Page 126 of All In

“Not well,” Ranger concedes. “What exactly are we negotiating for?”

“Not what! Who! This chick for Braxton.”

“How do I know she’s alive?” Ranger asks.

“You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Ranger swipes a hand through his brown curls. “What state is the transaction meant to take place in?”

“We’re in Virginia. Lyra told us you live around here,” the man says.

Ranger’s jaw tenses. “Fine, name a town and a time.”

“How do we know you won’t just try to kill us?” the guy asks.

Ranger gives the phone a dubious look. “You don’t. The same way I don’t know if you’ll attempt to kill me. However, this is a simple trade. I have no further use for Braxton. Set the terms, and let’s be done with this.”

“Do you really think they’re going to hold up their end of the bargain?” I ask, following Ranger as he stomps through the house.

“Kurran or Adair made the call directly to Assurance from Adair’s cell phone. We’re not dealing with the brightest of criminals.” He sighs. “I truly have no idea. The only comfort I can find is that they want to meet nearly an hour away. I can only hope Lyra told them the state, but not the exact location of my home.” He hits the basement doors and begins to work on the intricate set of locks. “What’s confusing me is that, based on the information Merrick gathered, it seems to be just the two of them. Why isn’t your family with them to retrieve Braxton?”

I frown, shaking my head.

It’s a good question, but one I don’t have the answer to.

“Maybe they’re still in lockdown and are hoping Kurran and Adair will handle it so they don’t have to?” I speculate as Ranger rips the door open and heads down the stairs. We hit the bottom, and he opens the false panel that leads to the hallway that houses the actual dungeon. This basement is huge, with multiple corridors and sections. When all the secret tunnels are closed, it’s basically impossible to tell they exist in the first place.

“I don’t want to move,” Ranger says, striding down the hall. “I like this place. Sparrow finally came home, and she’s close by. Laken will have feminine support from Sparrow and Vale once the baby is born.”

“Don’t go planning anything outlandish just yet. Let’s see how it goes.” I stop just behind him as he begins to unlock the next door.

“I hope they know what they’ve gotten themselves into,” he growls, ripping open the door. “I’m annoyed. That never works out well for people.”

Will’s moaning fills the air, but Ranger strides over, grabbing the keys to Braxton’s cell. I’m not sure if he’s planning another round of torture for my cousin, or possibly, it’ll be our responsibility to clean him up.

Braxton truly is on his last leg.

They won’t be satisfied with their trade.

Ranger rips open the cell door and walks over to pull the bag off Braxton’s head. “Shit.”

“What?” I ask, jogging over. My face twists into a grimace as I take in the sight. “Shit, indeed.”

“What a hell of a time for him to finally expire,” Ranger growls, kicking Braxton’s kneeling corpse in the gut.

My cousin’s nude body falls with a thump.

“What now?” I ask, scratching my jaw.

“Now we find a replacement and call in reinforcements.”

“I’ll do it,” Tanner says with a shrug.

“No,” Ranger growls. “Absolutely not.”

“Laken can’t lose you,” I remind him. “Losing a bond while pregnant…” My head shakes. “No fucking way. We’ll shove a bag over his head and bring Will in Braxton’s place.”

“What if they don’t fall for it?” Tanner asks, glancing at the stairs in the living room, like he’s expecting Laken to come down at any moment.

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