Chapter Twenty-Two
Nathan watched the sleek car drive slowly into the dark, leaving behind the black-clad figure who stood absolutely still on the grassy shoulder. Silence fell and the figure moved. Reaching behind his back, he secured the gun he'd been holding into the waist of his jeans.
He made no further movement. He stood as if he were listening. Nathan had seen him in that same stance so many times in his life. They'd hunted small game together from an early age. Both trained by the same man. Theo Anders had been the one to put the first gun into Nathan's hands. And Quinn's. As soon as they were big enough to handle a rifle, he'd taught them everything he knew. When they were older, he'd gone against Nathan's father's wishes and taken them to the police gun range. That was the first time Nathan had seen the two men fight. It had been one thing to teach Nathan to hunt-they were country, it was expected-but it was another thing completely to add small arms without his consent.
Quinn's father had started him on this path. Maybe he hadn't intended for Nathan to be the one to follow him into law enforcement. Maybe he'd intended for his own son to follow, and where one boy went, the other was attached at the hip.
The training that Quinn's father had started, the military had finished … for Nathan. Quinn, not so much. Yet there he was, standing out in the open, completely exposed, where that oaf with the rifle could easily pick him off.
Nathan could just make out the pale outline of his arms against the black clothing. He'd tugged Nathan's ball cap on covering his white hair. There was not much of a moon out to expose him. Clouds gathered and would soon obscure the moon completely.
The night was eerily quiet. He no longer heard the usual nocturnal summer sounds. The stupid humans crashing through the woods with guns had scared everything into silence.
He'd always wondered if bugs could hear danger, or had he simply learned to drown out the sounds they made. Either way, the world seemed to hold its collective breath while Quinn stood out in the open for some psycho to see.
Last Nathan had heard from the big guy who'd followed him into the woods after Drew went missing was a hasty shot about five minutes back. Nathan was sure it was meant to draw him out. He'd fired in the other direction and waited.
The car had pulled up while he was slowly working his way around to the front of the property. The gas station had been locked up tight when he'd first arrived. He'd seen a dim light in the back when he'd checked the doors before walking around the back of the building.
His arm stung from the pellets he'd walked into when he and Drew had entered the crumbling building where Lonnie's truck was hidden. The second shot had separated them. They'd both dived for cover on opposite sides of the truck. He'd heard Drew cry out, followed by what sounded like the thud of a body hitting the ground.
Another blast from the shotgun and he scrambled. Shooting out the one remaining window in the old arcade, Nathan dove through to take cover behind the brick wall.
Leaving Drew behind wasn't his plan. It wasn't his plan to walk into what amounted to a blind alley with at least two thugs either. But here they all were. The whole Scooby Gang exactly where none of them belonged. In trouble. Again.
What was Quinn waiting for? Nathan couldn't have him here in plain sight. He couldn't just yell out for him to get his ass down either.
Nathan checked his gun. He had ten rounds left. Keeping his gaze trained to the statue of his lover, he fired a shot behind the gas station.
And as if he were playing with Nathan, the fool with the rifle fired toward the exact same spot. Quinn didn't hesitate. He took off across the road at a dead run. He was fast. He'd always been fast. Always outrunning Nathan when they'd fought. Always making Nathan chase him down if he wanted to kick his ass. He'd slow down to let Nathan catch him. He'd let Nathan win when they wrestled … just to get Nathan hot and bothered enough to make out with him.
Nathan could barely see the sidewalk in front of the old building from his vantage point. There were no exterior lights on at all now. The glow of the neon around the door the only light left. The black shadow flew across the gravel parking lot. His boots barely making a sound as they hit the ground. Nathan saw the flash of pale skin in the neon as he made it to the limited shelter of the building, then he disappeared from sight completely.
He didn't know if he should be relieved that Quinn wasn't standing out in the middle of the goddamned road with a target on his forehead and two crazies running around God only knew where.
He had no idea where Drew was. He hadn't heard another gunshot after he'd dove through the window. But that didn't necessarily mean they hadn't killed him.