“Get out!”

My scream is echoing though my head when someone knocks on my window and scares the f**k out of me. I take a deep breath and realize it’s Vic Vaughn. I roll it down and look up at him.

“Everything OK in here, Blackbird?”

I shake my head. “No, he’s bothering me. I want him to leave.”

Vic reaches into the truck and presses the unlock button. The other three Vaughn brothers appear, open the passenger side door and pull Wade out.

“Rook, listen to what I said, OK? Read those papers. They took my mom and they’ll take someone from you too. They will, Rook, you’ll see!”

Vic and I watch as the Vaughn brothers drag Wade across the street and throw him on the ground in front of a candle shop that’s closed for the night. “You want some help, Rook? Want me to drive you home? My brothers can follow us, make sure everything’s cool.”

My first instinct is to say, ‘no, thank you.’ But I stop the words and nod up at Vic. “I would really appreciate that, thank you.”

“Scoot over, Gidget,” he says with a smile as he pushes me into the passenger seat. “And I swear, you’d think one odd name was enough, but woman, you seem to have a collection of them. Hey, Vinn!” he calls out the window. “I’m driving Rook over to Spencer’s, you guys follow to keep an eye out for any more psychos.” And then he gets in the truck and I breathe out a huge sigh of relief.

Until I pick up the papers and see exactly what they say. I scan the stack quickly. All bad stuff. All the same stuff Gage was trying to tell me.

All stuff that can’t be true.

But maybe it is?

And then the fear comes back and it takes all my willpower not to collapse right there in the front seat.

Chapter Thirty-Two - ROOK

I stuff the papers into my backpack and listen as Vic calls Spencer, telling him we’re on our way. He gives a few curt responses to whatever Spencer’s saying, then holds the phone out towards me.

I turn my head and stare out the window, ignoring the phone, and Vic tells Spencer we’ll see him in thirty minutes. I have no idea what to think right now. I just need time to process all this information, make sense of it. Vic talks to me constantly as we drive down the dark and deserted road. I hate this road at night. It’s curvy and when it’s wet, like it is now, you can’t see the lines painted on the road. One side is the damn river and the other side is just forest. It creeps me the f**k out.

I catch Vic eyeballing the rear-view the entire way there, but the only other headlights behind us are his brothers. When we pull into the driveway Spencer and Ford are already outside waiting in the carport to stay out of the rain. Ford opens my door and pulls me out as Spencer talks to Vic.

“What happened?” Ford asks.

I’m not sure I should reveal all the FBI stuff, so I just say, “Wade.”

“Oh.” That’s all Ford says.

“Did you know who he is?”

“I know, Rook. I saw him hanging around up in Sturgis and Spencer filled me in on the missing pieces. Did you talk to him?”

I nod. “Yes, but I never want to talk to him again. Ever.” I push Ford away and go inside, wanting very badly to hide away in my room, but there’s no chance of that until I talk to them, so I just grab a beer from the fridge and sit on the couch. They come in a few minutes later and I catch the crunch of gravel as the Vaughn brothers leave. They must think I’m crazy. And they probably told Spencer I was just at their shop asking questions about him and Ford.

Great.

Ford sits down next to me and Spencer flips off the TV, taking the chair across from the couch. “So what’s up, Rook? You got something to tell us?”

I shake my head. “Nope, nothing. Wade showed up, I sorta lost it, end of story. I don’t want to see him again.” I stop to look up at Spencer. “Ever. I’m going to call the police if he comes near me again.”

“I thought this guy was your old flame or something?” Spencer asks in a low voice. “You sorta sounded like you’d like to see him again when we talked about it.”

“I was just depressed that day, reliving the past. Thinking about the good things when the only ones that count are the bad. I’m over it. I want the past to go away and stop f**king up my new life.”

“Rook, I’m not sure you’re telling us the whole story. Let’s start from the beginning, OK?”

“Fuck the beginning, Ford. The beginning starts with my life back in Illinois, and I’m not reliving that shit with you, no matter what. I’m done talking about it, I’m done thinking about it, I’m done answering questions, I’m done with secrets, and f**king Jon, and everything else.” I stand up. “I’m done.” I step over Ford’s legs to get past when Spencer’s phone rings.

“Antoine. Hmmm, wonder what the f**k this is about? Yeah,” Spence barks into the phone.

I stop in the middle of the living room and listen to the frantic French that is almost fully audible even though the phone’s not on speaker, that’s how loud Antoine is talking. “What? What is it?” Spencer ignores me, just listens and shakes his head. When I look down at Ford he’s wincing. “What happened?”

Spence ends the call and looks over at me. “Ronin just got arrested. They’re booking him into Denver County right now on felony obstruction charges.”

I collapse back into another chair near the hallway. “Why?” But as soon as the word leaves my mouth I know why. Wade. And that FBI shit. And Gage. They did just what Wade said. They took someone I love. I lean over and prop my head in my hands and then Ford and Spencer each have me by an arm and they’re dragging me outside. “What the f**k?”