Page 77 of CHASE: Captive to the Dark

I hit redial, nearly crushing the phone in my fist as it went to voicemail. Every ounce of fury I held, I put in my stare as I lifted it to Max.

“One chance to confess your betrayal. Choose your words wisely. The matter of your death will depend on it.”

Chapter 25

Kit

Living with Chase, I thought I had good insight into what was really going on with the town. Good versus evil. Men like Chase, willing to do whatever it took to save the remaining residents against illegal activities from the greed of others—I knew nothing. At least, not compared to the information I’d learned in the last two days. It rattled me to the core and I wasn’t sure how any of this would play out. Was Chase really running drugs, too? I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure what to believe.

As I sat before Jim and Jeff, I watched as they sipped their beers. They were still trying to locate Rory for reasons I had yet to learn. At this point, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Nothing was as it seemed. The more they talked, the more confused I became. My stomach was queasy and my hormones had me crying at the drop of a dime. I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was crawl back in Chase’s bed and wake up from this nightmare. Was Weston okay? Did Chase know Max was the one who’d conned and gave me up to Jim? Was Chase okay? Jim mentioned someone watching the house. I was scared at what that meant.

Jeff shook his head, exhaling loudly as Jim pointed to a piece of paper sitting on the table between the two of them.

“It’s James. The timing is right for how long he’s been gone. He has to be with Rory somewhere.”

Jim frowned. “I don’t know…” He brought his attention to me. “Name sound familiar to you, Kit?”

“No.” My head shook in all honesty. I couldn’t remember if they mentioned the name of the person following Rory. Even if they had, I doubted it would have registered with how much was on my mind.

“What’s he drive?” Jim asked, turning back to Jeff. “White truck, right?”

“No, his truck’s at home. His wife has been using it. I think he took her car. Older model sedan. Silver, if I remember correctly. I’ll ask around and get the info to Oscar.”

Both men grew quiet and I pulled at the loose cuff securing me to the chair. The handcuffs made it impossible to leave without picking up the damn thing and taking it along. Right now, they semi-trusted me, but I hadn’t given them a reason not to. Not even from the moment I realized what was happening and Jim walked out of the house we arrived in front of. I knew I had to play their game if I wanted any chance of escape in the future. Being Chase’s captive, I’d learned that the hard way.

“Where the fuck is Cody?” Jim snapped, making me jump. “That son of bitch is the most unreliable motherfucker I’ve ever met. I thought you said he could be trusted?” His glare turned to Jeff as he withdrew the phone.

“Cody is reliable. I’ve known him since he was a kid.”

Jim’s eyebrow rose. “Then why does he only call when it’s convenient for him? This is the third time in two weeks I’ve had to hunt him down. I’m the fucking boss here, not him.”

Jeff leaned back in the chair. “He has a lot on his plate right now with Mellie being sick and all. She’s been down in Denver the last few months for treatment. Kid didn’t even know his mom had cancer. Can’t blame her for not telling him, though. She won’t make it much longer.”

“That’s not my problem,” Jim said. “He knew what this job entailed. You assured me his prior military experience made him a good fit. I’m starting to question both of your involvement. Am I the only one who gives a shit about what the fuck is going on?”

“Of course not,” Jeff said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know how important this is to me. Hell, I’m the one who got Father to leave that damn church so we could get to him. The last person you should be questioning is me.”

Jim brought the phone to his ear, growing angrier by the second. “Still not answering,” he snapped. “If he doesn’t get ahold of me by tonight to tell me what the hell happened, I’m—”

The door swinging open had Jim pushing to his feet. Two men walked in, both looking panicked.

“Boss, we have a problem.” A dark-haired man with a shaved head came forward, throwing me a glance. His young features were tight as he appeared to search for words. “Glenda called. She hasn’t heard from Max in two days. Since…” He glanced back at me. “She’s worried about him. She called Father. He told her he hasn’t seen him either. I think…” Again, the younger man trailed off.

“Son of bitch!” Jim slammed his fist on the table, knocking over Jeff’s beer. “Chase knows. He fucking killed Max. Jesus fucking shit. Cody’s missing, too. Get the guys and head into Untold. Search everywhere you can for Cody’s truck.”

The men nodded, rushing out the door, and shutting it behind them.

“What did you do?” Jim grabbed the table, throwing it out of his way as he lunged toward me. “Did you tell him about me? Does he know who we are to each other?”

“No,” I rushed out. “Of course not.”

“So, when he asked if I had you, it wasn’t because you told him I was still alive?”

My heart raced as I shook my head. “No. I didn’t tell him anything. I was locked in the fucking basement for the last few weeks. He barely even came in. Max could have told you that. He did, didn’t he?”

“He also told me he set you free when he found out you were carrying his child. His child, Kit! How do I know the story you told me about that was true?”

I pushed back the bile as I forced myself to speak. “That was before he remembered who he was. Before he changed.”

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