by A. M. Myers
“Okay, what do you have?”
I stare at the name, running through the letters as I try to find another name hidden there. “There’s Ren… which could be spelled with a “w” or without one.”
“I don’t think we know anyone named Ren or Wren,” he answers and I continue studying the letters laid out in front of me as I chew on my lip.
Come on.
There has to be another name here…
“Oh, wait! I’ve got Ryan,” I say as I run through the letters and make sure they work. When he doesn’t answer me, I look up and meet his wide eyes. “What?”
He shakes his head. “We knew a Ryan… but…”
“But what, Travis?” I ask, my heart climbing into my throat. He blows out a breath.
“He’s dead… Storm killed him in this very fucking house.”
My stomach drops. “What do you mean Storm killed him in this house?”
“He was a police officer and he was dating Emma before she met Nix… he was a bad fucking dude and the shit he did to her… it was fucking awful, babe. After Emma met Nix, Ryan lost his fucking mind and started stalking her - that’s how we actually met her cause Nix called his dad for help. He broke in here one night and held Emma and Nix at gun point but Storm snuck in the back door and shot him.”
“Okay,” I whisper, trying to process everything he just told me as I look down at the name again. “So clearly, it’s not him but… someone that he was important to?”
Travis shrugs. “I have no fucking clue.”
“We should go ask Emma.” I’m sure if anyone could help us crack this whole thing wide open, it will be her now that we know more. Travis nods and as we climb out of bed and get dressed, I try to imagine what Emma went through back then and Travis’s comment about Emma bringing Nix and Blaze back together pops into my head. It all makes more sense now.
Once I’ve thrown on a pair of jeans and Travis is dressed, he grabs my hand and we walk downstairs in search of Emma but the house is empty.
“What the hell?” he whispers, pulling a gun from the waistband of his jeans as he pulls me closer. Voices drift in from outside and we follow them to the front door where everyone is standing, watching as a man with blond hair steps out of a sleek sedan. Emma gasps, taking a step forward.
“Zane?”
Nix steps in front of his wife, blocking her with his body. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Who is Zane?” I ask Travis and he glances over at me, shrugging his shoulders before we both turn back to watch the scene unfold. Storm steps forward, a gun in his hand as well as he glances between Zane and Emma.
“Em?” he asks. “You know him?”
She nods. “He is Ryan’s brother.”
All of the guys jerk to attention, turning to Zane with guns raised and he holds his hands up in front of his body, shaking his head as he looks over all of us with wide eyes.
“Don’t shoot me. I’m not Warren.”
Travis growls and takes a step forward. “How the fuck do you know that name?”
“Because I know who he is… who he really is,” he says, glancing up at us and something about him makes me think he’s telling the truth. Unlike when Warren revealed his face to me, I don’t sense anger or pain when I look at Zane. In fact, he just looks tired.
“You’d better start talking, Wheeler,” Storm snarls, taking a step forward with his gun aimed at Zane’s chest. He nods and sighs.
“My brothers, Caleb and Jake… they’ve been working with Ryan’s best friend, Evan Nelson, to get revenge on y’all for Ryan’s death. He came to me, too, about two years ago to ask me to join them but I didn’t want any part of it.”
Chance lowers his gun and steps forward, eyeing him skeptically. “Why the fuck would you come tell us this if your brothers are involved?”
“Because,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “They are involved but Evan is the one running the show and I don’t want to see them get hurt because of him. He’s… he’s fucking unhinged and after he was released from prison, all he talked about was making y’all pay.”
“Do you know what they are planning?” Travis asks and Zane shakes his head.
“No. I washed my hands of the whole damn thing but I do know he has specific targets in mind, four people that he blames the most for killing Ryan - Blaze, Storm, Emma, and Streak.”
Sucking in a breath, my gaze snaps to Travis and he meets my eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line as all of the hell he’s gone through trying to track down Warren fills my mind. It was all designed to drive him crazy because he’s one of the targets.
“Speaking of which…” Zane says, scanning the group with a scowl. “Where is Blaze?”
A wave of grief washes through all of us, it’s palpable even that even Zane takes notice. Storm sucks in a breath and lowers his gun slightly as he shakes his head.
“Warren… no, Evan killed him five days ago.”
“Oh, fuck,” he whispers, running a hand through his blond hair. “I really hoped I would get here before… fuck!”
Travis tucks his gun back into the waistband of his jeans and grabs my hand before walking to the front of the group and stopping in front of Zane. “Do you know anything else? Anything that can help us find him before he comes after us again?”
“Why don’t we take this inside?” Storm says, scanning the tree line around the property and Zane studies us all for a second before nodding as everyone else lowers their weapons. As Travis turns back to the house with my hand in his, I pray that we can finally get some answers and end this before anyone else gets hurt.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Warren
“My brothers, Caleb and Jake… they’ve been working with Ryan’s best friend, Evan Nelson, to get revenge on y’all for Ryan’s death. He came to me, too, about two years ago to ask me to join them but I didn’t want any part of it.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
What the hell have you fucking done, you moron?
“Zane,” I growl under my breath, watching him from the safety of the trees as he spills everything to these fuckers, everything I’ve built for the last two years, everything I’ve fucking worked for, and everything that was almost mine. My plan was fucking brilliant, flawless, and now I have to change it. I mean, I have always had several back-up plans lined up but I was attached to this one, the one that inflicted the most pain, the most suffering. For days, I’ve been watching them cope with Blaze’s death, happy as a pig in shit because I could see the pain and horror in their eyes. I loved that I did that to them and I’ve been fantasizing about the next step endlessly but now it’s going to have to change.
“Fuck you,” I hiss as I watch Zane fucking Wheeler follow the Devils back into Emma and Nix’s house, my heart pounding in my ears as I think about what I’ll do to him when I manage to get my hands on him. He fucking ruined everything and now, he has to pay, too. Caleb and Jake won’t be happy about that but they’ll just have to deal with it. As his betrayal dances through my mind, I turn and slam my fist into a nearby tree trunk, unable to quell the boiling of my blood as I think about everything I just lost.
Turning, I begin walking back to my car, clenching and unclenching my fist as thoughts of my best friend play through my head. Ryan and I met when we were just kids and from that moment on, we were joined at the fucking hip. He wasn’t just my best friend, he was my brother, and when he decided he wanted to become a police officer just like his pops, I followed him. We worked our way up through the ranks and then he met Emma. Ryan was fucking crazy about her, loved her more than a man should, more than was sane, but that was just who he was and what did she do? She fucking treated him like shit and left him broken hearted. When she met Phoenix West a year later, Ryan lost his goddamn mind. He was still holding out hope that she would come back to him eventually but when he saw them together, he knew it was over. The way he acted, it wasn’t rational but he was my best friend and
he had always been there for me so I helped him get her back and it got us both arrested. The stupid fucker, though… as soon as he made bail, he came after her again and it got him killed, shot in the back of the head like a goddamn dog by Storm. I spent years in prison, thinking of everyone this club had taken from me and how I would take revenge on them if I ever got the chance and there is no way in hell I’m going to let fucking Zane ruin that for me.
Ripping my phone from my pocket, I press one on the speed dial and hold it to my ear as it rings.
“‘Sup?” Caleb answers and I resist the urge to growl.
“Get your brother back to the apartment now. Shit is going down and we need to regroup.”
He scoffs. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get there but tell Jake, we strike tonight.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rowan
The stars are out in full force tonight, twinkling down at me as I sit curled up in the chair next to the window, staring up at them as I run through everything we learned today… and everything we didn’t.
Zane Wheeler stayed with us until well after dinner time, trying to help us figure out Evan’s next move but in the end, we came up with a whole lot of nothing. He didn’t stick around long enough in the beginning to learn any part of the plan and his brothers had been hush-hush about their dealings with Evan ever since. Emma also told the full story of her relationship with Ryan for those of us who had never heard it before and Travis was right, it was a doozy. But when I wasn’t absorbed in everything she had been through, I couldn’t help peeking over at Zane’s face, intrigued by his reaction as he listened to all of the horrible things his brother had put Emma through. Every time I did, my heart hurt for him. It became very clear to me in the time that he was here that his brother’s actions weigh heavily on him and he feels a crazy amount of guilt for not noticing what was going on all those years ago and stepping in to help Emma. She doesn’t hold any ill will toward him, though. That became clear when she hugged him by the front door as he was getting ready to leave and told him that Ryan’s actions were his alone and I think it made an impact on him. Or, at least, I hope it did.
He also filled us in on Ryan and Evan’s whole story - how they met in school, became best friends instantly, and went to the police academy together - and he also told us about the years since Ryan’s death. Apparently, Evan was hit the hardest by the news and he went so crazy that he had to be sedated so he didn’t hurt himself or anyone else. He was put on a seventy-two hour hold at the hospital where they decided his actions were just a product of grief and released him. After that, he had to go on trial for assisting in the kidnapping of Emma and he pled guilty for a reduced sentence. Zane said he served his time without incident and after being released two years ago, immediately put his plan into motion. Thinking back to the day Blaze died, I remember all of the pain and anger I saw in Evan’s eyes and it all makes sense to me in a way. Clearly, he’s taken this all too far and held on too tight to the memory of his best friend when he should have tried to move on but his actions make sense to me now and I understand why he’s doing all of this. It’s still scary and makes me incredibly uneasy but it no longer feels chaotic.
Sighing, I turn away from the window and glance over at the bed as I yawn. Travis has been down in the study at the back of the house, drinking and talking over the cases with the guys for hours and I’m pretty sure all of the girls are passed out by now but he asked me to wait for him. It’s especially frustrating since I feel like I might actually be able to get some sleep tonight and I’m beyond exhausted. Turning back to the window, I stare up at the stars, hoping this will all come to an end soon. The boys called Detective Rodriguez over, who was floored to learn that Evan was behind all of this. Apparently, they used to be partners when Evan made detective and he said he knew Evan was messed up but he never guessed he would go this far. Before he left, he called the station and put a BOLO out for him. He said sometime in the next few days we should be able to track him down and put this mess to bed. I’m excited about the idea but also terrified since I have no idea what that means for Travis and me. My mind drifts back to when he asked me to go on a regular date with him when this is all over and I smile. I don’t want to get my hopes up but he’s not sick of me yet so I suppose there is still a chance. It’s slim and could be compared to a ball of ice in hell but it’s there.
A piercing screech cuts through the peaceful silence around me and I jerk in my chair, whipping my head toward the door as my brows furrow. My heart races and the smoke detector in my room joins in, wailing so loudly that it is hard to even think. Jumping up, I grab a sweater and pull it over my head before clamping my hands over my ears and walking over to the door. I yank it open and stumble back as a cloud of smoke rushes toward me.
Holy shit.
Smoke is filling the entire hallway, obscuring my vision, and my stomach drops as a shot of adrenaline rushes through my body. There is a dull roar from somewhere else in the house and my skin prickles as tears sting my eyes.
“Rowan!”
I gasp, turning toward the sound of Tate’s voice coming up the stairs but I can’t see her. “Tate?”
“Just stay right there and keep talking to me. I’m coming to you.”
I nod despite the fact that she can’t see me. “Where is everyone else?”
“I’m not sure about the boys but all of the girls and kids are out in the yard. I came back in here to find you once we realized you were still up here.”
“Where were you guys?” I ask, scowling. I thought everyone else had come up to bed but I guess not.
“Down in Emma and Nix’s room talking. The whole front of the house is on fire and we saw the smoke before the alarms went off.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper as she reaches my room and flashes me a smile but her eyes are full of fear as she reaches down and grabs my hand.
“Ready to get out of here, sweet cheeks?”
I nod. “Most definitely.”
“Do not let go of my hand and try not to breathe in too much smoke, okay? We’re heading for the back door.”
“Okay,” I whisper as we step out of my room and turn toward the stairs. I squint, trying desperately to see through the thickening smoke but it’s no use so I press my other hand to the wall, feeling my way along the hallway. Once we reach the top of the stairs, Tate begins leading us down and a wave of heat smacks into me as I cough as we wade through the smoke. My heart races as my mind runs through all of the ways this could go wrong, all of the ways we could die in this house tonight and tears sting my eyes.
Travis.
Where are you?
The thought of never getting to see him again makes me want to scream and I push the thought from my mind as we reach the bottom of the stairs and turn in the direction of the kitchen. Tate’s hand is firm in mine, guiding me toward safety but I can’t help looking back to where I think the study is as I entertain the idea of going in search of Travis. The only problem is Tate would, without a doubt, follow me and I can’t do that to my brother. As we round the corner, I suck in a breath and stop, staring at the entire front wall of the house which is engulfed in flames, the roar of the fire louder than before as I watch it consume everything in its path.
“Rowan, keep moving,” Tate snaps, tugging on my hand as she coughs. The smoke is so thick down here that it’s impossible to take a breath and I cover my mouth with the sleeve of my sweater as we start moving again. Just when I think I’m going to pass out if I don’t take a breath, we step outside into fresh air and I stop, releasing Tate’s hand to bend over and brace my hands on my knees as I cough and try to catch my breath.
“You all right?” Tate asks and I nod, peeking up at her as my chest aches.
“Yeah, you?”
She nods and points to the rest of the group under the large oak tree in the middle of the yard. “I’m going to go check on everyone else.”
“You see the g
uys yet?” I ask and she shakes her head, scanning the yard.
“No, but Emma said that the study has its own door so they should have gotten out safely,” she answers and I nod, straightening and taking a full breath to try and clear my lungs as Storm walks around the side of the house and she points to him. “Look, there they are.”
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
Time seems to grind to a halt as I look around the yard, trying to find the source of the noise as everyone drops to the ground. Another pop rips through the air and it finally dawns on me that it’s gunshots.
Someone is shooting at us?
I still can’t process what’s happening around me as Storm stands up and yells, “Get to the trees and stay low!”
Everyone begins running, all of us heading in different directions as another pop fills the air. My heart thunders in my ears as I turn to the forest behind me and start running, my feet working with no instruction from my brain which is still trying to fit all the pieces of the last five minutes together.
Pop!
A searing hot pain slices through my arm and I cry out as I slap my hand over it and glance down. Blood trickles over my fingers before falling to the ground. The pain is unbearable and when I try to move my arm, it radiates up to my shoulder and I release a sob as tears drip down my face.
Oh my God.
I’ve been shot.
A part of me wants to freeze, crumple to the ground, and cry but I know staying out here in the open is the worst place to be so I push myself to keep running, my heart thundering in my chest as tears sting my eyes and I tuck my arm into my side with my other hand. When I finally make it to the safety of the tress, I slip behind one and lean back against it as I clench my teeth to get through the pain. My breath rings in my ears as I gasp for air and I turn, peeking out into the yard again, searching for danger but it’s empty now. Everyone else has scattered into the forest just like me and I turn away, squeezing my eyes shut as I try to think of what to do.
