God, please let him still be alive.
“I-I don’t think we’re actually too far from the house. Last sign I saw was for Route 119. It’s heavily wooded on either side of the road.”
Clay looked over at Dane. “Do you know Route 119?”
“Um…I-I think,” he stammered. Their footsteps were quick as they maneuvered through the store toward the automatic double doors leading to the parking lot. “Not too far from us. Do you know what part?”
“Grey, I’m going to use that Find a Friend app on my phone for you. Dane and I are headed toward you. Follow them, but do not engage. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah, I hear you. I’m not in the greatest shape on my own. But…you might want to dump Dane off. This could be bad, Clay.”
He was tempted. Fuck, he was tempted. Nothing could happen to Dane. He just couldn’t allow it. Dane had suffered enough already. He couldn’t be dragged into Clay’s nightmare. But taking one look at the determined jut of Dane’s chin and the way his eyes were narrowed on Clay, there was no way his man was going to let Clay leave him behind.
“Be careful. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Clay ended the call but didn’t return the phone to his pocket as he walked with Dane to his lover’s truck.
“What’s going on, Clay?” Dane demanded.
“Baer and Grey were attacked at the grocery store. Baer was hurt and kidnapped. Grey is following them now, but it sounds like Grey might have been hurt as well. We need to reach them as quickly as possible.”
Dane nodded. No questions about calling the cops. No exclamations about how this shit was happening far too frequently for them. No. That sexy man just palmed his keys, jogged to his truck, and wordlessly climbed behind the driver’s seat. How the hell did he get so lucky when it came to finding Dane?
Clay got into the cab and strapped on his seat belt while Dane gunned the engine, pulling out of the spot. They were already heading toward the house while Clay pulled up the Find A Friend app, which would show Grey’s location on a little map. It wasn’t perfect, but it allowed them to get closer to Grey while the Soul Weaver could concentrate on following the pestilents.
He knew the aunts couldn’t do anything to help them, but he muttered a prayer in their direction all the same. Let them be in time to save Baer. Let them get through this alive.
Let Dane get through this alive.
They’d been clear that Clay’s soul would be reincarnated over and over again to fight the pestilents, but could the same be said for Dane’s? Would he get to meet this amazing man again in another life?
Fuck that shit. Clay wasn’t willing to take that chance. He wasn’t ready to let Dane go yet.
No, they were all getting out of this alive.Chapter 18Twenty nerve-shredding minutes. They’d managed to catch up with Grey and found Jo’s truck parked on the side of the road with Grey sitting on the rear bumper. The man’s T-shirt was ripped and splattered with blood, while more blood matted down his hair near his temple, painting the gray hairs red.
Dane parked his truck behind Jo’s, and Clay was jumping out before Dane could even turn off the engine. His lover was right on his heels.
Grey straightened as Clay reached him, his expression grim.
“Are you okay?” Clay demanded.
“Been better,” Grey grumbled.
Dane moved around Clay and very carefully touched Grey’s chin, turning his head so they could more clearly see the wound. “It looks like it’s stopped bleeding at least. Clay said you were seeing double.”
“Some. It’s mostly stopped.”
“Probably a concussion,” Dane murmured. “You need to sit down. Clay and I—”
“You have to stay by the cars,” Clay barked.
“What? Are you insane? You can’t go in there alone!”
Clay met Grey’s eyes and the other Weaver straightened, pushing away from the truck completely. He didn’t sway on his feet, and Clay was grateful for that at least.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” Dane screeched. “You can’t go in there with just Grey. He’s hurt.”
Clay grabbed the handyman’s arm. “Dane, I can’t explain this now, but I can’t let you in there. Grey’s got my back.”
“But—”
“I want you to stay with the trucks. Our only goal is to get Baer out of there. If you see Baer come out of the house, I need you to get him to your truck and to the plantation house.”
“Leave you?”
“Yes. With any luck, Grey and I will be right on Baer’s heels. But Baer’s safety once he’s out of that house will be your responsibility.”
Dane’s expression was mutinous, and Clay couldn’t blame him. There was nothing in the world that would let Dane go into that building without him. But then, Clay was supposedly better equipped to handle what they were facing.