Page 78 of Nemesis

“Not athing,” I hedge.

I don’t bother telling him I’ve roped the Hell Hounds into it, too. Maybe that’s for the best—our appearance could’ve scared Reese away from that place. Moving to a new location, getting a new burner phone, all those things will help keep Kade off Reese’s trail a little longer.

Wait.

Whose side am I on?

“Do you trust him?” I ask Nathan.

“No.” He narrows his eyes. “Who’s he looking for?”

“You highlighted the numbers on the phone records. I think you know more than you’re saying, Nathan. Like… you know those are burner phones belonging to Reese Avery. Maybe you even tracked them. How long do you think it will take Kade to realize you can find him that way, and come back for more favors?”

His expression darkens. “I was highlighting numbers I couldn’t trace. That’s all.”

I snort. “Jesus, Brad, you’re not a good investigator. You want Kade and Reese to leave Sterling Falls? Try actually having a moral backbone.”

I leave him standing there. It takes a lot of muscle to get the stupid bike back up onto flat ground, and I’m sweating by the time I do. I peel off Kade’s sweatshirt and tie it around my waist, and in no time I’m zooming away. It’s a miracle I was able to hear everything over the sound of the waterfall. My sweatshirt—Kade’s sweatshirt—is speckled with fine mist from being up close to it.

On some level, the sheriff knew I was going to follow him. It doesn’t matter if he spotted my vehicle before or after the meeting was set—he could’ve easily called Kade back and changed the time. He could’ve driven like a bat out of hell and lost me, or confronted me outside of his offices.

He didn’t.

Which means what?

Was I supposed to follow him, or was the sheriff simply banking on my curiosity to helphim?

He also seemed unafraid of the idea that Kade would return and ask more questions. That leads me to believe Kade doesn’t need the sheriff to find Reese. Whether by leveraging Reese’s dear old mom for information, threatening her to get him out of hiding, or something worse.

This is a mess. One I should warn Reese about, at the very least.

It’s not like I owe him anything, but I don’t know if I could live with myself if I just sat and watched Kade put his plan into motion.

I get back into West Falls, heading home at a good speed. I could take this road all the way south and swing by the apartment building to check and see if Reese is still there.

Or… not.

I could call him, fill him in.

Or…not.

Maybe the sheriff is right, and once Kade finds Reese, they’ll both leave. Can I leave that up to chance?

The decision is still unmade when something on the road catches my attention.

And the people. Too many men, crowding both sides of the sidewalk. Only one watches me, his dark gaze full of loathing. I instinctively hit the throttle.

But then the line across the road is pulled tight, lifted in the air, and it catches my bike just below the handlebars.

I never stood a chance.

22SAINT

I enterthe house in West Falls. My chest is full of an old pain that pulses with every heartbeat. I can never get rid of that reminder. Like the hourglass branded on my chest, or the scars that mar some of the tattoos on my lower torso.

That torture was inflicted as punishment, and I remember it to punish myself, too. It’s why I return to this house, why I now sit on the floor and throw my head back against the wall. I do it until I’m dizzy, until the spots in front of my eyes don’t immediately go away.

Sometimes I think about concussing myself badly enough that my memory leaves me completely. I’d be a blank slate. Wouldn’t that be nice?

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