Page 27

CHAPTER 27

L aw flinched when an evergreen sapling slashed his cheek and dusted his face with snow as he raced through the trees and bushes. He ignored the pain. He didn’t have time for it. Instead, he had to stop the kid he’d been trying to help for the past four months from doing something unbelievably stupid.

Zane darted in and out of the scrub with the speed of youth. Law remembered a time when he could do that. Distantly. The last thing he needed to do right now was spend his morning chasing down a kid who was hell bent on returning to an outlaw motorcycle gang. As gangs went, the Lawless Warriors were right up there with the worst of the worst.

Cursing as he almost tripped over a branch covered in pine needles, Law skidded across the frozen ground but managed to keep his feet. What the hell was he doing chasing Zane when he should be finding Lovelyn?

He glanced at his watch. Forty-five minutes of his three hours were gone. Lovelyn had just over two hours left. But what the hell was he doing? Chasing the kid to keep him from doing something heroically stupid.

He’d bet his left nut Zane had figured out a way to hack into Sawyer’s system. It was the only explanation. Zane hadn’t said anything about it. He’d have thought hacking Sawyer would come with bragging rights.

Where was Lovelyn now? Did she know he was coming for her? He cleared his mind and focused. One thing at a time. But as he ran, he kept thinking, “Hold on, fairy cat. Your Viking Daddy is coming. I’ll find you.”

Up ahead, the trees thinned out, and a grassy meadow stretched to the charged wire fence that surrounded the entire Graceview Retreat Center. Law scanned the long, tall line of chain fencing for guards on patrol. He didn’t see any, but he knew better than most how sensors and cameras spanned every square inch of the property.

"Zane,” Law called as loud as he dared. A telltale hitch in the kid’s stride proved Zane heard him.

Hadn’t he learned his lesson the last time? Did he really want to jump back in the lion’s den so soon?

Like you’re not doing the same thing?

Yeah, but he wasn’t a kid. Zane was. Kids who tried to get back into outlaw motorcycle gangs – twice – after staying with the enemy for four months didn't live very long.

If he didn’t stop Zane, it could be the last mistake of his short life. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

Law put on a burst of speed and gained ground on his target. “Damn it, Zane, stop!” he tried again.

Law’s fingertips almost brushed Zane’s jacket. Two more yards and he’d be able to grab him. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you need to stand down. I’ve got this. But I can’t rescue Lovelyn if I have to stop to rescue you.”

All that got him was the kid holding up his hand and giving him the finger. Law would have grinned if it hadn’t been so serious. “Last chance. If you don’t stop, I’ll stop you. Up to you, kid. This can go easy or hard.”

Zane threw a look over his shoulder, glaring at him. “I’m not a kid. Just leave me alone!” he shouted back. “I have to do this!”

“All right then. Hard way it is.” With a flying dive, Law threw himself at Zane, grabbing his ankle and bringing him down. Before Zane could scramble back to his feet, Law had him pinned to the ground.

Takedowns were second nature to him. They were one of his favorite parts of the job. At least this time, he was in a grassy field. Hopefully, Zane wasn’t injured when he went down. Law wanted to stop him, not hurt him.

As soon as he rolled Zane over, the kid tried to kick Law in the face. Law threw up an arm and deflected it. Damn it! He had half a mind to let the kid go and get back to finding Lovelyn. That would be the easy thing to do. Zane was days away from being an adult. On paper. If the kid wanted to ruin his life, Law had no obligation to stand in his way.

But he wasn’t going to do that. He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. “We’re getting out of this damn field. Then you’re going back to the warehouse. We might as well have painted targets on our backs.” Law pulled Zane to his feet and shoved him back toward the trees. “Stay low,” he ordered.

With a death glare in Law’s direction, Zane did as he was told. Thank god.

When they reached the trees, Zane spun to face him. “What is your problem, man? You don’t have any right to keep me from going after my sister.”

“True enough,” Law admitted. “But the least you can do is tell me your plan.”

“I don’t have to tell you a damn thing. What’s your deal?”

Zane’s gaze shifted to the side. Law called him on it. “Yeah, it’s hard to look a man in the eye when you’re being a dick, isn’t it? Look, I can’t force you to go back to the warehouse. You’re right, I can’t do shit to stop you from ruining your life. If that’s what you want to do, you’re going to do it no matter what I say. But a man owns his shit. He tells his friends what he’s doing. He doesn’t sneak off and do it without telling anyone. If you want to be treated like a man, act like one.”

Indecision flashed in Zane’s eyes, and for a minute, Law thought he’d reached the kid. Then it was gone, and the angry resolve was back. Law braced.

Red patches stained Zane’s cheeks. “I don’t have to tell you anything. I didn’t ask you to get involved in this. I know what I’m doing. If you’d just?—”

Law was just about over the teenage attitude. He growled, cutting Zane off. “Don’t even try to lie to me. Do you think I don’t know what you're doing? And why you’re doing it? If you think this is what your sister would want or expect, then you don’t know her at all.”

But Law did. Personally. Intimately. He was being honest with Zane, and deep down, the kid knew it.

“If you tell me what you plan to do, I might be able to help. If nothing else, I can tell you what Sabre’s doing. You can jump in and help. I know Sawyer can use another computer guru. The point is, we’re a team. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Zane swung his gaze back to Law. The fear in the boy’s eyes gutted him.

“I always have to deal with this alone,” Zane said, shaking his head. “Always.”

Law shook his head. “Not anymore, you don’t. Now let’s go find Lovelyn.”