Page 143 of The Invite
“Gus? You there?”
Scarlett’s confused voice pulls me out of my reverie. Just what I need, Nessa making me daydream like an idiot.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I utter, focusing on the next course of action. “Listen, don’t go anywhere else today. I’m going to talk to the others and we’ll plan what to do together.”
“I have to go to the station to give my statement.”
“Then take Maverick with you.”
“I thought you and I would go together.” Suspicion creeps into her tone when she asks, “Where are you if not with Maverick?”
“I had an errand,” I lie.
“I don’t believe you. You’re awfully secretive lately, Augustus,” she accuses softly. “Since when do you hide things from me?”
I glance up at the staircase, picturing Nessa in her bedroom, and contemplate the turn of events my life has taken in the past two weeks. I’m making decisions and doing things against my very nature.
Scarlett is right. Neither of us keeps secrets from one another. It’s a pact we made as kids. Yet I’m breaking it left, right, and center.
All because of a woman.
Not any woman, my goddamn teacher.
“I’m busy looking out for us, Scarlett. Nothing more. Okay?”
A long, heavy pause. “Fine.”
Hanging up, I dial Maverick next.
“What’s up?” he drawls.
I hear loud noises in the background on his end. “I need you to take Scarlett to the station. Take her straighthome afterward and keep an eye on her. We received the next envelopes and I don’t want her to do anything rash.”
“Did the guard see him?” The disturbance at his side disappears as though he walked to a quiet spot.
“No.” Frustration is evident in my answer. “He paid a random kid to deliver it directly to Scarlett.”
“Whoever it is, he’s watching you all.”
“I figured.”
“We need to come up with a different plan if we’re going to catch him. Underestimating him is a mistake. He’s too smart.”
“No one’s perfect, Maverick. He’s bound to make a mistake and it’ll be his downfall,” I reply. “Just go to Scarlett.”
“On my way.”
“Text me Kaid’s number. I gotta talk to him.” Unlike me, Maverick frequents Wolf’s circuit for underground fighting matches often. So I know he’ll have their numbers.
“Sent. Let me know what they say.”
Ending the call, I scroll to the messages and find Maverick’s text. Standing near the window in Nessa’s living room from where she used to peek through in attempt to catch me breaking into her home, I dial Kaid’s number.
It almost goes to voicemail before he finally picks up and grunts, “Sup?”
“Tell me one of you saw Anonymous today.”
“Grayson.” He instantly recognizes my voice. “And no. The bastard used our neighbor to pass the envelopes.”
