Page 71 of Scorching Lies

“Track him.” I snap.

West looks up at me in confusion, “I would if I knew his location.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Ally looks up from her phone with nervous eyes. She knows that I’m aware of her tracking equipment. It takes her a few seconds before she puts the pieces together, answers that have her jumping from the couch, her palm held out in front of her.

“I don’t give a shit, Addington.” I use her real last name to confirm her thoughts.

“Kens.”

Stepping forward a few feet, I let her see every ounce of pure emotion on my face.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are, I know you can track him, so do what the hell I said. We’ll deal with your lies later.”

She nods, “Okay, okay.”

She rushes past West to her bedroom. Two minutes later she’s back with a prepaid phone that has a map pulled up on it. A flashing blue dot is lit up along the west side of town near the beach. Grabbing her phone I pull it closer trying to see if anything there looks familiar. Showing it to Ryker, recognition flickers across his face.

“We have a house out that way. We don’t use it often but it’s up against the beach.”

“How long will it take us to get there?” I ask.

My stomach sinks with each second that passes.

“Ten minutes if I’m driving.” Ryker says.

“Let’s go.”

Keeping Ally’s phone in hand we all move towards the door.

Spinning on my heels I put a finger in Ally’s face, “Don’t go anywhere. We haven’t forgotten anything.”

She looks at me with an offended expression, “I don’t give a fuck about running because I’m coming with you.”

“The hell you are.” West yells.

He makes a move to push past me, but I stop him with a hand on his chest. One that Ryker snatches off the second it touches him.

“Killer.” He warns.

“Now isn’t the time. If we want to keep an eye on her she might as well come with us. Especially if this thing stops working.” I waive the phone in the air.

Without Cole, Ally is the only tech geek we have, and I won’t take that risk. Shoving past a brooding West, I rush down the stairs to the car.

“You better not be playing us.” I say, turning around in my seat so I can see Ally.

Ryker calledG to meet us at the house so we pull up at the same time. Throwing into park we all step out of the SUV. I tried calling Cole a few times on the way here but he never picked up the phone. The way this small beach house is set up, the driveway is around the back of the house so we have to walkaround the yard in the dark to get to the front door. Complaining about the layout of the property, I pick up my pace. Almost tripping on the stairs that lead up the front porch Ryker grabs my arm holding me steady.

“Easy.”

It’s all he says. All of us on edge praying we find him here. My hand closes over the doorknob when my phone rings. Cole’s name is on the screen but this time my finger hesitates. Darkness clouds over me in a weird sensation of foreboding.

“Cole?” I ask.

“Don’t. Just give me a minute to pull myself together.”

Ice cold numbness fills my chest. His words are off. Cole’s voice is void and distant. My phone goes black, the call ending, and my stomach drops. I can’t explain the feeling building. Have you ever felt a storm rolling in despite the sun shining on your face? That feeling enters me like a freight train. Yanking the door open I run through the house flipping lights on along the way. Ryker calls out after me but nothing stops me from barreling through each room looking for him.

---