A Whole New Crowd(96)

Tray told him, “We were in the building. We pranked it one night.” He lifted a hand towards me. “She helped us get in, so if Lanser is using the building for something, it’s got to be in the basement. We didn’t see anything on the main floors and I think we would’ve.”

“Stun guns? Pepper spray?” Chance asked me.

“Guns. Handguns and a couple of them had rifles.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because I scoped it out one night. What school has guards like that? You have guards like that if there’s something inside you want to protect. What’s around here that’s so precious?” I shook my head. “Drugs. We’re in the center of the country. I’m not stupid. Something’s changing. It’s why Jace wanted me gone. He didn’t want me to get involved or he didn’t want me to find something, and he knows me. He knows I’ll get in wherever he doesn’t want me.”

“Why?” Chance narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, reassessing me. “What’s so special about you?”

“I’m a thief.” I flinched at my words. “I was a thief. I can get in wherever I want.”

“Yeah?” He lifted his chin. “I’ve known a lot of criminals and a lot of people who grew up hard like you. They didn’t have any special criminal skills like that. Where’d you learn yours?”

My stomach clenched, and I avoided Tray’s gaze as I answered, “Because Jace Lanser is the one who taught me.”

No one said anything after that. The ball of anxiety that was in my chest dropped to my stomach. The longer I waited for Tray to say something, the lower that ball moved in me. It was almost to the floor when he said, “You never told me that.”

Regret seared through me. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“It would’ve changed things.”

“It shouldn’t have.”

“You said Jace was like family, but I didn’t believe how much.” He shook his head and turned away. “It’s why you’re so mad. It’s why you want to hurt him so bad, it’s because you still care about him.” He jabbed a finger at the door. “What if he walks through there? What if he comes in here to talk to you? What then? You’ve been saying how much you want to hurt him, but what if it’s not to hurt him? I think you want to see him one last time. You want to see if the guy you loved like family is still inside him. Don’t you? This is all about reconnecting with him, isn’t it?”

NO! My head screamed, but I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t move. My feet were glued in place and my body wouldn’t move. I was paralyzed, but I wanted to shake my head. No, no, no. A scream was building inside me. My body was betraying me. Tray was looking at me, waiting for my denial. I needed to reassure him, but it wouldn’t come out. The longer I couldn’t talk, the more I felt him pulling away from me. He didn’t move, but the distance was growing.

“Oh my god.”

“NO!” Finally. It burst out of me.

Tray moved back another step, shaking his head. “Oh my god. That’s it, isn’t it? Do you love him?” I could see the wheels turning in his head, but my words weren’t forming. I couldn’t get them out fast enough. Turning his back to me, he murmured, “Dee said that Brian thought Jace was obsessed with you, but that wasn’t it. Brian was jealous for a reason. There was a connection between you, wasn’t there?” He turned back to me. The hurt was so apparent in his eyes. He added, his voice so damn soft, “You didn’t even know yourself, did you? Did you know that you love him?”

It was like a waking nightmare. I couldn’t stop it from happening and I had no idea why. I was frozen in place.

“Taryn,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “I have to go. I have to get out of here.”

“Tray—” I gasped out and lunged for him, but it was too late. The door closed on me and I was staring into the wood. I heard him walk away. Reaching for the door handle, Chance said from behind me, “I wouldn’t.”

I turned around. “Why?”

“You hesitated.”

I flinched.

He laughed. “The real answer is the silence. Any smart guy knows that. You didn’t say yes, but the truth was that you never said no.”

“I froze. I was surprised.”

Still chuckling, he shook his head and took off his jacket. As he did, two shoulder holsters lifted in the air and he reached back to take the guns out. One was left on the table by the door. He placed the other one on the bedside table. He draped his jacket over the back of a chair. “Now.” He pulled the chair out more and sat down. “Since my brother is gone, why don’t you walk me through where you think your friend is being held.”