Page 52 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“Nick,” Rico speaks from behind us. “Tommy’s always had a thing for Jones. We thought it was cute, you know? But lately, it has been a little more intense.”

“How do you mean?” Nicky spins to face him. Rico glances over to JP, who shares a worried exchange with him. “Speak. Now,” Nicky commands.

JP sighs. “He’s been following her, Nick. Pretty consistently since her birthday. I thought he was just being overly cautious. You know we love her like our own.”

My body’s so rigid with tension I think I’m gonna snap. He’s been following her. Which means he knows about us. Though if he’s been paying attention since her birthday, then that means he’s known about us the entire time. Why now? Something must have triggered him. Within an hour of taking her he reached out to Nicky with demands. We’re to meet him tonight in Killington, his dad’s old stomping grounds. Me and Nicky are to come alone.

A thought suddenly dawns on me.

“Nick, you had another chick on lockdown with your sister, right?” I play dumb. My chest tightens when I notice him wince at my question. Jesus Christ, Daph. “What happened?”

“She’s okay.” He nods slowly, staring down at the floor. “He, um, he fucked her up pretty good. She’s got a concussion and some broken ribs. A few broken fingers.” He grips the back of his neck with his palm, his face heavy with worry. “She was out cold when we found her, but she woke up before the ambulance got there. She’s at the hospital now with enough of my guys standing guard that it’d take a small army to get to her. She’s pissed I wouldn’t let her come with me to get J.”

Atta girl, Daph. That’s the tough bitch we know and love.

“She say anything about what made him snap now? Why today?”

Nicky shakes his head. “She says she doesn’t remember much besides Tommy breaking down the door and beating on her. Maverick,” he looks to me, “I don’t know why Tommy’s demanding you come, and I know you have no loyalty to me or my sister, but I need you to do this with me. I need you to help me get her back.”

If only he knew the lengths I’d go for his sister.

“Consider it done, Nick.”

We stare at one another, sharing a moment of solidarity before he gestures toward Tristan. “What are we gonna do about him?”

I look over to T, still bound to the chair, his head hanging low. I approach, crouching down in front of him while closing out the space between us. “How did you know Nicky didn’t plant the bomb, T?”

“Get my phone out of my pocket,” he whispers.

I nod at Finn, who readily complies. Once in his hand, T continues.

“Go to my texts. Look for the contact that says Asher. It’s Tommy’s middle name.”

Finn taps the device several times before he must find what he’s looking for. His eyes grow wide as they dance across the screen. Looking over to me, he swallows before hesitantly handing over the phone. Taking it from him, I steal one more glance at T before looking down.

Asher: You should have agreed to help me take out Bishop when I asked. Maybe your boy wouldn’t have been collateral damage. You brought this on yourself.

T wouldn’t give me up. He refused to help take me out and paid the ultimate price in return.

“I’m sorry,” T’s voice cracks. “I never thought he’d try anything as long as I refused to help. I should have told you, but I was so scared of losing the family we’d built. And now it’s all gone anyway.”

I continue to stare at him, taking in the sight of the boy I’ve considered family these last four years. And for some reason, Bentley’s face comes center in my mind. In this moment, I do the only thing I can—I go with my gut.

“Uncuff him,” I issue the order to Finn as I rise.

“Whoa,” Nicky interjects. “Just like that? You trust him just like that?”

“I don’t tell you how to run your house, Nick. So Imma need you to trust my judgment on this. Plus, we’re gonna need him if we’re going to stand a chance of outsmarting Tommy on Killington turf. They lived there with Vick for a fucking year. T knows the lay of the land.”

Nicky glares at me, his jaw tight in frustration, but he knows I’m right. After a tense moment, he relents. Swinging his attention to T, he thrusts the gun in his direction. “You fuck us? You cost me my baby sister? You’re gonna wish he ended you right here. You got me?”

Nicky thinks T’s responding to him, but his eyes remain fixated on me as Finn unlocks the handcuffs. “I promise you, you’ll have her back tonight.”

CHAPTER 26

JONSIE

The warehouse Tommy’s dragged me to is in complete disrepair. I’m propped up in the corner of the debris littered floor in in the same hoodie and cutoff shorts I was in when he grabbed me. It’s dark out now, the holes in the roof allowing me an unobstructed view of the stars in some parts.

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