Page 81 of A Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse

Chapter 17

Eric, 18 years old

San Diego, California

One Year Later

Idiscovered Sarah was in La Jolla when I walked into my favorite restaurant and got hit in the face with a sledgehammer.

I hadn’t heard from her in over a year, not since that horrible break-up text she sent me, and here she was working at the table like everything was normal.

My first instinct had been to go to her to demand an explanation, but Gabe stopped me in my tracks by pushing me out of the restaurant.

“Don’t. She’s undercover.”

“How would you know this?”

“She just gave me a stand down sign.”

I pushed him away from me and began pacing in the parking lot like a maniac on speed, while my asshole of a best friend stood there, calm and collected.

“What the fuck Winthrop? Did you know she’d be here?”

“How could I? We lost contact after she destroyed her phone, remember?” he replied.

“Don’t lie to me, asshat. I know you found a way to track her. So, unless you want me to rip your head off in the next five seconds, you’re going to be straight with me. Got that?”

Gabriel sighed. Not many people could see through this guy’s bullshit. They were too mesmerized by the shiny surface to see what a manipulative bastard he really was.

But I’ve known him since we were in diapers. I could always tell when he was lying to me. Like now.

“I wasn’t expecting her for another week.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?”

“And say what? Remember the girl who turned you into a complete mess last year? Well, she’s back and you have to pretend you don’t know her.”

“YES!” I screamed in frustration. “I have to go talk to her.”

When I tried to walk around him, the bastard rammed me into the garbage bin.

“You can’t do that, you dumb fuck. If you do, she’s as good as dead.”

I pushed him off me and continued my pacing.

“You need to calm down, Moose. Before you do something that blows up in all our faces.”

“I’m trying. Stop goading me, asshat.” Listening to Gabriel wasn’t easy. All my instincts were screaming at me to run to her. But doing so would put all of us in danger. So, I breathed and paced.

Fuck this.

“I’m in,” I told Winthrop, making him look at me with confusion.

“You’re in where?”

“Your fucking plan.”

“Great. You can help with the money part. Mace and I have that covered, but I’m not about to say no to another source of income.”

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