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Chapter 4: Riley

I step out of the shower, letting the last of the blood swirl down the drain. It’s a grim sight, but I’ve gotten used to it by now. I towel off, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror—dark circles under my eyes, a fading bruise along my jaw. I don’t even remember how I got that one. Just another day on the job.

After I pull on some clean clothes, I head back to the living room. The house is quiet except for the low murmur of voices drifting down the hallway. It’s big, this place, bigger than what most guys our age would be living in. But we’re not like most guys. We each have our own room, with enough space to breathe, enough distance to keep our heads straight. It’s not exactly homey, but it works.

We’ve got a garage out back with three cars we share between us. Nothing flashy, just practical vehicles that can get us where we need to go and blend in when we need to disappear. The living room is our usual hangout, though, with its battered old pool table in the center and a couple of well-worn couches scattered around. The walls are bare except for a couple of black-and-white photos Danny picked up somewhere—old, gritty shots of city streets and rundown buildings.

Then there’s the office, tucked away in the back. It’s a different world in there, with screens lining the walls, computers buzzing softly, and cables running like veins across the floor. Leo’s the tech guy, and he practically lives in that room, handling the kinds of activities that keep us in the game. From tracking down targets to hacking into systems, he’s got it covered. We all have our roles, and somehow, we make it work.

As I step into the living room, I find Nate, Danny, and Leo leaning over the pool table, talking in low voices. They look up when I walk in, and Danny raises an eyebrow, smirking a little. “All cleaned up?” he asks, his tone light but his eyes serious.

“Yeah,” I mutter, running a hand through my damp hair. “That guy was a piece of work. Thought he could hold out, but he didn’t last long once Nate got involved.”

Nate just shrugs, leaning against the edge of the pool table, arms crossed over his chest. “They always think they’re tougher than they are,” he says, his tone dismissive. “Until they meet me, anyway.”

Leo nods, absentmindedly chalking a cue stick. “Did we get anything useful?” he asks, always the practical one. His mind’s probably already running through the logistics, thinking about what comes next.

I take a breath, crossing the room to grab a beer from the fridge. “He mentioned a school,” I say, twisting off the cap and taking a swig. “Said she goes to Lakewood College. Didn’t give a name, but that narrows it down. She’s a student there, and that’s where they plan to make their move.”

Danny straightens up, a spark of interest in his eyes. “Lakewood? That’s not far. We could be there in under an hour. If we know where she goes, finding her shouldn’t be too hard.”

Leo nods, running his fingers over a cue stick. “I can pull up the student directory,” he says, glancing over at the office. “I’ve got a few connections that could get us access. We’ll know her face before the day’s out.”

Nate cracks his knuckles, a slight grin forming. “So we go after her, right? We get to her before they do, use her as leverage. This is our chance.”

I take another swig, feeling the cold wash away the tension from earlier. “Yeah. We’re not sticking around here forever. This is our shot. We find her and keep her safe until we use her as our ticket out.”

Danny raises an eyebrow, the hint of a smirk on his face. “And what if she’s got people looking out for her? You know how these rich types can be—always someone lurking in the shadows.”

Leo shrugs, setting down the cue stick. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, all we need to do is get to her before they do. If she’s at Lakewood, I’ll have a list of possible names by tonight. We’ll make sure she’s under our watch.”

I look around at the guys, my crew, my family. We’ve been through hell together, and now we’re close to the endgame. The stakes are higher than ever, but we all know what we’re risking. This girl is our way out, and we won’t let anyone get in our way.

For now, we’ll play it smart, track her down, and make our move. Once she’s with us, we can finally start thinking about what life might look like on the other side of all this. But first, we have to find her. And we don’t have much time.

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