A Whole New Crowd(95)

After a full minute of studying me, his hand clapped Tray’s shoulder and he gently shook him. “Are you two nuts?”

Tray frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“This is a Panther hotel.” Chance swung his suspicious eyes my way again. The caution was gone. He did blame me. “I know my little brother had no idea, but you did. He said you picked it.”

I turned and leaned my back against the wall. My arms crossed over my chest and one of my eyebrows arched. “Yeah?”

“Taryn?”

I ignored the soft undertone of betrayal from Tray’s voice. “Jace Lanser is missing. He’s the one I want.”

Chance narrowed his eyes, turning back to his brother. “You said a friend was kidnapped. You never said it was connected to Jace Lanser.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Jace Lanser is a big fucking deal. He’s in a different league. Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” He swung around to me. “What was your agenda coming here?”

“It’s a cheap hotel. No one will look here for us.” But that wasn’t the full truth. I didn’t want to look at Tray. When he asked, it had been a split second decision, but I knew I needed to follow it through. I could feel the hurt from him.

“Bullshit.”

I shrugged and turned back to the window. “It’s the closest hotel to Pedlam’s school.” Liar! My conscience knew I was still holding back.

He shook his head. “You two are going to explain everything, and I mean everything. I want to know when you wipe your ass to the real reason this hotel was picked.” He sent the last statement to me.

A good person would’ve flushed with guilt. I did nothing. There was a good goddamn reason I picked it. Tray gestured to me. “Do you want to start?”

I did. I told him everything. He got all the details, even the events with my fake family and even the conversation from Dee and Kevin. I didn’t hold back any of the exchanges I had with Brian or with Jace. By the time I was finished, Chance Evans had a different look to his stare. There was still suspicion, but he looked wary now. He said, “How do I know this whole thing wasn’t a set-up and you’re not working with Lanser to flush me out?”

“What do you mean?”

He pointed to Tray. “Is this whole thing an elaborate plot to flush us out? If it is, Tray doesn’t know anything. I do. If you’re a plant and you’re working for Jace, you take that message back to him. You got it?”

“You think I’m a narc?” Acid dripped from my tone and I stood upright, moving away from the wall where I was leaning. My arms unfolded and went to my side. I didn’t like being called a traitor.

He moved forward, his arm muscles flexing at the same time. “No. I called you a plant. This whole thing could be a set-up. So you tell me. You brought my little brother to a hotel that the Panthers own. You don’t think I know what that means? If Lanser’s alive and kicking, they’ve already told him you’re here. Now they know where my little brother and I are too.” He glanced at Tray, whose eyebrows were bunched forward. Chance turned back to me. “I don’t buy your bullshit that it’s the closest hotel to the Pedlam School.”

Ice was forming in my blood. The more he spoke, the more accusations he sent my way, only made me more firm in my belief. He wasn’t there to help. He was there to interrogate, blame, and I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to take his brother with him when he left. Casting Tray a swift look, I wondered if this room would be the last I’d share with him. I had no idea what was going to happen after this conversation, but I knew my destination. Whether he helped or not, I was going to that school. I was going to break in and I was going to find my friend.

I had no idea how I was going to get out, but I had to try.

“Taryn?” Tray asked softly as he moved to stand beside his brother. Suspicion had formed in the depths of his eyes too.

I shook my head and bit out a laugh. “He’s right.”

Chance’s eyes got big.

Tray jerked backwards like I had hit him.

I added, “I picked this hotel for a reason. I want Jace to know I’m here. I want him to come to me. I have to try.”

“Try?”

I didn’t dare look away from Tray. I moved closer to him and softened my voice, “Tray, you heard Dee. They looked everywhere for Jace. If he was around, they would’ve seen him. Jace knows Gray. He would’ve gone out to see what he wanted. The only place they didn’t search was the school.”

“What’s with this school?” Chance asked.

I turned to him. I felt rushed. I needed to keep appealing to Tray to repair the small damage done by his brother, but this was a DEA agent in the same room as me. I needed to appeal for his help too. “They did renovations over the summer. They changed things and now there are cameras everywhere. They have guards too, guards with guns.”