Page 2 of Dangerous Secret

“Same. My body’s my temple and all that shit.”

Grayson laughed so hard that he plopped down on the truck’s bumper. Was that even funny? He stared at the half-smoked joint Cooper handed back to him. He was buzzing good now, that was for sure. “I’m thirsty.”

“I’m hungry.” Cooper looked around. “Wonder what’s to eat around here.”

“There’s a taco truck down the street.” Grayson took another drag before passing the joint to Cooper. “I want a beer.” He took the fake ID from his pocket and waved it in front of Cooper. “Let’s find us some beer, then we’ll load up on tacos.” He also needed to find his friends…or not. He was doing fine without them.

“A man with a plan. I like it.”

Cooper handed the joint back, and Grayson pinched off the end, then stuck what was left in his pocket. They were walking toward the street when a white van turned into the lot and came to a stop next to them. Expecting to be asked directions to someplace, Grayson was surprised when the side door slid open and two masked men pointing guns at them appeared.

“Get in,” one of the men commanded.

“No way!” He was faster than most people on earth, and he wasn’t going to stick around for whatever the men had planned for them. “Run,” he shouted at Cooper.

“You take one more step, Mr. Montana, and I’ll shoot you in the back. Then I’ll blow your friend’s brains out.”

Grayson froze. Terror slithered down his spine. They knew his name? He turned, and his stomach lurched at seeing the gun held to Cooper’s head. Fear shimmered in Cooper’s eyes, but he didn’t beg Grayson to stay, even though it was apparent that Grayson was their target. What was going on?

“Get in the fucking van, Mr. Montana,” the man said.

Since the second man had his gun pointed at him, Grayson didn’t feel he had a choice. Both men’s eyes were coldand menacing, and if he tried to run, he didn’t doubt they’d shoot him and then Cooper. He got in the van.

As soon as he was inside, they pulled Cooper in, then slammed the sliding door closed. There weren’t seats in the back, and before Grayson could decide if he should try to fight back, he and Cooper were handcuffed. Knit hats were put on their heads and pulled down over their eyes. Grayson had never been so scared in his life.

“What’s going on? How do you know my name?”

One of the men kicked his hip hard. “Shut up.”

He shut up. Hands patted him down, and they took his phone, wallet and hotel room key. And the joint. He should have smoked the rest of it. He almost laughed at the absurdity of regretting not finishing a joint when he was being kidnapped by men with guns.

“Cooper Devlin, from Atlanta,” one of the men said.

They must be going through Cooper’s wallet.

“You rich, too, boy?”

Rich?Was that what this was, a kidnapping for ransom?

“Hey, I’m talking to you, Devlin.”

“Oomph,” Cooper said, his body jerking against Grayson’s.

Grayson winced. They must have kicked Cooper.

“I’m nobody,” Cooper said.

“We’ll find out how valuable you are soon enough.”

Grayson was beginning to hate that cruel voice. He tried to get a sense of the direction they were going, but the driver was making a lot of turns, and he had no idea how far they’d traveled from the beach.

If this was for ransom, which it sounded like it might be, then that was good, right? They just wanted money and wouldn’t kill him and Cooper. His father could pay whatever they demanded, but could Cooper’s? He wished therewas a way to ask his father to save Cooper, too. It wasn’t his new friend’s fault that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person. He wanted to tell Cooper he was sorry, but he didn’t want another kick to his body.

He had no idea how long they’d been driving when the van came to a stop. Rough hands dragged him out and pushed him into a house. The sound of the door ominously closing behind him put the horror movies he and his friends liked to watch in mind. The monsters always won. He prayed that he and Cooper wouldn’t die by a monster’s hand.

Chapter 1

Ten years later

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