SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 34
I stared through the glass, watching the partygoers filling our club. My eyes searched for the one person I knew wouldn’t be here. Just like every day for nearly the past month, I’d hoped she would just show up like she did the last time she disappeared. But I knew that wouldn’t happen. She was gone and wasn’t coming back.
Not that I blamed her. What we did to get her to run was about as low as we could have gotten. I never expected her to get the slip on us and hold us hostage while she burned our fucking cars. The one thing we had to track her was left at her apartment when she fled. We’d known where she was living for a while but wanted to save it for when we needed it. Not that it did any good—she still got the drop on us.
“Vic and Juan are on their way,” Kade told me, coming to stand next to me. “They’re going to want an update about her.”
I scoffed. “What update? It’s been a month. She’s fucking gone.”
“You really think she’s done with us after calling last week?” Kade raised an eyebrow at me. “She’s probably making a plan to come back and murder us in our sleep.”
“She had a chance to do that,” I muttered before taking a sip of my beer. “She left us alive.”
He shook his head. “We’ll see her again. Not sure if it will be a good thing.”
I shifted my gaze back to the club floor, my lips tipping in a grin when I saw Rylan walking to a table. He’d been showing up more often than usual since Mili had disappeared. He was hoping she’d come back too. The smile faded when I heard the back door open. When I turned around, Vic and Juan were already halfway across the room, getting drinks from the bar.
“Any word from her?” Vic asked.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
We hadn’t told them about her calling. It didn’t mean anything, anyway. They were pissed about what she did to us. They didn’t have the entire story, but they knew she’d drugged us and left us cuffed there until members of the crew found us. They saw her as a threat and wanted it under control.
“I don’t want to have to worry about her coming back and trying to fuck with the crew,” Juan muttered, settling on the couch.
“It’s not the crew she’ll go after,” Kade bit out. “It’ll be us.”
“You’ll be running this crew when we retire,” Vic shot back. “Dealing with her falls on you either way.”
“She’s just one girl—”
“She’s not,” Kade snapped. “Underestimating her is what got us here. Leave her alone, and she’ll do the same with us. We lost the chance for extra money, but who gives a fuck? We make enough on our own.”
Juan frowned. “It wasn’t just money. It was connections.”
“We have enough of those too,” Kade ground out. “She’s gone. Not coming back. The last time we tried finding her, it didn’t happen until she sought us out two years later. I’m not wasting any more of my damn time on her.”
His shoulders were tense, and I didn’t say anything. He might have been acting like he was glad she was gone, but he thought about her just as much as I did. Our story with her didn’t feel over. Or maybe I just didn’t want it to be. She fucking hated us, yet I couldn’t make myself feel the same about her.
“A group reached out to work with us,” Vic said, changing the subject. “They worked with that guy, Ryan.”
My ears perked up at that. “The guy Mili knew?”
“The guy she killed,” Juan shot back. “But yes. They want help on a job and are willing to pay a lot.”
Unease skated up my spine as Kade and I exchanged a glance. Mili had killed the guy for a reason. Was it really because he screwed her over, or was there another reason? I wasn’t sure we’d ever find out.
“I’m not sure why you’re acting like the choice is only up to you two,” Juan said, a frown on his face. “We already accepted. We’ll meet with them in a couple of weeks to go over details.”
I didn’t argue, deciding we’d do our own research on them before the meeting. We usually did that for any new meetings anyway. My attention drifted back down to the club, and I noticed Rylan was staring at the glass. He couldn’t see me, but it was clear he was trying to get our attention.
“Is that all?” I clipped out, pulling on my leather jacket.
Vic scowled. “That’s it. If you hear anything from the girl, you tell us.”
I jerked a nod before bounding down the stairs. Booming music met me, and I pushed through the crowd, stopping in front of Rylan’s table. People were already sneaking glances at us, and I cocked my head, grinning.
“Need something?” I drawled, taking the chair across from him. “You know, people are going to start talking if you keep showing up here.”
“Has she contacted you?”
I swiped my tongue across my lip ring. “And if she has? What does that have to do with you?”
He hesitated. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Believe me, she’s fine,” I grumbled. “Like I told you last time, she’s gone for good. Stop fucking pouting and get over it.”
Annoyance flared in his eyes, and he stood up, purposely knocking his drink over on the table. I jumped up, moving before it could hit my jacket.
“Her leaving is your fault,” he sneered. “Yours and Kade’s.”
I bit back a reply, seeing how pissed he was. We didn’t need to bring any more attention to us than he already had.
“Go home, Mayor.” I glanced over my shoulder as I walked away. “All you’re doing is ruining your reputation by being here. You really want to do that, just ask, and I’ll do it for you.”
If he replied, I didn’t hear it as I went to the bar. Kade was already there, his gaze going behind me, most likely looking at Rylan. I sat next to him and ordered a drink. Life was going back to normal. Once Rylan calmed the fuck down, all would be right in Ridgewood again.
Too bad that wasn’t what I wanted.