Page 39 of Frisco

It hit me then. He thought Aly and Harper were in there.

I almost started laughing.

“What?” he asked. His voice was soft, and I couldn't suppress a shiver as I felt it wrap around me in the room.

“This is a motel. A two-star motel. You think I’d bring my friends here?”

“Where are they?”

“At some fancy hotel. New. Built on a golf course.” This motel was the outlier in this town, like how I felt. Fallen Crest was rich. I couldn’t figure how big it was, but when I spotted a Lamborghini and a Ferrari at the same intersection, I knew this town wasn’t anything like Frisco. Millionaires lived here. “This place is nuts.”

“What do you mean?” He went back to the front door, checking the locks before looking in the bathroom. There was no window there. No way out.

He came back, and I shrugged.

“There’s a dying town thirty minutes away from here, and then there’s this one. Doesn’t seem right that they let that town get the way it is. I saw the bones of it. It wasn’t big, I bet, but there was a school. Kids used to be bused there. Where do the kids go now?”

“Here?” He frowned. “Who gives a fuck?”

“I do.”

“We want Frisco the way it is.”

I almost snorted. Figures. Good route for drug transportation. But I didn’t say anything, just nodded. “Why are you here?”

“Why are you here?”

“You know why I’m here.” I paused, and then asked again, because it wasn’t making sense. “Why are you here? I know you. I know my sister. I’d think you’d want me to find her and take her back immediately.”

A hint of a smile showed, but it was gone within a second. “You’re overestimating your ability to talk sense into Claudia. She’s exactly the way I remember her from school.”

Right.

The air in the room chilled. I didn’t like the reasons that came to mind about why he might be in this room with me. My gut clenched. This was about Connor. Had to be.

They’d showed up because of him. Shane was all about him. Any other reason, and he’d handle this differently—whatever this was. He wanted Claudia gone so… Did Claudia know something about why they were involved with Connor in the first place?

“Not like you.”

My mouth went dry. “What do you mean?”

“High school. How you looked out for Connor, endured your sister. How you took care of those friends of yours too. Took one look at you, knew I wanted you.”

“What?”

“Yeah.” He was looking right at me. “Stayed away because of your brother, but gotta admit, you’re the reason I first approached him in class.”

“What?!”

He grinned, it was so faint. “He took one look at me looking at you and told me to keep my pants zipped or he’d take a pencil to my dick.” He snorted. “Gloves has a crazy side. Think that’s why he and I clicked so well, and kept clicking even after he went to prison.”

I drew in a breath. “What are you guys really doing with my brother?” My voice came out as a whisper. I was scared of the answer.

Shane’s eyes stayed steady. “Told you. He helped us out. That’s all.”

“If he helped you out, then why won’t you let me see my sister? I’m assuming that’s why you’re here? You knew I’d be coming back for her.”

He nodded, looking around. “You were going to have your talk here.”