Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [18]
Chase wrenched his sweatshirt down. “It’s fine. Looks worse than it is.”
Braden counted backwards from ten. Twice. “Whatever. I’m not having this argument here. I’ll go get the car.”
“I can walk.” Chase pulled away and started up the alley.
“Fine.” Braden focused on keeping his mouth shut around his frustration and matching Chase’s pace as they emerged onto the street.
“I’d have been more fun, sugar.” The blonde from earlier leaned against Braden’s car. She took a long drag from a fresh cigarette and quirked painted lips. “Last chance.”
“Get in, Chase.” Braden felt his brother’s amusement as he slammed into the car and started up the engine.
“I could take the car around the block a few times…” Chase offered.
Braden threw the car into drive and hit the accelerator. “Not a fucking word.”
“Okay, okay.” Chase shut his mouth and relaxed into the soft leather of the passenger seat.
Fifteen minutes and two zip codes later, Braden unlocked his jaw enough to speak.
“What happened?”
“A ’75 Cutlass Supreme.” A crooked grin pulled at the corner of Chase’s mouth. “I think it was brown.”
“Watch it, smart-ass. What happened before that? I haven’t seen or heard from you in four days. You’re lucky I haven’t called Dad.” Braden’s knuckles turned white around the steering wheel.
“I was tracking. You’ll have to forgive me if I forgot my curfew, Mom.” Chase pressed his mouth into a firm line, expressions of exhaustion, pain and annoyance warring for dominance.
“Did you at least locate the asshole?” Braden merged onto the highway, wincing in tandem with his brother when the car ran through a series of potholes obscured by the rain.
“Would I have called you if I hadn’t?” Chase rasped through clenched teeth. When nothing but Braden’s stony silence filled the car he elaborated. “Yes, okay. He’s staying at a motel a few blocks over from where you picked me up. I called Jason—he’s tailing him for now. And before you ask, we still don’t know what he’s doing here.”
“Where does the Cutlass fit in?”
“Markko left the motel a little after eleven last night; I tailed him. I can tell you he’s been here a few days, he was moving pretty quickly, seemed to know where he was going. I was focused on staying out of his range. I didn’t see the Cutlass tearing out of the alley until it was too late.” Chase shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m lucky it only clipped me.”
“That car’s built like a tank. I don’t know how you missed it in the first place.” Braden muttered under his breath. Chase unclenched his fist long enough to flip him off.
“Did anyone see you?” Braden signaled and merged off the highway.
“Nah.”
“You sure? We don’t need that kind of complication.”
“You picked me up, you tell me. Do you really think anyone in that neighborhood gives a rat’s ass if they hit something with their car? Trust me, even if someone saw me, no one gives a shit.”
Probably a fair assessment.
In a neighborhood like that, people were used to looking the other way.
“Fine. Want to explain why it took you more than twelve hours to call me?” After a lengthy pause, Braden cast his brother a sideways glance. “The next words out of your mouth had better be I was unconscious.”
“You’re hoping I had a concussion?” Chase braced himself against the door as the car sped through the intersection. “Ow! Shit, do you mind?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Braden scowled at the hunched form in his passenger seat. “Don’t change the subject. If you weren’t lying unconscious somewhere, then explain what was going through that thick skull of yours when you decided to wander around with broken ribs and a six-inch gash!”
“We both know they aren’t broken! And I did my job! I needed to wait until Jason got here to take over the tail. The minute he showed, I called.”
It was always the damn job with Chase. There had to be a special level