A Whole New Crowd (31 page)

I felt his strength. I felt his calm. His hand gentled, slid to fit into mine, and he squeezed my hand. We ran side by side and then I stopped hearing the men behind us. We were getting closer to the river. The current was slamming against rocks below, but we could hear it echoing through the tunnel. It was becoming deafening and we wouldn’t have heard the guards anymore anyway.

The tunnel was becoming lighter. We were almost to the end and then the tunnel suddenly straightened and we were there.

The edge was right in front of us. Tray twisted, throwing his body to the side. A scream ripped from me. I was going over. I couldn’t stop myself, but Tray yanked me back. I fell into his body and he wrapped his arms around me, shielding my fall with his body. His shoulder slammed hard against the wall and he grunted from the impact, but we had stopped. We hadn’t hurled off the edge.

“Shit.” His voice was right next to my ear. He tightened his arms around me, holding me for a moment. “That was close.”

The drop to the river was high. The tunnel was cut off. There was no platform. It was a complete drop to the river. Even the embankment was dangerous. Boulders and rock riddled the path to the river. If we jumped, we could hit the rocks. Dead. If we jumped and avoided the rocks, we’d be pulled under from the current. Dead again.

Tray was inspecting it with me. “We’re screwed.” He put it perfectly.

“No, there has to be a door somewhere.” I began pushing on the wall. Maybe it was hidden. Maybe there was a rope they used to lower things down? I scanned the floor, but found nothing. “There has to be.”

“Taryn.”

I was shoving at the cement walls now, but there was nothing. It was a huge slab of cement. That was it. A choked sob was sitting in me, doubling in size. I started pounding harder on the wall. This couldn’t be the end.

“Taryn.”

He was calm. How the fuck was he calm?

“Taryn.” Tray was right behind me. His hand touched mine, coming to rest on top of it. He stood there, right behind me, with that one hand stopping me. His lips grazed my skin and he whispered, “There’s no door.”

No… He was probably right. A whimper left me now. I couldn’t hold it back in. “I’m so sorry, Tray.”

His other hand wrapped around me, and he folded his body over mine, hugging me from behind. I bit down on my lip to keep more sobs from escaping.

No, no, no. It couldn’t end like this.

He turned me around, then looked down at me. His eyes were full of love, patience, kindness, and strength. I absorbed all of them, feeling them mingling with the storm of rage, fear, and gloom inside me. I choked out, “I’m sorry about Jace, about the hotel.”

He shook his head. “Shut up. You didn’t even know yourself. I get it.” He hesitated then. “Did you mean it?”

My text. I nodded. There was no hesitation on my part. “Yes.”

“That’s enough for me.” Bending down, his lips rested on top of mine. He didn’t apply pressure, he just let our lips touch each other, feeling the slight promise of more. He said, “I love you too. It’s why I came.”

I had gotten him killed. I knew without a doubt that’s what was going to happen. I looked up into his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shut up.” Then he cupped the back of my head and kissed me. I clutched at him, losing myself in the taste of him. He had come for me. He had done it because he loved me. Euphoria began to fill me. It built, climbing on top of a fevered rush. We were probably going to die, but we were together. It was the best way to go out.

Then a loud bang thundered over our heads. Tray pressed me back, using his body to protect me again. At the same second we moved, a slab of cement dropped where we had been standing. He saved my life again. Shit. We looked up to see a gun pointed right at us.

Jace.

My heart dropped.

Tray moved me back, closer to the edge of the tunnel and Jace dropped down through the hole. A rough voice called down, “Is that them? Open the other hatch.”

Still holding his gun steady, Jace knelt, felt under a rock, and pulled it up. The side of the wall moved back and an older man wearing a black button down shirt and tailored black pants stepped through the clearing. His skin was tan and weathered from too much sun. His eyes were beady and they were fixed on me. They narrowed as he asked, “Is this that girl?”

This must’ve been Galverson.

Jace didn’t answer him. He was staring at me. There were bags underneath his eyes and a slight curl in his top lip, so I knew he was furious. His grey eyes pierced through me. A black shirt hugged every inch of his chest, falling over black cargo pants. He was sweaty with dirt all over him. A scrape of mud was on his cheek, as if his hand rubbed his face and left it behind. My eyes fell to some tears in his shirt. Blood seeped through them and the stench of dried blood wafted to me.

“Lanser.”

Tray’s arm curled around me, pushing me behind him, but I had the gun. My hand was squashed between us. They didn’t know I had it, Tray felt the barrel pressed against his back. I knew he was doing this on purpose. We needed any advantage we could get.

Galverson scoffed and turned to Tray. His eyes narrowed. His head tilted to the side, and he pursed his lips forward. “You’re that Evans boy?” He hit Jace in the shoulder, whose only reaction was to slide his eyes sideways. Dark hatred stirred in the depths of Jace’s eyes, but his boss was clueless. He pointed at Tray. “I thought you were supposed to have taken care of him years ago?”

Jace was barely moving. He stood as still as a statue, but he moved to the side two steps. He moved with such grace it was like watching an animal getting ready to attack.

My free hand tightened on Tray’s arm. He felt me shaking, and his finger started to rub over mine, trying to soothe me.

Galverson cast his employee a dark look, and then swung back to us. He jerked his chin up as he said, “You, girl, since this wacko seems mute now, tell me who you are.”

“I’m Taryn.” I stopped. They heard the trembling in my voice. Brian’s face flashed in my mind. The shaking stopped. His memory steadied me, and I remembered the loathing I had for Jace again. He was the reason for all of this. I raised my chin and my eyes narrowed. “You took something of mine. I took it back.”

There was a moment of silence. Tray stiffened in front of me.

Galverson started laughing. It sounded genuine, like I was a comedian for his personal pleasure. He pointed his finger at me. “You’re funny.” He glanced to the side. “You didn’t tell me she was a joker.”

Jace still didn’t say a word. His entire face was a mask now. I was trying to read him, to see if there was any of the old Jace still there, but a cold stranger stared back at me.

“You’re like a robot.” The words slipped out of me before I could catch myself.

Galverson swung back to me. A speculative gleam formed in his eyes, and his finger moved to stroke his chin. He pointed to Jace, but said to me, “You care for him.”

My hand moved from Tray’s arm, and I flattened it against his back. I said, “No. I don’t.” I waited a brief moment. “But I used to, before I realized how much of a monster he is.” My eyes held Jace’s. His was void of expression. He was so empty. I told him, “You’re standing next to the man that killed your brother. What happened to you?”

A flicker of emotion appeared in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. I wasn’t sure if I had seen it. It happened so fast. Galverson was watching him too. He asked, “Is that true?” Then he started laughing again. “You’ve always been a monster to me. That’s a good one.” He was shaking his head, but his phone beeped and he took it from where it was clipped to his pants. Reading the screen, he grunted and pointed at us. “The boat’s coming. Go on. Kill them. It’s time to go.”

Jace raised his gun.

“Wait!” I cried out, my heart racing. I was grasping for straws. “There’s DEA here. If you kill us, they’ll know. There’s proof we’re here.”

Galverson whipped his head to Jace.

The two shared a look, but Jace motioned to the edge of the tunnel with his gun. “Come on. Line up.”

Oh god.

We didn’t move so Jace started for us. “I’m not kidding. Move, Taryn. Your boyfriend too.”

Tray let go of me, but he didn’t move. He started to tap the side of my hip, then moved his shoulders a tiny bit, jostling the gun in my hand. As he did, he tapped again quicker. He was giving me a message. Then his shoulder moved forward, as if motioning at Jace. He went back to jostling the gun with his shirt and tapped even harder this time.

He wanted me to shoot Jace. I patted him on the back, confirming I understood and then he stopped. Jace moved closer. Then we heard Galverson behind him, saying, “Yeah. We’re in the tunnel. Complete evacuation. Have the trucks cover us.” He paused, then hissed out, “DEA is here. Send all the guards.”

They weren’t going down without a fight. I was watching Jace, still trying to search if the guy who brought me soda and ice cream was still in there. His eyes narrowed, like he knew what I was doing and if possible, he became even harder. “Move, Taryn. Now!”

I jerked at the hatred in his tone.

“Come on, man,” Tray started. He held his hand up.

I calculated the distance. He couldn’t lunge for him. Jace would shoot him. It was up to me.

Then Galverson cried out, “Let’s go. Kill them. We’re on a time table.”

“Get the fuck over there.” Jace snarled, gesturing to the tunnel’s edge again.

Slowly, we began backing up. We needed as much time as we could get. As Tray shuffled me backwards, his hand moved back to my hip so he was still holding me. I started to look for the best angle to shoot from. I wanted Jace and Galverson lined up. I wasn’t wasting time. I was aiming for the chest. I could do it.

Jace’s voice came back to me as I remembered,
”Don’t think. Pull the trigger.”

I had asked,
“And afterwards?”

“It’s you or them. When they fall, watch their chest. Don’t look in their eyes. Once they stop breathing, turn around and go. You’re the one walking away. That’s what you have to tell yourself.”

I was going to walk away. When we got to the edge, I tapped Tray on the arm. I was ready. It was time to do this.

Time slowed.

Galverson bellowed out again, “Kill him. Christ, what’s the hold-up? You didn’t hesitate to kill his dad. Find your balls again, Lanser.”

Tray drew in a sharp breath. “My dad?”

I bit down on my lip.

Jace didn’t react. He didn’t show any remorse. He only raised his hands again and took aim. Hearing shouts from back in the tunnel, he wavered and glanced back. Galverson was on his phone, but he flung his hand in the air and snarled. Then Tray lunged for Jace at that moment.

It happened so quickly.

I was left, stunned, as Tray was in the air. His hands went out to tackle Jace, and Galverson’s eyes went wide. Jace twisted back around. He dodged Tray, brought his elbow up and clocked him in the nose. Tray fell to the side, but he tucked his shoulder to help absorb the impact and kicked his leg. Jace blocked his leg, grabbed his shoulder, and turned the gun so he was holding the end. He was going to hit him with it.

I yelled out, “STOP!”

He didn’t. He rained it down, hitting Tray above the nose. My stomach rolled over at the sound of it. Tray tried to move aside, but Jace had him trapped. He couldn’t move. I raised the gun. “Jace, I mean it.” I turned the safety off. “Stop. NOW!”

He glanced up, then did a double take. His hand let go in an instant

Tray scrambled out from his hold, then stood to the side. I looked for a brief second, to make sure he was okay. When I looked back, Jace had his gun pointed at me. It was him and me now. I stared at him, feeling all the old layers of laughter, times he was my teacher, times he was my friend, times when he comforted me, and when he took me to my new home. One by one, those memories peeled away. He had been family. That was gone as well. There was nothing left.

“You’re a killer.”

Jace didn’t respond. He moved forward.

I moved back, just one step. The tunnel’s edge was right behind me now. “Stop, Jace.”

“What are you going to do, Taryn?” Finally. The stranger fell away, and the guy who had loved his brother stood in front of me now. He began to move so his back was to the wall.

I frowned. What was he doing?

Then Galverson stepped forward. He had a gun pulled as well, but it was held at his side. He was silent, watching us.

Jace continued, “If you fall, you die. If you don’t, you still die.” His hand loosened on the gun and he softened his tone, “What are you going to do, Taryn?”

I didn’t understand what he was doing. “Are you trying to bait me?”

He stared at me, long and hard.

“Taryn.” Tray was glaring at Jace, but he pointed to the river. I glanced down and saw three boats below, moving to place a net in the water. My heart couldn’t sink anymore, it really was over. If we jumped, they would catch us. There was no hope.

“You and Brian were like my family.”

Jace didn’t waver. “We were your family.”

I flinched. “Then why? Why all this?”

“Because you were supposed to stay away,” he ground out. His eyes flashed a heated warning and he moved forward a step.

“Stop,” Tray held his hands out. “Stop.” His hand whipped up, I glimpsed a knife, but before let it loose, Jace swung his gun to him instead. Tray faltered and the knife fell to the ground.

“No! God, no.” I hurried to Tray’s side, but he held me away.

Jace shouted at the same time, “Move back, Taryn.”

More shouts were coming from the tunnel. There were men all around us, and Galverson let out a growl. “For fuck’s sake. This is enough.” He brought his gun up. It was pointed at Tray. He was going to shoot him; I saw it in his eyes. I moved without thinking. Tray couldn’t die. I threw myself in front of him, yelling, “NO!”

“No!” Jace jerked forward.

Tray fell back, but he grabbed me, trying to cushion my fall. It was too late. We were going backwards. As we tipped through the air and fell from the tunnel, I looked back. Galverson hurried to the edge. He was going to shoot at us, but Jace, never looking away from me, raised his hand to the side, and shot him instead.

I opened my mouth, shocked.

Galverson fell to the side. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Jace shot him in the side of his head. Galverson was dead. We were going to die and Jace was alive.