Page 119 of The Deals We Make

The woman looks at me curiously. “How long?”

“To set up? An hour, maybe. I’ll have to install some apps on your equipment.”

It’s a struggle to stay calm. Or at least, act like I’m calm.

There’s a tsunami building in my stomach. Nausea bubbles away beneath the surface.

I take a breath. Then, another.

“Do it,” she says.

“I’ll need my hands.”

She tips her head to purse guy. “Set her free, walk her to the chair, then tie her feet.”

One of the things I noticed earlier is that these guys are slow on their equipment. But I can toggle and flip and type faster than they can keep up with. The first thing I do is go to a search engine, type in an IP address identifier, then toggle off it before they have time to absorb what I’m doing.

I never stay on a screen for more than a few seconds, so they don’t have time to take in what I’m doing. I remember Vex’s oldchildhood email address. He always was a stickler for staying consistent, while I was always changing mine.

It’s weird how we’ve come full circle. This all started with him trying to protect me from men who would hurt me. And now, I’m trying my best to protect him from a woman who would hurt him.

I’m fueled by the knowledge that as much as I’m saving myself, I’m hopefully saving Vex too.

34

VEX

When I get to the cabin, King and the others are already there because of the head start they all had. They’re standing by the tree Halo’s half-brother tied him to, and if this were a movie, there’d be dark montage music playing.

Because it’s obvious from the look on all their faces that Calista isn’t here.

King holds his hand out as I approach and puts the locket with the tracker in my palm.

“Found it in that cardboard box by the tree.”

“I thought we eradicated the Righteous Brotherhood,” I say, fighting to remain rational.

“So did I, brother,” says King.

“They’re the only ones who know what happened here that night,” Clutch says.

When everything went down at this very spot for Halo, Brad Collins—aka Darryl West, leader of the Righteous Brotherhood—was killed.

“They want the money,” Niro says. “I suggest we give it to them.”

Spark looks at Niro. “We can’t. We’ve spent a chunk of it in the new buildings on the lot, refurbishing the clubhouse, and levelling up our weaponry and equipment.”

“It makes no sense that they went to all this effort and didn’t tell us how to contact them or where to return the money,” Bates says.

My mind races as I try to assimilate all this information.

But it’s impossible to focus because all I can think of is what they are doing to Calista.

Switch moves to stand next to me. “We haven’t lost an Outlaw woman yet,” he says. “And we aren’t going to start now. What would you usually do?”

“I’d search,” I say.

“Then, do that.”