Cash
“What the hell is this?” I turn in a circle, looking around at the four walls of the warehouse where Myles asked us to meet him for some emergency he wouldn’t give us any specifics on. “He doesn’t usually keep us waiting.”
“No, especially not when he uses the word emergency.” Kane checks the time. “It took us twenty minutes to drive here, and we’ve been waiting almost fifteen. Something’s gotta be wrong.”
“Are you sure we’re at the right place?”
“You tell me. You drove.”
“And you gave me the address.” I check the text he sent both of us. “No, this is where he wanted us to be.”
We exchange a look as the hair on the back of my neck rises. Something’s wrong for sure. I hope we didn’t wait too long before deciding to find out what it is.
“He’s not answering his phone.” Kane only pulls his cell from his ear long enough to try calling again. “It’s going straight to voicemail.”
“Son of a bitch.” I text Myles next, asking where he is. Not that I expect an immediate response judging from him not picking up a call from one of the people he asked to meet him, but still. It’s better than doing nothing and feeling like a helpless, useless piece of shit.
That’s when it hits me. “What about Payton?”
“What about her?”
“We left her alone. She’s been alone all this time. What if something happened?” I call her next and realize I’m holding my breath as I wait for an answer. If anything went wrong with her, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d have to kill the bastard who hurt her, but otherwise? How would I live the rest of my life—
“Hey.”
My eyes go wide at the sound of my brother’s voice coming from Payton’s phone. I glance at the screen to make sure I didn’t call Myles by mistake. No, I called her. “Why are you answering Payton’s phone?” I ask, looking at Kane. His posture changes, stiffens like he senses trouble the same as I do.
“I’m sorry about this. Really, I am. But this is for the best.”
“What’s for the best? Myles, what did you do?” Kane grabs my arm and grips tight. I know he can hear every word coming through the speaker.
“Family comes first.” With that, Myles ends the call. I’m left staring at my phone for what feels like forever, trying to make sense of what I just heard. Confusion trickles away, and another emotion takes center stage. One I haven’t felt in a long time… fear.
Kane jumps to action before I do. “We’ve gotta get to her. Now.” He pulls me along with him, and we run from the warehouse where I know Myles sent us to get us out of the apartment long enough to take her. She’s probably terrified. She might even think we left her there for him.
Kane gets behind the wheel. “We don’t know where we’re going,” I remind him as he peels away from the curb.
“Call Ace.”
Right. What’s the matter with me? It’s like my fucking mind went blank the second I realized Payton was in even a hint of danger. And from my own fucking brother. What’s this family first shit he’s talking about? Who does he think she is?
What does he think she’ll do to us?
Ace picks up the call on the second ring. “I knew you’d—”
I cut him off before he can finish his thought. “You have to stop, Myles.”
“Cash…”
“I’m serious. I’m here with Kane, and we’re leaving the spot Myles tricked us into coming to. He has Payton.” Then, my frantic brain catches up to the present moment, and I process what he was saying when he answered. “And you know he does. Fuck! You knew, didn’t you?”
“What?” Kane demands. “Give me the fucking phone.”
I settle for putting the call through to the car’s Bluetooth system so Ace can speak to both of us. “What are you playing at?” he demands. “What’s happening? What’s Myles trying to do?”
“Whatever it is, Ace, you’re the only one who can stop him from doing something stupid. She’s not a threat to us. All he had to do was come to us, and we would’ve told him that.”
Ace’s heavy sigh tells me he’s not on our side. Not completely. “He’s bringing her here. To the compound.” At this, Kane pulls a hard right to take us to the interstate.