I turned, expecting Elijah to be with us, but he wasn’t.
“Where’d he go?”
Luke whipped his head to mine, narrowing his eyes. “He took off.”
“What? Why? He’d be safer with us.”
“No.”
I stopped, hearing the authority in his tone and couldn’t look away from him. His eyes flashed in anger. He had made a decision. “Elijah is dangerous. The farther we are from him, the better. He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself.”
That was true. I sat back and leaned my head against the seat while the adrenaline pumped in my veins. Feeling Luke watching me, I asked, “What?”
“No argument?” He was ready for one. I could see it in his eyes.
I shook my head. “No. No argument. I know he’s dangerous.”
I sensed the surprise from him, but he didn’t say anything. He leaned back in his seat, and we were silent the entire way home. I didn’t want to think about what Eli had gotten himself into. He wasn’t my problem anymore.
“I need your guitar.” I shoved open Luke’s bedroom door. I had sprinted from my house and into his. His dad wasn’t there. His dad was never there, but I knew Luke was. His music was blaring. I heard it from my house earlier. It got louder the second the door opened, but I saw a girl on his bed. She was bent over. Her shirt was raised, and her legs were positioned out, ready for him.
The girl gasped, glanced over, but didn’t move. She had black hair that hung down, covering her face, and she tucked some of it behind her ear. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Who are you?”
I wasn’t even shocked. I glanced around. No Luke. “Where is he?”
She shrugged. “He told me to get ready. I’m ready.”
I turned around, but a hand came to my side and gripped me. I jumped, not from fear, but at how close he stood behind me. “Hey!”
His grey eyes held mine for a second before the corner of his mouth curved up into a cocky smirk. With high cheekbones, dark hair that he had recently gotten cut so it gave him an edgier look, and a ripped body, Luke had grown up with his fair share of women willing to bend over, ass naked, and waiting for him. His fingers curved into my side, and he asked, “What’d you say before?”
“I need your guitar.” I removed his hand from my side and pushed past him, back to the hallway.
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because? I’m not letting you touch it until you tell me why.”
