Page 29 of War

“A pool would be cool,” I defend, biting my lip when Callan cuts me with a death glare.

Kitty raises her arms.“Told you.”

“How many brothers do you think we’d find floating face down in a pool if we had one?”Callan snaps.

“Or fucking in it.”I shudder.“Those horny bastards would have pool orgies.”

“I still don’t see an issue with it.”Kitty smirks.

Wind howls against the metal shutter spanning the entire back wall as Callan slows, heading toward a row with three black SUVs.

“We can take my car,” Kitty says.

“Not even on my worst day,” Callan retorts.

“Dick.”She jabs him in the arm, and a growl climbs in his throat.

Strolling to the back of the room, Callan opens a cabinet and takes out a set of keys before walking up to one of the beefy black SUVs with blacked-out windows.

“Shotgun!”Kitty shouts.

“No.”Callan shuts her down, then shifts his eyes to me.“Get in, Rogue.”

Kitty scowls at him, her eyes glaring as she pouts over the hood.“It’s fine,” I tell them both.Opening the back door, I climb inside and fasten the seatbelt.

It smells expensive in here.Black leather seats.Cherry wood dash.Chrome finishing.I whistle low.No way this doesn’t come with a hefty price tag, and there are three in this garage.I lean back in the deep seat, a sigh filtering through my lips.My sanity needs this tiny offering of distance.

Callan folds himself into the driver’s seat, his eyes finding mine in the rearview.“Are you okay being back there?”

“She’s not a child, Callan.”Kitty scoffs, slipping into the passenger seat.Popping open the center console, she pulls out a pack of gum.

“No, but she was kidnapped in the back of a cop car.Why don’t you think before being a brat?”

I shrink a little into myself, squeezing my eyes closed.Dark, haunting images of that night play behind my lids.

His harsh grip as he shoved me in the back of the car with no escape.Liquor laced breath panting over my face.Pain blooming everywhere.Gunfire piercing the silent night sky.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four

Five…

The hole in his forehead.Wide, dead eyes.

“Oh shit.I didn’t think.Do you want to swap seats?”Kitty leans over the seat to look at me, shoving the gum into her mouth.

“No, it’s fine.I promise.I just want to forget that ever happened.”

Callan clicks a button on his keys and the shutter judders and begins rising.It must be a chore opening such a big garage door every time someone comes or goes.“Everyone good?”

“Yes, let’s go.”Kitty rests her boot on the dash until Callan glares at her.Lowering her leg, she mumbles, “Sorry.”

Kicking over the engine, Callan drives us out of the compound, the front gates opening before us.The journey down this road after Callan’s mention of the police incident turns the marrow in my bones to lead.I’d expected a visit from the police to the compound by now, but so far Callan has made true on his promise that Larkin wouldn’t be found.He would be reported missing by now, though, surely?I’ve been tempted to google his name, but fear that they can trace any searches back to me.

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