The Boy I Grew Up With
Page 42
“A call?” Channing went through his phone. “I’m not seeing anything.”
“He didn’t tell me what it was, just said to have you call him.” He looked over his shoulder. Rebecca had taken up position in his truck, sitting in the passenger seat the way I was in Channing’s. Her face was impassive, no emotion.
It was odd.
Channing’s mouth flitted down a second before focusing on Congo again. “Okay.” He punched in the number and raised the phone to his ear, but kept looking back at Rebecca. After a second, he moved away from the truck so he couldn’t be heard.
We all fell silent, waiting for him.
Until Rebecca announced, “Richter burned down two of his warehouses.”
Congo whipped back to her.
I shot out of Channing’s truck. “What did you say?”
She wasn’t even blinking. “That’s why I came to find you, Matthew. To tell you about Richter’s plans.”
“Channing!” I yelled for him, waving.
I heard him saying something to Moose before hanging up. He came back over. “What?”
I flicked her the shocker hand sign. “The stalker just told us about Richter.”
“Heather.”
“No, Congo!” I snapped.
I’d dealt with her too much. This was a last straw.
“She knew something. She should’ve said it right away.”
The more I thought about it, the madder I got.
Channing’s safety.
Congo’s.
The guys.
The families.
The children.
My family.
“You know something, you spit it out! You don’t wait until after a fuck session with your latest obsession and after we’ve been standing around, taking our goddamn time!”
Channing’s hand curled around my arm. He wasn’t restraining me, but he wasn’t letting me walk up on her, and I really wanted to.
I paused, but she didn’t make a peep.
“Talk!” I yelled.
Channing kept me right in front of him. His hand curled around my other arm too.
Now she blinked. Finally. She registered I was pissed.
“Richter’s burned two of his warehouses down, and he’s going to blame you for it.” She looked right at Channing.
There was no change or inflection in her voice, but she blinked. Again.
“His plan is to set you up, and while you’re arrested, he’s going to move in and take over Roussou. By the time you get out, or prove you didn’t burn his warehouses down, he’ll have thirty of his men in Roussou, and it’ll be impossible for you to get them out.” She turned to me now. “He’s willing to hurt Heather too, if worse comes to worst.”
Congo was watching her like she was the rattlesnake Channing had killed. He eased away from her a foot.
Channing’s hands fell away from my arms. “How do you know this?” he asked.
“I overheard it.”
We waited.
Nothing. She didn’t elaborate.
Enough.
I was full-on raging now.
Smother the fucking fire, Heather. Keep it contained. Don’t get out of control.
Yeah. No. It wasn’t happening.
I went right up to her, my nose in her face, and I didn’t care if she bit. I’d bite right back, and harder.
“You come clean with everything. You hear me?”
Yes. My nose touched hers. I was blasting her with my breath, but to her credit, she didn’t flinch. Neither did I.
“I am not scared of you. You get that? You chose, Rebecca. You chose our side. If you don’t tell us everything you know, I will make it my sole mission that no guy in Roussou will touch you again.”
She blinked back at me. “You live in Fallen Crest.”
“Anywhere you goddamn live. Got it?”
She blinked. A third time. “Got it, but call me Becca, please. I feel like we’re going to be friends now.”
She was psychotic.
I glared at Congo. “She’s your problem. Get all the information out of her.”
I sailed past him, not caring how he reacted to my order. I went past Channing, got back into the truck, and I sat there. I had to calm down.
Be calm. Be controlled. But fuck it. I wasn’t calm at all.
I was already planning someone’s murder.
33
Channing
Moose was waiting for us when we drove back into the warehouse.
All the women and children were inside or somewhere else. I couldn’t see or hear anyone.
He stood up from the bench to greet us. “We moved everyone to one of Chad’s aunt’s houses.”
As safe houses went, that was ingenious. He had about sixteen aunts. Even I had no clue who they all were.
I got out and started inside, Moose with me. Hearing my truck start up again, I turned back.
Heather had the window rolled down. She was behind the wheel.
I started for her. “What are you doing?”
Her face was set in stone. Her hand tight on the wheel. “I have to go. I have to try to protect my place.” She spoke over what I was about to say. “And you need all of your men back here.”
Which meant she had a plan. I frowned. I didn’t like this. “Stay, Heather.”
“No.”
“Fuck—Heather!” I growled. This was not the time for a fight. Not now. Not here. Not today. “Get out of the fucking truck.”
“No.” Her eyes narrowed. “Let me go.”
Never.
“Heather.” I started for her.
She kicked the truck in reverse, spraying me with dirt from the tires. Then she lingered. “I have to go, Chan.” Her eyes were suddenly sad, staring at me through the dashboard window. She gave me that sad smile too, the one she didn’t know she wore when she thought about Naly. “You know I do. You need your men here. I need to be there.” She gave me a look.
“What are you planning?” I asked.
“I’ll need extra protection, I get it. So I’ll call in some reinforcements.”
I had a feeling about where she was going with this, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. “Heather,” I said again, a warning in my tone.
“What better protection than the media? Maybe it’s time I ask Sam, Mason, and Logan to come visit.”
“Are you kidding me? You call them and you’ll make it worse. Sam’s pregnant. Mason’s in the middle of the football season, and Logan’s in law school. They can’t come.”
But…
“You go there,” I offered instead.
“What?”
Shit. I knew she wouldn’t, but I had to try. “You go visit them.”
“Fuck, no.”
If she could kill me with a look, I’d be dead three times by now.
Tightening her hold on the steering wheel, her eyebrows locked down. “I’ll call and see if they can come. If they can, I won’t tell them what’s going on, just that I want them to stay at the house with me. Even if it’s for a weekend, it’ll be worth it. Richter won’t touch me if I’m surrounded by them, and you know it. They’re outsiders. He won’t risk the exposure.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like it. You’re bringing them into this war. If something happened to Sam or the baby, Mason would kill me.”
My insides twisted around a cold-edged knife. Heather assumed they were an added layer of protection, but she was wrong. Richter wouldn’t care. Not in a war. It just meant she would be vulnerable, and nothing could happen to Heather. Nothing.
“He didn’t tell me what it was, just said to have you call him.” He looked over his shoulder. Rebecca had taken up position in his truck, sitting in the passenger seat the way I was in Channing’s. Her face was impassive, no emotion.
It was odd.
Channing’s mouth flitted down a second before focusing on Congo again. “Okay.” He punched in the number and raised the phone to his ear, but kept looking back at Rebecca. After a second, he moved away from the truck so he couldn’t be heard.
We all fell silent, waiting for him.
Until Rebecca announced, “Richter burned down two of his warehouses.”
Congo whipped back to her.
I shot out of Channing’s truck. “What did you say?”
She wasn’t even blinking. “That’s why I came to find you, Matthew. To tell you about Richter’s plans.”
“Channing!” I yelled for him, waving.
I heard him saying something to Moose before hanging up. He came back over. “What?”
I flicked her the shocker hand sign. “The stalker just told us about Richter.”
“Heather.”
“No, Congo!” I snapped.
I’d dealt with her too much. This was a last straw.
“She knew something. She should’ve said it right away.”
The more I thought about it, the madder I got.
Channing’s safety.
Congo’s.
The guys.
The families.
The children.
My family.
“You know something, you spit it out! You don’t wait until after a fuck session with your latest obsession and after we’ve been standing around, taking our goddamn time!”
Channing’s hand curled around my arm. He wasn’t restraining me, but he wasn’t letting me walk up on her, and I really wanted to.
I paused, but she didn’t make a peep.
“Talk!” I yelled.
Channing kept me right in front of him. His hand curled around my other arm too.
Now she blinked. Finally. She registered I was pissed.
“Richter’s burned two of his warehouses down, and he’s going to blame you for it.” She looked right at Channing.
There was no change or inflection in her voice, but she blinked. Again.
“His plan is to set you up, and while you’re arrested, he’s going to move in and take over Roussou. By the time you get out, or prove you didn’t burn his warehouses down, he’ll have thirty of his men in Roussou, and it’ll be impossible for you to get them out.” She turned to me now. “He’s willing to hurt Heather too, if worse comes to worst.”
Congo was watching her like she was the rattlesnake Channing had killed. He eased away from her a foot.
Channing’s hands fell away from my arms. “How do you know this?” he asked.
“I overheard it.”
We waited.
Nothing. She didn’t elaborate.
Enough.
I was full-on raging now.
Smother the fucking fire, Heather. Keep it contained. Don’t get out of control.
Yeah. No. It wasn’t happening.
I went right up to her, my nose in her face, and I didn’t care if she bit. I’d bite right back, and harder.
“You come clean with everything. You hear me?”
Yes. My nose touched hers. I was blasting her with my breath, but to her credit, she didn’t flinch. Neither did I.
“I am not scared of you. You get that? You chose, Rebecca. You chose our side. If you don’t tell us everything you know, I will make it my sole mission that no guy in Roussou will touch you again.”
She blinked back at me. “You live in Fallen Crest.”
“Anywhere you goddamn live. Got it?”
She blinked. A third time. “Got it, but call me Becca, please. I feel like we’re going to be friends now.”
She was psychotic.
I glared at Congo. “She’s your problem. Get all the information out of her.”
I sailed past him, not caring how he reacted to my order. I went past Channing, got back into the truck, and I sat there. I had to calm down.
Be calm. Be controlled. But fuck it. I wasn’t calm at all.
I was already planning someone’s murder.
33
Channing
Moose was waiting for us when we drove back into the warehouse.
All the women and children were inside or somewhere else. I couldn’t see or hear anyone.
He stood up from the bench to greet us. “We moved everyone to one of Chad’s aunt’s houses.”
As safe houses went, that was ingenious. He had about sixteen aunts. Even I had no clue who they all were.
I got out and started inside, Moose with me. Hearing my truck start up again, I turned back.
Heather had the window rolled down. She was behind the wheel.
I started for her. “What are you doing?”
Her face was set in stone. Her hand tight on the wheel. “I have to go. I have to try to protect my place.” She spoke over what I was about to say. “And you need all of your men back here.”
Which meant she had a plan. I frowned. I didn’t like this. “Stay, Heather.”
“No.”
“Fuck—Heather!” I growled. This was not the time for a fight. Not now. Not here. Not today. “Get out of the fucking truck.”
“No.” Her eyes narrowed. “Let me go.”
Never.
“Heather.” I started for her.
She kicked the truck in reverse, spraying me with dirt from the tires. Then she lingered. “I have to go, Chan.” Her eyes were suddenly sad, staring at me through the dashboard window. She gave me that sad smile too, the one she didn’t know she wore when she thought about Naly. “You know I do. You need your men here. I need to be there.” She gave me a look.
“What are you planning?” I asked.
“I’ll need extra protection, I get it. So I’ll call in some reinforcements.”
I had a feeling about where she was going with this, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit. “Heather,” I said again, a warning in my tone.
“What better protection than the media? Maybe it’s time I ask Sam, Mason, and Logan to come visit.”
“Are you kidding me? You call them and you’ll make it worse. Sam’s pregnant. Mason’s in the middle of the football season, and Logan’s in law school. They can’t come.”
But…
“You go there,” I offered instead.
“What?”
Shit. I knew she wouldn’t, but I had to try. “You go visit them.”
“Fuck, no.”
If she could kill me with a look, I’d be dead three times by now.
Tightening her hold on the steering wheel, her eyebrows locked down. “I’ll call and see if they can come. If they can, I won’t tell them what’s going on, just that I want them to stay at the house with me. Even if it’s for a weekend, it’ll be worth it. Richter won’t touch me if I’m surrounded by them, and you know it. They’re outsiders. He won’t risk the exposure.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like it. You’re bringing them into this war. If something happened to Sam or the baby, Mason would kill me.”
My insides twisted around a cold-edged knife. Heather assumed they were an added layer of protection, but she was wrong. Richter wouldn’t care. Not in a war. It just meant she would be vulnerable, and nothing could happen to Heather. Nothing.
