Page 54 of Hyde

“Where’s my money?” she asks, the haughty look in her eyes makes me want to strangle her but I hand it over, before dropping the bag of clothes on her lap.

“Don’t think so highly of yourself, Trin. You’re just a posterchild for washed-up prom queens who never amounted to anything.” With that, I toss her purse on top of her other bag before I hit her side with the taser one more time.

At the noise she makes, I lean down, pretending to hug her.

“I’ll miss you, too! Safe travels, now,” I say loud enough to make it sound like it’s an emotional goodbye.

Aiden is still in the back seat when I return to my SUV and I toss him both phones, surprised he hadn’t reached for them.

“What now?” he asks me.

“Now, we’ll follow the bus for a few miles, then I’ll get you back to the motel,” I tell him, knowing that he’ll be notifying his brother, Dad, and Flint almost immediately.

Hyde

When Flint and I pull up to the motel, Royce looks to be giving one of his twins hell. The kid, whether it’s Aiden or Finn, I have no idea, looks like he’s hoping the ground will open up and swallow him whole.

“What happened?” Flint asks as he climbs out of his truck.

The boy looks at his dad, who motions for him to answer.

“Um, she stopped at the ATM to get some money, then told me she didn’t have her phone, so I handed her mine,” the kid starts, unable to maintain eye contact with Flint for more than a few seconds at a time. “She took it, then when I was pulling up here, Aiden was handing her his phone—so she has them both.”

“Where’s your brother?” I ask him, rarely seeing one without the other.

“She took him with her. I, um, I knew Dad’s number so I called him from the office so he could let Flint know,” he replies, looking between the three of us until his dad pokes his shoulder. “Oh, um, she has Trinity, also. I don’t know what was wrong with her, but she was walking funny. Then after she left, the cleaning lady started screaming from Trinity’s room and a guy came running out carrying his clothes.”

“You’re telling me a girl that weighs, what, fifty pounds less than you two took both of your phones and kidnapped two people?”Flint asks him, not even trying to keep the smirk off of his face. “Was she armed?”

“Um, no? I don’t think so,” he mumbles, his face blazing red to the point that I feel bad for him. “I’m sorry.”

Royce and I happen to make eye contact and neither of us can hold it in another moment. We’re bent over laughing as he struggles trying to say something, just as his son pipes up again.

“Should I go look for them?” he asks Flint. Finn’s tone has changed from embarrassed to frustrated but I appreciate that he wants to make this right.

“You are so fucked,” Royce wheezes out as he catches his breath, and it takes me a split second to realize he’s talking to me and not to his son. “Your Ol’ Lady’s gonna make all the other ones look like Sunday school teachers.”

I pull out my phone to call Leslee, assuming she’ll pick up this time, when Flint lets out a whistle. Looking up, he’s pointing at her SUV as she’s turning into the parking lot. From where I’m standing, I can see Aiden in the backseat but there’s no sign of Trinity.

“Joe, you should be resting,” Leslee coos once she’s parked and sliding out of her vehicle.

“You’re not wrong, babe,” I quickly agree with her, trying not to grin when she crosses to give Finn his phone back. “But now I gotta wonder if I’m gonna have to dispose of a body today.”

“What do you mean?” The look she gives me is the picture of innocence.

“Leslee,” Flint growls out her name and she shifts her eyes to meet his glare without hesitation. I can’t help but think that Royce’s sons could learn a thing or two from her.

“Oh, I got her on the bus back to Indiana,” Leslee answers him as she gingerly wraps an arm around my waist. “Well, to Denver at least, from there we’ll just have to hope she keeps her word.”

Royce heavily exhales, like a weight has just been lifted off of him.

“Aiden?” Flint looks at him in question.

“Yes, sir. Leslee got her onto the bus, then we followed it to the town line and turned back.”

“And why did you need to practically carry Trinity to the SUV?” Flint asks him next.

“It seemed like she and her friend had been partying all night,” Leslee interjects and Aiden’s head swivels between her and Flint before he finally takes a deep breath.

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