Page 43 of Intertwined Souls

Noah stops coughing and swoops Jayce up, holding him against his chest. He points at me and then at Rage and says, “Want to learn something new?”

Jayce nods enthusiastically.

“Say, ‘Uh oh, Ryry’.”

Jayce repeats it with a big smile on his face as he looks at his mom across the island. He keeps repeating, “Uh oh, Ryry,” and pointing at me.

I roll my eyes but luckily before Rage can question anything else, Nerds comes walking into the kitchen, laptop in hand and a perplexed look on his face.

“Nerds?” Rage asks, standing up straighter.

He shakes his head and then blinks a few times. “I think… I think I just got kicked out of my own office. My own domain.” His brows furrow.

“By who?” Rage tilts his head.

Nerds scrunches his face up. “Your daughter. She basically booted me straight out the door.”

Noah cackles. “I think she stunned him. He doesn’t even understand what just happened.”

I smile and leave the kitchen, walking down the hall to where the tech room is. Slowly pushing the door open, I peek in and find Grayson and Harley deep in conversation while looking at a few computer screens.

Deciding to be good and give them some time together, I shut the door quietly and sigh before I plop down on the floor across the hall from the door.

Chapter Eleven

Grayson

District Judge Paul Whitlock

Jacksonville County Sheriff Caleb Jones

Mayor Ron Davidson

I’m going to vomit. Every name I add to this list causes bile to rise in my throat. This world is twisted and so beyond fucked up. People who hold power are at the center of destroying others’ lives.

Nerds let me take over all the car trackers that we placed earlier this year. The biggest one I watch is the Wilson’s car, which comes and goes throughout the day. For the most part, it seems to be just for Tabby’s school things and Richard’s job at the local law firm. I have a large map of Jacksonville and all the towns surrounding it taped up to the far wall in the tech room. Using different colored sharpies, I have been keeping track of different places all the trackers go.

We placed about twenty-five trackers and so far, I have been able to eliminate five from our list. The other twenty all make frequent stops that we need to look into because they aren’t their usual jobs, errand stops, or homes.

Right now, I’m making a list of everyone who has gone to one specific address that sits right on the outskirts of Jacksonville on the opposite side of town from where our club is. This is the first true lead I have found. For the most part, these people are smart. They seem to park their cars in random parking lots and then get rides with other people or have someone meet them somewhere close by.

A few hours later, Presley pops her head in and lets Nerds and I know she made lunch. Nerds grabs some, but I pass. I know he is working on his stuff, and I have to figure this out. Something about this one place is really bothering me.

I’m pacing in front of the map on the wall, trying to put all the pieces together. Why does no one stop here for long? Tammy has come here twice since we put a tracker on her car. But others come and go, quickly. Then there are the random stops at different stores where their cars stay parked for sometimes hours. Even if the store is closed. Then when they come back to their car, they go and drive by the one address but never stay for longer than five minutes.

A soft knock sounds on the door before it’s gently pushed open, and Harley comes into the tech room glancing from Nerds to me. She looks me up and down, frowns, and walks up to me, gently cupping my cheek in her soft hand. “Are you alright?”

Sighing, I pull Harley against me, hugging her tight. “No,” I mumble. “I can’t figure this out. None of it makes any fucking sense, and all I want to do is put the pieces together to get one answer. Just one.”

Nerds, who has been working at his desk on the opposite side of the room, glances up at us. “Why don’t you take a break? Maybe coming back with a clear head will help. I might have time then to look it over with you.”

I’m already shaking my head before he even finishes speaking. “No. I need an answer now. It’s driving me insane.”

He frowns. “Don’t let it get to you, Gray—”

“It’s not getting to me!” I snap at Nerds. “It’s not fair. This list…” I storm to the desk and grab the paper with the names of people who stop at the address. “These are people we should be able to trust. People who should have our fucking backs, and they are all wrapped in the selling of people,” I spit.

“Can you give us the room?” Harley quietly asks Nerds after a moment.

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