“The school got a truckload of new equipment for the football team. Principal Troy sent out an email earlier asking for some extra hands to help sort the equipment, since the gym teachers are still on their Peru trip to ‘find enlightenment’ or whatever. The rest of us have to help a bit before the school term starts.”
“Enlightenment? For high school football coaches? Seriously?”
I shrug. “No clue. I think they just wanted an all-expense paid trip out of Kansas, and an annual enlightenment seminar for coaches and gym teachers was all they could find that the school board would approve.”
He laughs with me as I push open the gym door and see the back door propped open with a chair. We make our way over to it and step out into the fresh air. I squint at the sun, already high in the sky, and curse myself for not at least bringing my sunglasses with me.
“Well, I don’t see him out here. But he must be around here somewhere if he propped the door open. Wait here, will you? I want to look around and see if I find anyone.”
Hunter nods as I walk around the side of the building. I see the boxes of stuff just stacked up on the side, but I can’t find anyone. Which is so odd. We might not live in a heavy crime area, but I’ve never seen us just leave pallets of new equipment outside without someone watching.
“Hey, stop! Get your hands off me!”
“Hunter?” I yell as I run back to where I left him. His words ring in my ears, and I already know he’s being taken like Reese told me would happen. I run as fast as I can, but as I round the corner, I see two guys pushing him into a white van.
I don’t think, just rush them, pushing one off as he wasn’t expecting me to be there. “Run, Hunter!” I scream as I hit the other one to let go. I break his hold on Hunter, but then something hits me from the back and I stagger.
“Ms. B!” Hunter shouts, but I can’t see him as my vision becomes fuzzy and I struggle to keep from falling down. I hear movement behind me, but I have no idea what it is.
“Get her too,” someone orders a second before two hands grab each of my upper arms from the back and push me toward the van. I fight on instinct, but even I know it’s weak, as I’m still reeling from the hit to the head.
I don’t even think to brace, so when they push me into the van, I hit my face on the floor. I sit up quickly at the noise of the van’s door shutting and the light from outside dying as we’re left in darkness.
“Ms. B, are you okay?”
I feel him reach out to me, and I squeeze his fingers before I move my hand to check the back of my head. It’s sticky and wet, so I must have gotten hit hard enough to be bleeding. “Yeah, I’m okay.” I might not know much about this situation, but even I know to lie to a kid when you’re in a bad place.
“What do you think is going on? Why did they take us?”
I shake my head, wanting to be wrong, but I can’t deny what I think is going on. “I don’t know. Could be something to do with the Hounds.”
“The Hounds? Like with Gator?”
I squeeze my eyes shut and refuse to cry right now. “Yeah. They’ve got some enemies out there, and apparently they go after old ladies.”
“But… but they came after me. They didn’t even know you were there till you tried to save me.” The silence stretches between us till he breaks it. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
“You’re welcome.”
I keep quiet while the van jerks left and right as it races off to who knows where. Hunter’s right, I would have been safe if I’d stayed back. If I didn’t rush in, I could have been calling Reese right now and telling him what happened. Because no matter how much I don’t want to think about it, they were after Hunter. The redheaded kid with a crappy home life. The one no one but me would have missed if he was taken.
And if they were after him, that means they knew he would be at the school. No way this is just a chance drive-by. So it must mean they were waiting for him. And if they were waiting for him, then someone at the school must be involved.
There’s only one person who called him to get him here.
Carolyn.
Chapter 29—Gator
“Talk to me, son.”
Ugh. My dad is the last person I want to talk to about this. Mostly because I know he’ll call me an idiot to my face, while my brothers will all say they would have done the same thing in my position. But I don’t get a chance to beg him off, as he pulls out the stool next to me at the bar in the main clubhouse. I’ve been sitting here since I arrived about two hours ago. I’m dead tired, but I’m not going to bed till I figure this shit out and get my girl back.
“I fucked up.” Easiest way to talk about it is to admit it.
“Know that. You wouldn’t be here looking like this if you hadn’t. Haven’t seen you look this bad since Rick died and you left the military. You look lost, son. Can’t be all that bad if you’ve still got access to this place, though.”
“Didn’t fuck up on the club level. Fucked up with my old lady. With Bailey.”
