“No.” He frowned, rubbing at his forehead. “Why?”
“You’re really here to search for something for your dad?”
His hand fell back to his side. “I told you, Sam. I came so my dad wouldn’t send those guys instead. If he had, they were on order to remove anyone or anything that got in their way. They would’ve hurt you guys.”
“They would’ve tried.”
Adam turned to Mason. “What?” He looked around the room, and saw the intensity on Logan and Nate’s faces. A different awareness settled over him, like a veil lifted and he was seeing them for the first time. “What are you guys going to do?”
Logan shook his head. “Adam, who the fuck do you think we are? You think we’d take you breaking into our home and let you go with a pat on the back? You can’t be that stupid.”
Fear finally appeared in his eyes. Adam looked at me. “Sam, don’t—”
Mason blocked me from him. “You got a pass. Not anymore.”
“Are you guys serious?” Adam started to rise from the couch.
Nate stepped up and shoved him back down. He kept a hand on his shoulder.
Mason turned back to me. “Sam?”
He was asking for permission. I nodded. “He’s all yours,” I said, quietly.
Then I took Taylor’s hand and left the house.
As we walked away, Adam began to cry out, “What are you guys doing? Wha—you guys! Please!”
Taylor stopped once, looking back over her shoulder. She frowned. “What are they going to do?”
“Do you have your keys?”
She nodded, faintly. She touched her purse. “Yeah.”
“Let’s go to that diner. They need to do this.”
Taylor’s frown remained as we got into her car and drove away. This was new to her, but if you hurt one of us, we hurt you back. That was our motto. That was what I’d promised Faith, and that was what was happening right now.
That was how we were.
MASON
I spoke two words. “Grab him.”
That was the cue. Adam knew to run, and he tried. It was futile. Logan and Nate were on him in a second. They pushed him against the wall, and Nate and I switched places. I stood right in front of Adam as Nate went around the room. He locked all the doors and windows and drew the curtains. No one would see what we were about to do.
Adam’s eyes grew frantic as he watched Nate’s progress. He tried kicking back against Logan, but as he surged forward, Logan and I slammed him back in place. “Wha-what are you guys going to do?”
Logan kept quiet. So did Nate.
It was my turn to talk.
“What do you think, Quinn?”
Logan snorted.
Nate shut all the lights off except one lamp in the far corner. Then he came over and took my spot. I stepped back, my arms crossed over my chest.
Adam wasn’t fighting anymore. He’d grown completely still. He just looked between us, waiting.
“There’s no weakness in us,” I told him. “Is that what you’re looking for? A way out? You think my brother or my best friend is going to turn against me?”
Adam swallowed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “Let me go, Mason. I won’t say anything. I swear.”
Logan laughed again, but he didn’t speak.
It was still my turn. “And what are you going to say? You broke in here. The cops asked if you wanted to go. You stayed on your own. It’s on record. And that’s just tonight. That’s not counting when you sent the FCPD a video trying to get me arrested, and your own fiancée—”
“Ex,” Logan supplied. “She dumped him.”
“Ex-fiancée cleared me. Any way you slice it, it will look like you’re trying to set me up again. You already tried once, didn’t you? Not to mention that Caldron went on record that your father was paying him to go after Samantha, that same girl you keep declaring you care about. If you’re rolling the dice, it always lands on our side. Always.”
“So what?” Adam was sweating profusely now. “You’re going to beat the shit out of me?”
I flexed my hand. My knuckles were already bruised from football. “Maybe.” I stepped forward, and without speaking, Logan and Nate backed away. I held Adam in place now. “Why are you really here?”
“I told you.”
“You told me lies.” We walked through the garage, but we didn’t search it. It was the one spot we hadn’t looked through.
He pretended to frown. “What? My dad told me you did.”
I waved to Nate. “Go see if you find anything he planted.” He nodded and went upstairs.
“I wouldn’t do that!”
Logan ignored Adam. “You think that’s why he’s here?”