Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1)(19)

“Let him know,” I rub my eyes. “Am I making the right choice bringing her home with me?”

“I think so,” Sneak’s voice is filled with understanding. “King will think so too.”

“I’m not equipped for this,” I argue. Sneak knows me almost as well as Kingston, despite the fact they were brothers in real life, they were my brother’s in blood.

“If this shit is as bad as we think, then there’s no better person to handle it than you,” his words hit me where I need it most.

“Sneak one more thing, shoot an email with everything you’ve pulled up on Erik Scott to Detective Sean Edwards with the LAPD. Don’t include anything about Alice though.”

“Sure,” I hear him clicking away at his keyboard again. “They release him yet?”

“Haven’t heard anything,” I answer.

“Want me to check?” I did but then I didn’t. I knew from what Sneak had found the police probably hadn’t found anything different. Sneak is the absolute best at what he does. Agencies from all over the world want him in their arsenal of hackers. Why he stays with us and our band of misfits is beyond me.

“Yeah, let me know if you hear back from Edwards,” I sigh, the internal debate over. We needed the information.

“What about Missy? You want me to let her know you’ll be back in town?”

“I’ll deal with Missy when I get there,” it was all I said to him before snapping my phone closed. Missy could wait until we were home and settled.

*****

Alice

I hear him flip his phone close and he takes a deep breath. Afraid to move or even breathe, I pretend to be asleep but I’m sure he’s not fooled. The sound of his voice confirms my thoughts, “I know you’re awake.”

My eyes open against the bright sunlight pouring into the truck making me squint. I should’ve taken him up on his offer to buy me a pair of sunglasses at our last stop but he already spent too much money on me. What little money I did have, he refused. I straighten in my seat, crossing my legs at the ankle and placing my hands in my lap.

“I wasn’t trying to hide the call from you,” he explains with his eyes on the road. I glance at him, my nerves buzzing in a different way. I guess being trapped in such a small place with someone all day can change things. It’s safe to assume he isn’t some crazed serial killer after all, I mean what kind of serial killer lets other people know you’re traveling with them. Unless their apart of some crazy plot to—stop it Alice, my brain screams.

I shake my head, pushing aside my runaway thoughts to focus on the moment. If he wasn’t trying to hide the call, why wait until I was sleeping to make it? Who is Sneak and why did Hudson call him for information about Erik and I? It was almost as if he could read the questions running through my mind when he spoke, shocking me to my core. Maybe I wasn’t as unreadable as I thought.

“I work for an elite investigation firm and Sneak is our information gatherer,” his eyes flick between me and the road as he continues. “Called him last night with Erik’s name and requested some research. Need to know what this asshole is about so I can keep my word and keep you safe.”

I nod, dumbstruck with his explanation. Was he some kind of private investigator then?

“I was in Los Angeles on a job, a big one, one I can’t risk going south,” his voice grows gruff and he swallows. “There are things I need to know and since you can’t tell me I called Sneak to see what he could find out. What he found, well, it’s pretty fucked up.”

I grunt and roll my eyes. That’s putting it lightly!

“I’m not going to push you Alice,” he keeps talking, the sound of the tires on the road and the roar of the engine in the background. “But I got to know, one way or another.”

He was digging on Erik. That was bad, very bad.

What are you worried about Alice? It’s not like he’s going to find anything on Erik, there’s nothing to worry about.

“Trust me?”

I glance up at him, meeting his eyes and nod. I had to trust Hudson knew what he was doing, even if every nerve in my body screamed in concern over the situation. There really wasn’t anything to worry about, as long as they didn’t dig too deep. Hopefully they found the information they needed and were done looking. Erik would never know.





Chapter 6


Alice

Oregon was beautiful. I’d never seen a place as green as the land around me. It was breathtaking. Green trees at every turn and the smell of wet earth filled my nose. I could definitely learn to love it here.

Hudson woke me just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and we were crossing into the northern state. My initial instinct was danger but catching sight of his face relaxed me and calmed me almost instantly. As the minutes worn on, my comfort levels grew. I didn’t doubt my choice to follow him anymore. In fact I’m glad to have found the courage to do so. Something about this man gave me a strength I never knew I had.