Page 104 of Swerve (Boosted Hearts 1)

Panic bubbled up inside me as he explained me what happened.

Oh God. Oh Shit.

“I’ll meet you at the agency.” I disconnected.

Grabbing the thumb drive, I shoved it in my bag, grabbed the keys to my car, and headed out the door. I needed to get to the agency.

Please be okay.

He had to be okay.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Ruby

Van and Jude stood around me and the computer in Van’s office, eyes on the monitor.

They didn’t look happy.

“What the hell is this? What’s going on?” I was holding it together, barely.

Whoever had Neco was capable of anything. Jesus, they’d rained bullets at the guys from the agency, using Neco’s body as a human shield, to get away.

He was still missing.

God, had they killed him?

No. Fuck that. If he were dead, I’d know it. I’d know.

Hunter had gone after them at the scene, but so far nothing, he’d lost them. No one knew what was going on, why they’d taken Neco. Van had assured me that if they didn’t want something, they would more than likely have just killed him and run. Taking him hostage meant there was room to bargain. I wasn’t sure I believed him. They could have just used Neco as their ticket to safety once they realized the whole thing was a setup, but I knew he was trying to stop me from panicking. Too late for that.

“Scott and your mother were an item?” Jude rumbled, disgust written all over his face, then his eyes lifted to Van. “Fuck.”

“The whole situation with you and Scott, it felt off from the beginning,” Van said, something dark and terrifying moving though his almost black eyes. “With you, they changed their MO. This Mom, she befriended the girls, got an in, then set up the cameras. In your case, Scott set the cameras up when he moved in with you two years ago. From the information we got from Tomas, and how long Mom has been lower management, in charge of recruiting these girls, I’d say you were more than likely their first.” His eyes locked on me. “Ruby . . .”

I shook my head, not wanting to accept what he was about to say, but knowing it was true. “My stepmother has Neco, doesn’t she?” I rasped.

“That would be my guess.”

Oh God. My hands flew to my mouth. I felt physically ill. “She set me up, sent some guy into my world, let him put cameras . . . in my room. Let him take advantage of me when I was too damn drunk to know what I was doing and film it. What kind of sick twisted monster is she?”

But I knew the answer. I’d lived with her for the better part of my life. I knew how cruel and sick she could be. How she took pleasure in other people’s pain. “Jesus, she was going to sell me to that asshole.” My fingers curled into fists. “What about Edwards? Was he there as well?”

Van shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Van held my stare. “Neco and Zeke went to his penthouse, looking for something on this guy, information on who was behind the cameras in your room. Shit went down and Edwards was shot . . . so was Zeke.”

Oh God.

“Zeke’s fine,” he said quickly. “Edwards on the other hand . . .”

“He’s dead?”

“Tried to finish Zeke off, but Neco stopped him.”

Which meant he had more blood on his hands, because of me.