Page 44 of Last Man Standing

When I sent those same GPS dots to Mav, I knew he’d wake to my updates this morning and do the right thing. He’ll prepare the family.

But now the time has come, and if Lincoln Castro calls my phone one more fucking time and interrupts the soft music playing over the stereo, I might wring his neck. So when his name flashes on my screen, I hit the green button on my steering wheel, but I turn the volume down as low as I can get it.

“Finally!”

“Don’t shout,” I cut in calmly. Deadly. “Don’t screech. Don’t Castro all over the place. Your sister’s sleeping, and if she wakes up because you’re carrying on like a little bitch, that’s gonna be on you.”

He snaps his mouth closed, audibly clicking his teeth and silencing his bull-like breathing.

He listens. Who knew he was capable?

“Scar’s asleep?”

“Yes.” I peek across and study her plump bottom lip poked forward, her long, dark lashes settled delicately on her cheeks. She wears her hair in a high ponytail, but because of her posture, it hangs forward so the ends tickle the underside of her jaw. “She’s safe. We’re still driving. She needs the sleep, so don’t bring your bullshit to me right now.”

He breathes out a shuddering breath. The dude calms himself, regulating his bad temper and reining that shit in. “Where are you?”

“Same freeway as my last notification. About five hundred clicks east of Nichols’ house. Where are you?”

“Colorado,” he grits out. “You hung up and took my sister away. I didn’t wanna get on a plane and risk having to turn my phone off in case you needed to call me.”

“You mean Nova convinced you to shut up and listen to me?” I counter. “Keep the net wide. Don’t panic.”

“Mmm.” He exhales a tired groan and opens a rattling fridge door. “I’m calm now.”

Liar.

“I’m gonna dig in as best I can today. Try to figure out who this motherfucker is. In the meantime, my house in Mount Gaines has wraparound security cameras, so I’m able to keep an eye on things over there, too.”

“Nichols’ house?”

“No.” He closes the fridge again. “My house. The one behind the trees. Whoever this guy is might wanna take a peek at Nova’s house, and if he does that, he might kill the power like he did here. My purchase of the place next door isn’t common knowledge, and there isn’t a soul on this planet who knows how extensive my security system is. Even if he swings by and cuts the power to Nova’s house, it won’t affect our view.”

“Good.” I peek to my right to get my next hit of this woman whose beauty pisses me off. But instead of watching her sleep, I get caught up in her sleepy-eyed gaze. My heart slams against my diaphragm as she slow-blinks and reveals a pair of bright-blues made more stunning by the glare of the slowly rising sun. “Hey.” I reach across and drag her hand away from her mouth. She’s barely conscious, and she’s already abusing her nails. “Your brother’s on the phone.”

“Scar?” Lincoln’s voice grows louder. “Hey, honey. You there? Speak, so I know.”

“I’m here.” Her voice is drowsy and thick. Her body, curled and stiff. Drawing a deep breath, she sets her hands on the seat and unravels herself from the knot she tied herself into. She glances out the windows, hers and mine, then she looks to the front again and brings her hand up.

I catch her wrist before she makes it all the way. Bring her arm down. Release.

Because I have absolutely no business touching.

“Gimme a sec to wake up properly.” She squeezes her eyes shut and yawns so wide, so deep, she makes that shit contagious and sends her yawn germs my way. “Where are you, Linc?”

“Colorado.” He scrubs a hand noisily over his stubble. “I need you to tell me what to do, Scar. Tell me how to help you. Because you’re all the way over there, I’m all the way over here, and six months ago, I could’ve sworn anyone in Tank’s truck was dead meat. Now you’re that person. Nova’s telling me to trust him. And he’s telling me to trust him. But…” He releases a desperate groan. “I don’t know what to do.”

Do you trust me, Princess? Do you think I’ll do the right thing by you?

Like she can hear my questions, her gaze comes around and warms the side of my face.

Do you trust me, Scar?

“I-I think everything’s okay. We’re just driving, like he said.”

“Driving where?”

She reaches up and traps her nail between her teeth, so I lean across and pull it down again. But this time, I grab her bag and dump it on her lap. Yanking the zipper open, I snatch her pencil case out, then I unzip that, too, and select a pen for her to work with.