Elijah continued in a whisper, “And it’s Bri. Yes, I could’ve figured out a way to talk to you without her around, but you know her. She would’ve gotten it out of us somehow or just followed us like last time. Remember last time?”
“Yeah.” Luke surged forward, getting in his face. “I remember last time. I remember Brute holding a fucking knife to her throat.”
“Yeah, and she found us then, like she wouldn’t have done the same thing this time,” Elijah argued back. “She’s here. It’s done. She’s a good fighter. She can handle herself.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Luke snarled. “If Brute doesn’t do it, I’m going to do it.”
“Piss off. It’s done. You were all about helping me at your bar. Now you’re here, and you’re crapping your pants? My best friend’s in that house, and he’s dead if we don’t get to him.”
Emerson was dead. Hearing those words centered me. All the fear started to ebb, and I could speak again. Moving between them, I touched a hand to both of their arms. They were like cement, glaring at each other. “Stop,” I chided quietly. “Emerson’s one of us. We have to get him out.”
“What’s the plan?” Luke asked the question, and both of us waited for Elijah to answer.
He hesitated and then shrugged. “It’s still morning. Most of Brute’s crew will probably be sleeping. I don’t know who they have in there, but the plan is to go in, start a fight, and try to run out with Emerson. He’s holed up in a bathroom. I told him we’re close. Once he hears yelling, he’s supposed to bolt out with us.”
That was the plan.
I glanced at Luke. I could sense a storm rising in him. “So…” he drew that word out. “We go in, wave a gun around, and hope that works?”
“Pretty much.”
Luke grabbed the back of his neck, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, as he continued to stare at Elijah. “That’s the worst fucking plan I’ve ever heard.”
“You have anything better?”
“Yeah,” Luke clipped out. His hand moved up to his hair, and he grabbed a fistful of it. “What bathroom is he in?”
“Uh.” Elijah pulled out his phone and texted Emerson. A minute later, it buzzed back. “He said the second floor, south side of the house.”
We all scrutinized the house, searching the second floor windows, and as we did, Emerson appeared in one of them. He was looking for us, too. We could see him, but he couldn’t see us.
“Okay.” Luke pulled our attention back to him. “Text him and ask if he can open the window.”
“You’re serious?”
Luke shot Elijah a dark look. “Your plan sucks, and you’re questioning mine?”
“Okay, okay.” His fingers moved over the buttons, and he hit Send. We waited. Another minute that seemed like an hour passed before Emerson replied. “He said he can, but he’s on the second floor—”
“We’ll catch him,” Luke said before he could finish. “We’ll go over there and form a human ladder. Emerson can crawl down us. It’ll work. They just can’t see us. Does Brute have watchmen at all?”
Elijah snorted. “At night, yeah, but not in the morning. His crew parties hard. Guaranteed most of them are still wasted and sleeping it off. Whoever’s searching for wires is in the house. They’re not going to expect anyone to sneak up to Brute’s house. He’s a drug dealer. If anything, people run in the opposite direction. I would know.”
“Okay.” Luke was nodding, his eyebrows bunched together. “This might work then. Text him again. Tell him to open the window, and we’re coming to help him.”
“Wait.” I grabbed Elijah’s arm. “What about an alarm system?”
“Nope, Brute’s alarm is himself. His kitchen is stockpiled with guns.”
That lump formed in my throat again. My eyes got big. He was going to make us go into that room? I retracted my hand. “Well, thank god for this second plan then.”
Luke glared at Elijah again, and so did I. He looked between us and asked, “What?”
“Kitchen. Stockpile. Guns,” Luke hissed. “If you were to take a guess?”
“I was planning on guarding where he has the guns. I know the cabinets, and if I had a gun, I figured they couldn’t get to them.”
“Oh, yes, that makes it so much better.”
“Yes, my plan sucked, but this one’s not that much better. It’s a risk. Coming to Brute’s house is a risk in itself. Do you want me to text Emerson or not?”
Luke gestured to the phone. “Get it done and let’s start heading up there.” He surveyed the back of the garage. “We can keep to the fence and move closer to the house this way. When we get there, we can crawl underneath the windows, staying as close to the house as possible, and then make the human ladder.”
“On it.” Elijah was already texting. After he hit Send, he put the phone in my hand and squared his shoulders back. “Ready. Let’s go.”
We started forward. Elijah led the way, and Luke went after me. As I moved forward, his hand touched my hip, and we shared a look. He was both worried and furious. He wanted to be anywhere but here. I got it. I did. Those same feelings were swirling inside me, but we were here, and Emerson needed us. There was no other way around it. He nodded, as if reading my mind and squeezed my hip before letting his hand fall away. I picked up my pace and hurried to where Elijah was waiting for us. The distance between where we were and where we had to go seemed to take forever. It would take one person to see us. One person to look out their window and notice our slow trek there. With each step, my heart pounded so loudly. I worried everyone else could hear it, but nothing happened.
When we got there, Elijah got on his hands and knees. Luke climbed on top of him, and then I started up. Luke was holding onto a window frame to help steady himself. Stepping on Elijah’s back, I climbed up Luke and moved so I was sitting on his shoulders. Then I looked up.
Emerson was gazing down at me. Worry lines had formed at the corners of his mouth, and there were bags under his eyes. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.
I couldn’t talk, and my hands were sweaty, but I motioned for him.
“Yeah.” Luke surged forward, getting in his face. “I remember last time. I remember Brute holding a fucking knife to her throat.”
“Yeah, and she found us then, like she wouldn’t have done the same thing this time,” Elijah argued back. “She’s here. It’s done. She’s a good fighter. She can handle herself.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Luke snarled. “If Brute doesn’t do it, I’m going to do it.”
“Piss off. It’s done. You were all about helping me at your bar. Now you’re here, and you’re crapping your pants? My best friend’s in that house, and he’s dead if we don’t get to him.”
Emerson was dead. Hearing those words centered me. All the fear started to ebb, and I could speak again. Moving between them, I touched a hand to both of their arms. They were like cement, glaring at each other. “Stop,” I chided quietly. “Emerson’s one of us. We have to get him out.”
“What’s the plan?” Luke asked the question, and both of us waited for Elijah to answer.
He hesitated and then shrugged. “It’s still morning. Most of Brute’s crew will probably be sleeping. I don’t know who they have in there, but the plan is to go in, start a fight, and try to run out with Emerson. He’s holed up in a bathroom. I told him we’re close. Once he hears yelling, he’s supposed to bolt out with us.”
That was the plan.
I glanced at Luke. I could sense a storm rising in him. “So…” he drew that word out. “We go in, wave a gun around, and hope that works?”
“Pretty much.”
Luke grabbed the back of his neck, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, as he continued to stare at Elijah. “That’s the worst fucking plan I’ve ever heard.”
“You have anything better?”
“Yeah,” Luke clipped out. His hand moved up to his hair, and he grabbed a fistful of it. “What bathroom is he in?”
“Uh.” Elijah pulled out his phone and texted Emerson. A minute later, it buzzed back. “He said the second floor, south side of the house.”
We all scrutinized the house, searching the second floor windows, and as we did, Emerson appeared in one of them. He was looking for us, too. We could see him, but he couldn’t see us.
“Okay.” Luke pulled our attention back to him. “Text him and ask if he can open the window.”
“You’re serious?”
Luke shot Elijah a dark look. “Your plan sucks, and you’re questioning mine?”
“Okay, okay.” His fingers moved over the buttons, and he hit Send. We waited. Another minute that seemed like an hour passed before Emerson replied. “He said he can, but he’s on the second floor—”
“We’ll catch him,” Luke said before he could finish. “We’ll go over there and form a human ladder. Emerson can crawl down us. It’ll work. They just can’t see us. Does Brute have watchmen at all?”
Elijah snorted. “At night, yeah, but not in the morning. His crew parties hard. Guaranteed most of them are still wasted and sleeping it off. Whoever’s searching for wires is in the house. They’re not going to expect anyone to sneak up to Brute’s house. He’s a drug dealer. If anything, people run in the opposite direction. I would know.”
“Okay.” Luke was nodding, his eyebrows bunched together. “This might work then. Text him again. Tell him to open the window, and we’re coming to help him.”
“Wait.” I grabbed Elijah’s arm. “What about an alarm system?”
“Nope, Brute’s alarm is himself. His kitchen is stockpiled with guns.”
That lump formed in my throat again. My eyes got big. He was going to make us go into that room? I retracted my hand. “Well, thank god for this second plan then.”
Luke glared at Elijah again, and so did I. He looked between us and asked, “What?”
“Kitchen. Stockpile. Guns,” Luke hissed. “If you were to take a guess?”
“I was planning on guarding where he has the guns. I know the cabinets, and if I had a gun, I figured they couldn’t get to them.”
“Oh, yes, that makes it so much better.”
“Yes, my plan sucked, but this one’s not that much better. It’s a risk. Coming to Brute’s house is a risk in itself. Do you want me to text Emerson or not?”
Luke gestured to the phone. “Get it done and let’s start heading up there.” He surveyed the back of the garage. “We can keep to the fence and move closer to the house this way. When we get there, we can crawl underneath the windows, staying as close to the house as possible, and then make the human ladder.”
“On it.” Elijah was already texting. After he hit Send, he put the phone in my hand and squared his shoulders back. “Ready. Let’s go.”
We started forward. Elijah led the way, and Luke went after me. As I moved forward, his hand touched my hip, and we shared a look. He was both worried and furious. He wanted to be anywhere but here. I got it. I did. Those same feelings were swirling inside me, but we were here, and Emerson needed us. There was no other way around it. He nodded, as if reading my mind and squeezed my hip before letting his hand fall away. I picked up my pace and hurried to where Elijah was waiting for us. The distance between where we were and where we had to go seemed to take forever. It would take one person to see us. One person to look out their window and notice our slow trek there. With each step, my heart pounded so loudly. I worried everyone else could hear it, but nothing happened.
When we got there, Elijah got on his hands and knees. Luke climbed on top of him, and then I started up. Luke was holding onto a window frame to help steady himself. Stepping on Elijah’s back, I climbed up Luke and moved so I was sitting on his shoulders. Then I looked up.
Emerson was gazing down at me. Worry lines had formed at the corners of his mouth, and there were bags under his eyes. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.
I couldn’t talk, and my hands were sweaty, but I motioned for him.
