“Meeting anywhere around Lowell or Prestwick is riskier, so I guess that’s why they chose this location,” Saint says.
“I hope The Bulls aren’t facilitating it,” Galen pipes up from the back seat.
“They’re dead men if they are,” Saint adds.
Saint blares music while we drive, muting conversation, and my mind wanders to my mother’s date. I’m ready to wash my hands of her. Truly, I am, but I’m still sick to my stomach at the thought of her being anywhere near that sick bastard.
We turn into the entrance of Fenton Forest a few minutes later, and Saint cuts the music as we pull up alongside Bry’s black Chevy Silverado pickup. Saint lowers the window, resting his elbow on the door.
Bry steps closer, and he’s similarly dressed to us in his black cargo pants, black boots, and black hoodie. He’s wearing a black skullcap on his head, and the bulge of his gun belt is obvious under his hoodie.
“What’s the update?” Saint asks in a barely civil tone.
“The meeting is still going ahead as scheduled, which gives us an hour to get into position.”
“We’ll tail you,” Saint says, and Bry nods, sparing a quick glance at me before he hops back into his truck.
We follow behind him, along an old, bumpy road that winds around the perimeter of the forest.
“You see anything?” Saint asks, looking in the mirror at Theo.
“The coast is clear so far,” Theo says, without lifting his eyes from his tablet. “I don’t see any evidence of an ambush or anyone following us.”
“You can tell that?” I ask, swiveling a little in my seat so I can see his face.
“This new software Diesel hooked me up with is the shit.” He looks up at me, and excitement lights up his eyes. “And he’s promised to get me some other stuff that is way cool. It pays to have contacts in the right places.”
Caz snorts. “Careful you don’t cream your pants.”
Theo elbows him. “Don’t pretend like tinkering underneath a car doesn’t get your rocks off.” He shrugs, smiling. “It’s good to have a passion.”
“Yeah, dude. It is.” Caz drills him with a heated look, and my eyes meet Galen’s in understanding.
It’s dark in the car, so I can’t be sure, but I think Theo’s blushing.
I turn back around in my seat, leaving them to their moment. Saint spares a quick look at me, and I grin at him. I love that the tension between the guys is giving way to something else, and I love that we’re doing something. It feels like I’ve spent months sitting on my butt, and I’m itching for some action. Itching to put our plan into motion and take those assholes down.
“I really hope we get some answers tonight,” I admit, as Saint pushes the Land Rover up an incline.
“We better, because I’m ready to end this,” Saint says, articulating my thoughts.
“We’ve got to stop him before this new truckload of girls arrives in Lowell,” Galen adds. “If other members get a taste for this business, it might not cease when Sinner goes down.”
“It will,” I say, turning around to look at him. “Diesel will make sure of it.” The only reason VERO—the covert organization he works for—hasn’t shut it down is because they want to give Sinner enough rope to hang himself. Plus, they are trusting in Diesel, in us, to help nail his ass to the wall.
We drive higher and higher up the mountain, passing an isolated house plunged in darkness, before the road levels out. Bry parks behind a one-level structure made of corrugated iron, and we pull up beside him.
We congregate between both vehicles, and I lean back against the hood as I scan our surroundings. You can see so much from this height, and familiar sprawling towns are spread out below us on one side, lights twinkling for miles. On the other side is the less well-known part of Fenton Forest, where the meeting is taking place.
“Is that it?” I ask, pointing at the small derelict wooden structure in the near distance, at ground level. The property has clearly seen better days, and it’s obviously uninhabitable. Half the roof is missing, and the back part of the structure has been torn down. The front door is missing, and all the windows are boarded up. It’s surrounded by thick trees on all sides, and the only access point is the dirt track leading from the front section of the woods.
“Yep. I did a little digging, and it’s an old cabin that’s been in Diego’s family for generations. Very few people know about it.”
“We should set up,” Theo says, opening the trunk. “We need to be in position before they arrive.”
“I spotted that little hilly section there when I was staking out the place a couple days ago.” Bry points at a raised section at the front of the mountain. “It’s deep enough to conceal us, but we’ll still have a good vantage point.”
“It’s perfect,” Saint agrees.
We won’t be seen up here, but we are close enough that we should be able to make out the identity of the mole with the use of the binoculars Theo procured for us.
Galen and I sit on top of the hilly ledge with Bry while the others unload two boxes.
“Has Darrow said anything to you?” I ask, purely to make conversation because the tension in the air is brutal.
“Nothing. He’s keeping me at arm’s length. We barely even talk these days,” Bry admits.
“That’s odd,” Galen says. “Do you think he suspects you?”
Bry shrugs. “I honestly don’t know.” He leans forward on his elbows. “But I’ve been thinking about what went down last night, and it’s time I made my move. Sinner must know my position is compromised if The Arrows warehouse is taken out, so there isn’t anything more I can do. That will neuter the bastards, and while they’ll retaliate, it won’t be immediate because they won’t have enough firepower to come back at you.”
“He’s expecting you to hand him the rat. What do you plan to do there?” I inquire, remembering Bry’s initiation tasks.
He shrugs. “I guess it depends on who he is and how forthcoming he is with us.”
“We offer him up to Sinner on a platter if he refuses to play with us, and if he does, we’ll need to find a scapegoat to offer in his place,” I suggest.
“You’re all in now?” Saint asks, dropping one of the boxes on the ground.
“I am.”
“That’s good,” I say, when no one else speaks. We have to give Bry the benefit of the doubt at this stage.
“I expect the bullshit to end.” Bry drills Saint with a loaded look. “I’m one of you. Period.”
“You need to switch schools,” Caz says, dumping the second box.
“I know,” Bry agrees. “My parents won’t approve, but I’ll smooth things over.”
We help Theo unpack the boxes, and then we get in position. Theo adjusts the coordinates of the infrared surveillance software so it’s fixed on the meeting point down below, testing that the recording mechanism works. Satisfied, he hands us a set of binoculars each before Caz helps him to prop up a large stabilized binocular on a stand.
I set my AR-15 on its stand and set it off to the side. No one expects I’ll need it, but we felt it was best to come prepared, in case this is an ambush and we come under fire.