Page 39 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

KAYLOR

M y phone vibrated in the middle of digital art class, the sound rattling the table so loudly that the guy next to me spared me a glance.

Aside from the clicking of keys and mice, the class was generally quiet, which made the buzz of my phone amplify.

I quickly snatched it off the desk, desperately wanting the text to be news about Kenny.

Brock’s name popped up on the screen. Using face recognition, I unlocked my phone, my eyes scanning over the message.

For a second, I’d forgotten my earlier text at lunch and the damn note, hope of something positive clouding all other thoughts, but it all came crashing back as I read my cousin’s response.

Brock: Are we talking the Ravens or the kidnappers?

Me: Whoever was stupid enough to take my best friend.

Brock: And if you don’t like what we find?

Me: It doesn’t matter who. They dug their grave the moment they messed with my friends.

Perhaps I was more like Brock than I realized.

I snuck a quick glance around the room to make sure no one caught me on my phone. It went off again, and I assumed my cousin sent another text, but no, it was a message from Rusty. Word of Kenny’s disappearance had probably gotten to him, and he was freaking out, as he probably should.

Rusty: I’m sending someone to pick you up after school.

Did any of the men in my life know how to ask instead of order?

I sighed and checked the time. The last hour of school would be torture.

I could only imagine Kreed’s reaction when a Viper showed up on school grounds to pick me up.

I hadn’t seen him most of the day, and I wasn’t even sure he was in the building.

Did that mean Maddox and Mason would be waiting for me after the final bell?

They weren’t.

Who waited for me was worse… And better. I couldn’t decide.

The bell shrilled, slicing through the air like it couldn’t wait to shove us all out into the chaos beyond the classroom walls.

My fingers curled around the strap of my bag as I stood, my muscles aching from how tense I’d been all day.

Every laugh in the hallway felt fake. Every face unfamiliar. Every shadow a potential threat.

I stepped out into the corridor, blinking against the harsh light spilling in through the windows.

The late-afternoon sun was soft and hazy, a welcome change from the cold gloom that had settled over everything lately.

Students pushed past me in waves, their voices a blur of weekend plans and complaints about homework, normal things that felt foreign now.

Kreed leaned against the far wall in a black hoodie, the raven tattoo peeking from beneath the shoved-up sleeves. His arms were folded, those silver eyes locked on me with a stillness that should’ve soothed me. It didn’t. Not this time.

He shoved off the wall when I got close, his sneakers silent against the polished floor as he matched my pace. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with adrenaline, maybe, or the lingering smoke from whatever underworld business had kept him away.

“You learn anything, little raven?” His voice was low, meant only for my ears, as we navigated through the thinning crowd.

“Yeah, how annoying you and your brothers are.” I shifted my bag to my other shoulder, the weight of the laptop I hadn’t opened feeling heavier with each step. “Where were you today?”

“Did you miss me?” The corners of his mouth lifted, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes as he took my bag from me, slinging it over his shoulder with ease.

“Did you find my best friend?” I shot back, my throat narrowing around the words. Kenny’s absence was a constant ache.

“Working on it.” His hand brushed mine as we walked, a fleeting touch that sent warmth up my arm.

“Why the hell do I have to be here if you don’t?

” I halted, forcing him to turn and face me fully.

The hallway stretched empty around us now, most students having fled to their cars or buses.

I wanted to be out there helping, doing something, because my education was the furthest thing from my mind.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, the gesture betraying his own frustration. “Because normal is what keeps you safe. Normal is what keeps you alive.”

I started walking again.

“Where are you going? Evan’s parked over here.” His voice carried a note of confusion as I headed toward the main entrance instead of the student lot.

“There’s a car waiting for me. Rusty sent it.” I braced for the reaction I knew was coming.

Kreed’s jaw ticked, a muscle jumping beneath the stubble he’d let grow. His entire body went rigid. “You’re not getting in that car.”

I exhaled, my breath visible in the cool air as we stepped outside. “I have to.”

“No, little raven, you don’t.” He stopped walking, his hand shooting out to catch my wrist. Not hard but firm enough to anchor me in place. “It’s a bad idea.”

The parking lot stretched before us, cars peeling out with weekend freedom. “If I don’t go, he’ll think something’s up. And if what you believe is true…” My voice trailed off, caught in that space between denial and dread.

He stepped in and tilted my head back to meet his eyes. His presence pressed against the storm inside me, steady and warm despite the chaos. “Then we can’t have him suspecting you know anything,” he finished for me, his voice rough. “Shit.”

“It sucks when I’m right.” I tried for levity, but it fell flat between us.

“Now is not the time to try to be funny.” His free hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone.

I sighed. “Trust me, there’s absolutely nothing hilarious about the possibility that my father’s friend betrayed him and then kidnapped my best friend. I don’t want to believe he’s involved. I’ve known him my whole life. I can’t imagine him hurting me. Or Kenny.”

Kreed’s expression darkened, shadows gathering in his silver eyes.

His grip on my wrist tightened fractionally before he forced himself to let go.

“People lie. They hide who they are when they want something bad enough. And if Rusty’s in this?

” He shook his head, disgust twisting his features.

“We need him to think you’re still in the dark. ”

I nodded. “I need to look him in the face. If he’s going to lie to me, I want him to do so while looking me in the eye.”

“Every bone in my body wants to haul your pretty ass over my shoulder and put you into the trunk of Evan’s car. Lock you up until this is over.”

“It’s a good thing you’re not a neanderthal or a psycho.” I managed a weak smile though my heart was hammering against my ribs.

“Right. Good thing.” His sarcasm was heavy, loaded with all the things he wasn’t saying. The way his hands closed into fists at his sides told me exactly how much restraint he was exercising.

“Besides, I’d just find a way to escape, so let’s save us both the trouble.”

He shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”

“Is it safe for you to be at the shop?” I asked, hovering on the edge of the parking lot. “Maybe we should get Maddox and Mason. If the Vipers are involved?—”

“I’ll be fine,” he said immediately, his hand moving to rest on my lower back, a brief touch that sent warmth spreading through my sweater. “I can take care of myself, but if you’re going to do this, you need to make him believe you’re letting the cops handle it, that you don’t suspect a thing.”

That wasn’t the problem. The problem was, I wasn’t sure I could take it if something happened to Kreed because of me. My chest seized at the thought, a physical ache that made it hard to breathe. I cared about the asshole even when I didn’t want to. Too many people had been hurt. It had to stop.

“Kaylor?”

I turned at the sound of my name, my sneakers scraping against the asphalt. A familiar figure approached from across the parking lot, and recognition hit me. “Jesse?”

He looked exactly the same, tall and lean with dirty-blond hair that always seemed to need a cut.

The greasy gray shop jumpsuit hung loose on his frame, the first few buttons undone, flashing the dirty white tee underneath.

That same crooked grin spread across his face, the one that used to make the other mechanics shake their heads in exasperation.

“Hey, bubbles. Long time no see.” He stopped a few feet away, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Rusty sent me.”

The stupid nickname had me wanting to roll my eyes.

Jesse was Rusty’s son, but he never called him dad.

Jesse had always been hanging around the shop until a few years ago when my dad offered him a job instead of just being a nuisance.

Jesse was two years older than I, and he’d seen me at most stages of my life.

When Rusty had first started bringing him around, I’d been in my bubble phase.

I took a little bottle with me everywhere, hence the dumb nickname that had stuck.

Beside me, Kreed’s entire body hardened, tension radiating off him. “Who’s Jesse?” he grumbled, close to my ear, deliberately brushing his lips against the curve of my skin.

“He works for my dad. Worked for him,” I corrected, the smile slipping from my lips as reality crashed back down. My throat constricted around the words, past tense still feeling foreign and wrong.

Jesse’s expression softened, his hands coming out of his pockets as he took a half step forward. “I never got to tell you how sorry I was for what happened to him and your mom.”

“Thanks, Jesse.” I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the afternoon sun. “My dad always thought of you as the son he never had.”

“He was a great guy.” Jesse cleared his throat, looking down at his oil-stained boots. “The shop’s not the same without him.”

“As touching as this reunion is,” Kreed interrupted, “we need to go.”