Page 51 of Damaged

There was no sign of the boy, but Rogue figured Boston was hunkered down in the darkness, hiding.

Silencing his phone, Rogue started working his way slowly through the heavily wooded area. He figured this was part of Los Padres National Forest since they’d were in Monterey County just past San Lucas.

Having grown up in Southern California and traveling for jobs all up and down the state, he knew the area like the back of his hand. He also knew that around this time of year, it could get down into the 40s and Boston didn’t have a coat.

The sky broke open and rain started, and Rogue used that to his advantage to quicken his search.

One way or another, he would get Boson back.

No matter how many people had to die tonight.

There was no familiar rush of the kill for him, he’d been doing this too fucking long to feel anything.

Death was who he was.

Killing was what he did.

Instead of making the drive to Dave’s place, Wrath had brought Rebel back to the hotel room he had shared with Rogue. He spent the day sleeping while Rebel roamed the room.

“Try to get some sleep,” he told the boy.

“Why aren’t we leaving?”

“I want to travel at night. It’s better.”

When on a job, he only ever traveled at night and that skill had saved his ass more times than he could count. It was one of the things he and Rogue had in common, and he knew that wherever Rogue was, he would also be resting during the day and moving at night.

Perhaps he’d reply to that text and tell Rogue he’d be going to Nevada regardless.

But that would be a lie. He was going to drop Rebel at Dave’s place and then hunt Rogue down.

They had things that needed to be settled before either of them could walk away.

Not that he wanted to walk away, but he wasn’t going to chase Rogue if the guy didn’t want him.

That night, he got on the road with Rebel. They were two hours outside of Keeler when the phone call from Savage came in.

Wrath pressed the button on the steering wheel. “What’s up, Savage?”

“Where are you?”

“Driving down Highway 14 coming up to California City. Why?”

“I just got a call from Boston. He’s on the run in the woods just south of San Lucas. Rogue was with him, but they got separated.”

“I don’t follow,” he snapped. Pulling off the highway at the next exit, he whipped into a Circle K gas station.

“Rogue went up north to Redding to retrieve Boston. They were on their way back when they got chased by a gang from Redding.”

“What gang and why are they chasing Rogue?” He gripped the wheel.

“Steve Lister ran a gang up north. Boston told me that Lister raped him, so he killed the guy and stole his phone.”

“Shit.” Stealing a phone meant the gang could track Boston and Rogue.

“Exactly,” Savage said. “Now Lister’s second-in-command, Doug Smalls, is hunting Boston. I had him ditch the phone, but I can’t get ahold of Rogue.”

Fear knotted Wrath’s chest, and he squeezed the steering wheel tighter.

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