A Whole New Crowd

  “Nothing. Just never would’ve pegged you as a girl that would get with Tray Evans from Rawley. He’s high-class.”

  I bristled. I got the insult. “If Gray is missing, you’re going to want my help. Pissing me off is not the way to go.”

  He lifted his chin. “How do you figure?”

  “I know Jace Lanser and I can get places others can’t.”

  “She’s right.” The third guy pulled Frank back. “We all know her reputation. Let’s just chill for a moment.”

  Dee was being dragged by Tray, who had a firm grasp on her arm. As they neared us, he let her go and shoved her in front of me. She glanced around, but the guys formed a circle around her in seconds. She blinked, taken aback by how fast they moved. Then she swung her head to me, snarled, and glanced at Ro. The snarl dropped.

  Ro asked first, “Why’d you run?”

  “Because of this whore.” She nodded at me. “Brian’s dead because of her. Gray’s missing because of her too.”

  Ro turned to me, but didn’t say anything.

  A dark gleam appeared in Dee’s eyes as she added, “She probably works for Jace Lanser.”

  I laughed. “This is a joke, right? I want to kill Jace Lanser.”

  Ro said, “I’m starting not to believe you, Dee. You were with Brian last. You were with Gray last night too. You blamed Matthews today, but she’s here. She’s acting like she’s in the dark. That tells me one of you is lying.”

  “You were with Gray last night?”

  Dee became quiet, and she looked over her shoulder. The guys pressed forward, tightening their circle around her.

  “Why’d you run when you saw me?”

  “Because you killed Brian. You did something to Gray. You’re going to do something to me too.” She was pale and began trembling.

  I repeated my question. “You were with Gray last night? Why? What happened?”

  She started laughing. The sound started out like a genuine laugh, but as she kept going, it turned panicked. Bitterness and a maniacal sound mingled with it. Bending over, she whispered, “Gray didn’t believe it. He said Brian wasn’t killed in a robbery. I believed him. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

  I glanced at the other girl, Ro, and asked, “Did Gray say this to you too?”

  For the first time, the loathing from her shifted and a look of pain glimmered back at me. My gut clenched. I heard the sadness in her voice when she said, “No. I wish he had, though.” It was really starting to sink in. Something happened to Gray.

  My own panic was rising. No, no, no. Not again.

  Tray had been watching me. He stepped close, his chest brushed against my arm, and said, “Why did Gray only tell his theory to you?”

  My eyes closed and I knew what he was doing. He was reminding me he was there for me and giving me his strength. Touching him, hearing his voice so close to me, I clung to it. Gray was gone. Jace killed Brian and he was going to take Gray away too. A darkness was swirling inside of me, lashing against the pain and fear. Rage was taking over, filling every pore in my body, until it blossomed full force.

  My control snapped and I lunged for Dee. Grabbing her around the throat, I lifted her until her body slammed against one of the guys. They fell back, surprised by the force from me, but then they grabbed around Dee’s waist, lifting her so I wasn’t strangling her.

  Her eyes threatened to pop out of her head. She couldn’t talk. Choked gasps spilled out of her and she tried to kick at me.

  My hand tightened.

  “Shit, let her talk,” someone said.

  My hands kept tightening.

  Jace. Her. Gray. Brian. Shelly. Kevin. All of them flashed in my mind. Betrayal. Loss. Pain. Lies. Manipulation. All of it. Everything that had happened to me was coming back at me. It felt like I was being seared on the inside, like someone had plunged a hot poker through me. I wanted to hurt someone else. I was sick of being the one to get hurt. In that moment, Jace’s face merged with hers, and he was all I could see.

  Then I was pulled backwards. I kicked out, trying to get back at him. He needed to pay.

  “Taryn!” Tray was yelling in my ear. But I wasn’t listening. His voice sounded like a small whisper against the rage that had taken over me.

  Then Ro was in front of me, between me and him. She tried to help with holding me back.

  Tray grunted and readjusted his hold on me as I strained against him. I smacked Ro’s hands off me and then three other guys stepped between us.

  I yelled over them, climbing up, “You killed him. You killed Brian. You were with him last. And now Gray. That’s on you!” Tray grasped me around the waist and tugged me back down.

  He twisted around, his back to the rest of the group, and wrapped his arms around me. There were other guys there, all holding onto a part of me, trying to help him. He tucked his head down so his lips were on my ear and yelled, “TARYN! Calm down.”

  I struggled. She was Jace. He was her. He was in front of me. I could get at him.

  “You’re not making any sense. STOP!” He kept rocking back and forth. “Stop, Taryn. Listen to me. Taryn, listen to me.” His head lifted and he said to someone else, “Let me through. I’ll calm her down and bring her back.”

  “You sure, man? She’s like a wildcat.”

  “I’ll be fine.” The crowd parted and Tray moved me forward. I was in front of him. His arms were holding me in a big bear hug from behind, and he kept urging me forward until we were near the cars. He kept whispering in my ear, “It’s me, Taryn. It’s me. Calm down. Come on. Come back to me.”

  When I felt the cool metal of a car, I bent forward and rested my forehead to it. I gasped for air, and my heart raced. Slowly, the panic and hysteria started to ease from me. I felt a tightness in my chest and tears on my cheeks.

  Tray was bent over me, still whispering in my ear, “Come back to me, Taryn.” His hold gentled and he lifted a hand to my cheek. His finger caressed me, moving back and forth. It was a tender touch and I brought my hand over his. I turned to look him in the eye.

  “Tray.”

  He pulled back, moving so he was beside me. He cupped my face. “It’s me.”

  “I wanted to hurt her.”

  A soft laugh came from him. “You wanted to kill her, Taryn. You were calling her Jace.”

  “I was?”

  He nodded. “I think they believe you now. If we hadn’t been there, you would’ve done major damage to her.”

  I closed my eyes. Oh my god. I shook my head. “I can’t think about that.” Gray. “They did something to Gray. She has to know something. I have to find out.”

  I pulled away, but he caught my hand. “Hey, hey.”

  “Tray.” I didn’t have time to argue. I looked at them, saw they were watching us, and my eyes went straight to Dee’s. She was bleeding. Her lip was swelling up and she was holding a hand to her eye, but she shrunk down at my gaze.

  I started forward again. Tray didn’t stop me this time. He was right beside me. Three guys formed a wall between me and Dee, but Tray motioned them aside. “She won’t attack her again.”

  They nodded and moved aside, but stayed close. I knew they would jump in if I attacked her again. I shoved them out of my mind. They weren’t important. “Tell me everything.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “I don’t know what you want me to tell you.” Dee was huddled in a corner, sitting on the bed. We had moved inside with Ro and a guy I didn’t know. The rest stayed outside and kept the crowd away. Dee crossed her arms and lowered her head, and I wondered if she thought she could hide from us. I snorted to myself at that thought. Fat chance, honey.

  “What?” Ro was leaning against the wall by the door, her boy toy beside her. She asked again, “What’s so funny with what she said?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you care so much about Gray?”

  She shot back, “Why do you?”

  “He’s my friend.”

  She lifted a hand and pretended to shoot herself.
“You think you’re the only one that's friends with him?”

  I opened my mouth, a retort at the tip of my tongue, when Tray cleared his throat. He straightened from the wall. “Let’s stick to the topic at hand.”

  I turned my attention back to Dee. She was biting her lip, glancing between all of us. I could practically read her mind. “You’re not getting out of this. Spill what you know and I’ll let you leave with only Ro on your ass.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  Really? Flashing a grin, I kicked one of her legs to the side. Her elbows fell down and she almost tumbled to the floor. When a heated glare came at me, I moved my finger from side to side in front of her face. “I would’ve done real damage outside. Do you want to piss me off again?”

  Ro sighed from behind me. “Dee, just tell her. My god, we’re not going to kill you. Stop acting like this. We all want the same thing.”

  Dee’s loathing doubled and she pointed at me as she spoke to Ro, “Speak for yourself. She saw Brian last. He was doing something for her and he’s dead. Now Gray’s gone. All I know is that he didn’t want to talk to her for the longest time and the moment he decided to go see Taryn, he goes missing. Those two things aren’t a coincidence to me.” She swallowed, her throat jerking up and down. She crossed her arms over her chest again. “If I talk, I die. I’m not talking.”

  I started for her.

  She screamed and scrambled back on the bed.

  No name guy jerked forward, saw that I didn’t do anything, and frowned to himself. He leaned back against the wall. Ro and Tray never moved.

  “You’re sick, do you know that?” Dee pressed a hand to her chest.

  I rolled my eyes. “Do you want to know what I said to Brian? I’ll talk, but you talk after I’m done. That’s the only way I’m doing this.”

  She frowned.

  Ro cursed. “Say yes, Dee. My god. This is taking forever. She was out for your blood. She’s not working with the bad guys. She wants Gray back as much as we do.”

  “What if it’s a trap and she has us all killed?”

  “If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it outside. These people stopped me.” I gestured around the room and to the door. “They held me back. I do my own dirty work. If I was who you’re claiming I am, I would’ve left, made a call, and had someone kill you off.” My eyes flashed. “I’m getting sick of your insults.”

  Ro shot Tray a look. “She’s going dark again. Do something.”

  He shot her a look back, but said to me, “Taryn?”

  “What?”

  “Make a call for her too, while you’re at it,” he said, staring right back at Ro. Everyone got his meaning.

  She flushed, rolling her eyes. “I know Dee and she doesn’t buckle under pressure like that. You’re just intimidating her.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “Asking her nicely didn’t work. Maybe treating her like an idiot will?”

  “Whatever.” Ro glared at Dee. “Just talk. I’m getting sick of this.”

  “Your patience has been noted.” My hands went to my hips and I turned so I was facing her squarely. “She’s not saying anything to you either.”

  Ro glared at me.

  “Hey,” Dee murmured, straightening on the bed. “Guys…”

  “What?” We turned at once, barking the same word.

  She gulped, cowered a moment, and then shook her head. “Fine. Okay. I’ll tell you.” She stopped and glanced between us.

  I made a circling motion with my hand. “Go on. We’re all ears here.”

  “Okay. Okay.” She nodded. Her arms unfolded and she patted her legs before moving to sit on the edge again. “Brian left me after he saw you that night at Rickets’ House. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing or where he was going, just that you said something and he had to check it out.” She faltered, and her head moved down. “He was dead the next day. I didn’t know he was dead. I heard about it in the hallways with everyone else, and while I was devastated, I didn’t question anything. People were saying he was killed during a robbery. It made sense. He had a lot of money on him. He’d been dealing at Rickets’ all night.”

  “He was Jace Lanser’s brother. No one would’ve robbed him.”

  Her eyes turned to me. There was no fear. There was no caution or paranoia. I saw hurt and pain. She cared about him too. In that moment, she saw the same in me. I felt it and then she nodded. She murmured, “I know. Gray said the same thing.” She glanced at Ro, biting her lip. “He came to me two weeks later and he was asking a lot of questions. He didn’t think it was a robbery.” She nodded to me. “What you said. No one would rob Jace Lanser’s brother. They’d wind up dead themselves. Everyone knows that.”

  “Tell me about Gray. I know about Brian and that night.”

  Ro and her friend looked at me, but I ignored their silent conversation. I needed to know as much about Gray as possible.

  “He thought there was a different story. He wanted to know what I knew and what Brian said to me. So I told him, but he didn’t want to tell you. He said you had enough to deal with. I didn’t know what he meant, but he was adamant about not bothering you with this. I believed him. I trusted him.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I cared about Brian.” She looked back to me as she said, “I’ve since learned about your history with him. I didn’t know at that time who you were, but it stung. And hearing that Gray was protecting you, that stung too. Who were you? Did you shit gold or something? That’s how they talked about you. Seeing you tonight, I don’t know, I was angry and maybe jealous.”

  I started laughing. I was fed up. “Are you kidding me?”

  She flinched.

  I added, “My ex-boyfriend, someone who I loved, was killed. Someone else who I care about is missing, and you’re jealous? Get. Over. Yourself.” My chest was tight and I took two steps towards her. My hands were balled in fists again, pressing against my leg. “We’re not playing around here. Brian is dead. I’m hoping Gray isn’t. Your emotions don’t matter. Ever.”

  She sucked in her breath, tears welled up in her eyes, and I saw her start to crumble again. I turned to Tray. I couldn’t hold back anymore. He saw my impatience and nodded. Gesturing for me to step back, he stepped forward and took my place. “What did you and Gray do?” he asked, his tone gentle.

  I crossed the room and took up where he’d been standing, keeping watch outside the window, but I could see from the window’s reflection that she’ glanced at me.

  “Dee.”

  She turned to him. “We…” She looked at me again.

  “Dee,” Tray said calmly, “what did you and Gray do?”

  “We teamed up, okay? He didn’t want to tell anyone about this, but when he didn’t show up for school today, it’s like it’s happening all over again.” She shook her head. “He thought Brian was dead because of Jace. I didn’t know what to think of that. I mean, they’re brothers, right? But I know that Brian hated Jace and there hasn't been a relationship between them for a while. Gray wanted to ask his brother some questions.”

  “What did Jace say?”

  “Nothing. We never found him. Jace Lanser is missing or,” her lip trembled, “he’s gone or dead, you know?”

  Reaching for the window frame, my fingers curled around it. I didn’t dare breathe, the hope was so strong in me.

  Looking at Ro now, she added, “Gray didn’t want to tell you anything. He said he didn’t want you to worry either.”

  I shook my head and turned around. “Why do you think Jace is missing? He’s never been available for just anyone to find him.”

  “I know, but we staked out everywhere and waited for him. There was nothing. His clubs, his businesses, even the Panther’s headquarters. His house. Brian’s old house. Nothing. Gray said he had one last place to look and then he was going to tell you what was going on.”

  “Do you know where that was?”

  “I assumed it was your house. Brian always talked abo
ut how close you and Jace used to be. He thought his brother was obsessed with you. I just assumed that’s what Gray meant.”

  Nowhere. That’s where this interrogation had gotten us. No-fucking-where. I turned to Tray. “Let’s go. We have to find Gray.”

  No one stopped us. We swept through the house and out to the