Page 69

When MacKenzie, Angela, Brandon, and Will came out of the house, I led them back to the car. Unfortunately, they hadn’t seen Harper, but they did find their pile of phones and such. They also let us know that there were at least three guys in there along with Penny.

Luke looked like he was going to lose his fucking mind, knowing not only did that creep take Harper and Jack, but his sister too. We thought they’d be protected together. Fuck. We’ll get all of them back.

I’m just lucky my sister was covered for the dance.

After I got them settled in the car and Nico stayed with them to make sure they weren’t found, I joined Luke and Eli. We moved through the cleared fields quietly, staying as low as possible.

But no one was outside the house guarding it. At least not that we could tell. All the windows were boarded over and made it impossible to tell where anyone was in the house. But that also worked for us since they couldn’t see out.

With a couple different entrances and exits to cover, we moved into positions around the house. We coordinated a time to infiltrate the structure, and we were all waiting for that moment. Just like capture the flag, only this time Harper was our flag.

But that was about the time Harper’s position pinged on my phone. We regrouped. Luke and I moved into the woods to find her, while Eli watched the house for more movement.

We don’t know much about what’s happening in the house. Brandon told me what he remembered of the layout of where they were kept, but that didn’t help us know where Harper was. They were down in the basement, but they didn’t see Harper or Jack.

Now it doesn’t matter. Luke has her. He whistled the birdcall, which means he has her. But he only did it once, so he only got her. Meaning Jack was still somewhere out here or worse, still in there.

“Trace?” Some guy has his modulator on as he whispers. “Dude, where the fuck did you go?”

I stay low in the bushes as he approaches my location, where Trace lies unconscious next to me. When a branch cracks near me, I reach up and drag him down. He lets out a little shriek.

“Quiet,” I whisper. This guy isn’t as big as Trace.

Luke whistles again. Eli whistles back from the farm. We’re not that far from it actually. Looks like Harper started to run back to the house at some point.

I grab one of the zip ties we found in Darius’s trunk and put them around the guy’s wrists. Then I pull his mask away from his face, stretching the elastic, and release it, snapping it against his face. He grunts at the pain.

“Be quiet.”

He nods frantically. Trace stirs, but I already have his hands tied. I stay low and look around to see if I can find that big motherfucker. He sounds like a fucking elephant tearing through these woods.

I don’t want to whistle and give him my or his buddies’ locations. I saw only the three of them running before, so I hope this is the last one.

Luke is close, so if the asshole is looking for Harper, this is where he’ll show up.

The ground crunches nearby.

There he is. Good.

The phone in my pocket buzzes insistently. Fuck. Darius. Worst timing ever.

The footsteps stop, and when they start again, they’re approaching my direction. So much for having the element of surprise.

Luke

Harper snuggles into me and releases a sigh. Her body is warm to the touch even though the air is cool. I shrug out of my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders.

She inhales deeply. “I love the way you smell.”

“Shh.” I don’t know how many of them Caden has taken down already, but it sounded like two. When he didn’t return my last whistle, I’m not sure if something is wrong or he’s in a situation where he can’t give up his location.

When she whispers, it’s loud. “Zach gave me something. It’s making me feel weird.”

Her fingers tug on my shirt like she’s trying to draw me closer, but I have her pressed between me and the tree.

I tip her chin up. There’s a little moonlight even this deep in the woods. Enough to tell her eyes are dark, but not enough to see if her pupils are dilated because of the lack of light or drugs.

The crunching of branches continues, closer now. I cover her mouth with my hand. We can’t be found. I can’t take care of her and fight off anyone trying to get to her. Fuck.