Page 29 of Forgiving Fate

“About forty minutes outside of Seattle. Why?”

“We got a hit on the Tanner case. Carter said it’s a code one situation.”

Landon scrubs his hand down his face and mutters, “Fuck,” under his breath. His hands tighten on the steering wheel and he shakes his head.

“Alright. Are you on your way? Where is she?” Gone is the calm and seemingly collected Landon, and in its place is a robotic version of himself.

“Thirty minutes outside of Seattle. Landon, you need to meet us there. You will get there and be able to watch where he goes if he takes off with her.”

“What the hell? I have Allie in the car! I can’t go on a mission right now, Wes. How far out are you?” His chest is rising and falling rapidly. The vein in his neck is popping out and stretching the vine that is weaving out from beneath his collar.

Whatever is going on is not good and I want to be anywhere but here right now.

“You really need to stop saying shit I don’t already know. I wouldn’t tell you unless it’s necessary. And it is. So just do it.Logan and Rowe were with Gray and Noah when I got the call. They were coming back from a doctor’s appointment in the city and they turned around. But I was just getting off a flight and didn’t have time to stop and get supplies, so they had to stop at the storage unit to get the emergency kits. Meaning you are the closest.”

“Why is Rowe with them?”

“She had an appointment with Gray and since she had to go back into the city for work for the day, and Gray and Lo had to go get her meds, they were going to drop Rowe at home on the way back.”

Landon takes a deep breath. He glances over at me and I can see the apology in his eyes. So when he opens his mouth to ask what I already know he is going to, I stop him.

“Go.”

Landon’s eyebrows hit his forehead and his head whips from the road to me. “What?”

I point at the microphone on the dash, and he taps the button to mute the speaker. “Get the address and let’s go.”

“But–”

Shaking my head, I stop him. “I have seen and been through enough. Trust me when I say anything I see tonight, even if it is beyond awful like you say these missions are, will be just another dark memory to add to my already pitch black mind.”

I watch as Landon swallows the lump in his throat and tries to process my dark but extremely truthful statement.

I can see that he wants to protest, but he stops himself and nods. Because he can see the truth, even if it’s dark and broken.

Landon presses the speaker and says, “Send me the address. And tell me the plan to keep the girls safe. I want to hear it twice before I get in the area. The last thing I need is Carter’s sister calling me and cussing me out that her best friend just went for a tattoo and somehow got involved in one Carter’s cases.” Hisrobotic mannerisms are back, almost like the person who was just fighting for me not to go on this mission wasn’t here seconds before.

A text from Wes appears on the screen and with a simple click, we are following the GPS to an address less than ten minutes away from where we are.

“You will stay with the girls since you haven’t had time to learn the layout of the house. Carter will be close by, but hiding in between our locations in case one of us needs assistance. Logan should stay in the truck and you can stay in yours as long as you are watching. Grayson told her this is not the place or time for a reunion,” Wes says, his voice of full emotion.

What is it with these Hayes brothers and being so in tune with emotions? I’m starting to think Michelle ingrained into their minds to look beyond surface level and taught them how to read a situation before it even occurs.

Landon glances at me, shock prevalent on his face too, and I shrug. Because what else am I supposed to do? Grayson is right, I’d prefer to avoid having my first meeting with my best friend in a car while in a highly intense and dangerous situation.

I don’t think any mantra or plea could counteract that level of intensity.

Just as Wes is answering the millionth question from Landon, he pulls the car to a stop on a dark, barely lit street covered in tall trees on both sides. The only light coming from a house a few hundred feet down the road.

Panic rises in my chest and my mind starts racing and the reality of the situation settles in.

This is a trap. There is no mission. He is bringing you here to kill you.

I try to shake the voice in my head, but they grow louder and I feel my hands begin to shake.

No! Not now!I tell myself.

My shaky hand reaches out to grab my water in the cup holder at the same time Landon goes to hand me it. Our pinky’s brush and I immediately pull my arm back.

---