Chapter 14 – Elias
Is she fucking playing me?
Who the hell are these two assholes?
I’ve been sitting outside Sage’s parents’ house for an hour, watching and waiting. The moment I pulled onto the street, I spotted two black SUVs with tinted windows. The idiots inside both vehicles didn’t notice me parking nearby.
Fucking amateurs.
I pick up my phone from the dock and call my tech guy.
“Run a couple plates,” I bark when he answers, and I list out the letters and numbers.
I ignore his grumbling at me being so brash. I don’t have time for pleasantries.
“Both belong to a Chase Henley,” Phil says after about two minutes and rattles off an address. My phone buzzes a few seconds later with a photo of a guy, but I can’t be sure if it’s any of the men in either SUV.
I sigh and tell Phil to have one of his fancy tech programs scan traffic cameras to find out all the places both vehicles have been so I can figure who this Chase is and if he’s working for someone. I have no fucking clue how it works, but Phil has never failed me anytime I ask for a favor.
Movement from the front door of the home catches my eye and a man on the phone angrily walks out.That’sthe man from the photo. He’s not too tall, five nine at my guess, and he’s got light brown hair that appears greasy in the porch light’s beam. I’ve easily got 150 pounds on him. He’s pale, too, his skin covered in a sheen of sweat.
His movements are jittery. He’s got to be high on some sort of drug. I’ve seen it too often busting addicts, hoping they’ll narc on their dealer so I can chase down the boss moving drugs throughout New York City.
The man cradles the phone to his shoulder so he can light a cigarette—like he’s the star of some shitty crime movie—then takes out his gun to check the bullets.
Movement again from the front door alerts me to Sage’s presence, listening in on this man’s conversation.
My instinct is to get out and run to her. Protect her.
I can’t. Not yet. I need to see if she’s playing me.
She must have made a noise because the man turns. He lunges, and I watch as he drags Sage outside. He throws her to the ground and kicks her in the stomach.
My hand is on the car door, ready to kill this mother fucker, but he’s already walking off.
Fuck.
That was close.
If I had acted on my impulse to get out, guns blazing in this quiet suburban neighborhood, Sage could have been caught in the crossfire. Not to mention that would have been a huge mess to clean up.
The asshole gets inside one of the SUVs and drives off.
My eyes move back to Sage. She picks herself up off the ground, then flips off the departing SUV. She flips off the two men in the remaining SUV as well.
I smirk at my feisty little queen.
What have you gotten yourself into?
Lance told me about her ex, warning me to be careful with her because he was a piece of shit. He didn’t go into detail but if the man who just left is her ex, I have a feeling he’s back in her life for a reason.
And not a good one.
I call my uncle and tell him to get soldiers ready. As soon as Phil gives me locations, my men will move in.
I wait in my car for another hour until the lights in the house go out, letting me know Sage’s parents have gone to sleep.
Time for answers.