Page 74 of Madness & Mayhem
I swallow, grabbing the clothes in my lap and pressing them against my chest. “Is everything okay?”
He levels me a look. “No.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, walking into the living room.
Kyler and Posie sit on opposite ends of the couch, while Kyler sits in a nearby chair, a class of liquor in his grip.
“Sit down, Lakyn,” Archer mumbles, tipping his glass back. The ice tumbles around, and he lets one slip in his mouth, crunching it aggressively between his teeth.
My knees start to shake, and I walk to the couch, sitting in between Kyler and Posie. I tuck my legs up underneath me, Archer’s sweatpants swimming around my waist. “Tell me what’s going on. Is Reign okay?”
His jaw clenches, and he gives me a single nod. “He is, for the moment.”
Kyler leans back, and I turn to him, watching as he stares at Archer. “We’re lucky there isn’t a death penalty in Maine, or else Reign would be headed straight to the electric chair.”
My fingers go to my neck, and I squeeze at my throat as it clenches uncomfortably. “What?” I whisper.
“Reign was taken to Hellcrest Heights Jail this morning. He’s being transferred to the Cedar Woods County Prison and will be there until his trial. He’s looking at life without parole, Lakyn,” Archer says simply.
I take a deep, shaky breath. Cedar Woods County Prison is about forty-five minutes from here. If he gets there, it’ll be ten times more difficult for him to get out.
“What’s our plan?” I say after a second, glancing at Kyler.
Kyler reclines in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. He leans his head back on the couch cushion, turning his eyes to mine. “We have to get to him before they transport him. They said he will be at the prison tomorrow, so I think we really only have tonight, and that’s it.”
“We’ll need all of us on board. Posie, you need to call Eloise and see if she’s in. There will be a place for each of us. Lakyn, when we give you the go-ahead, you’ll need to be at the back door, waiting for Reign. Once he’s out, you bring him to our car, where Kyler will be waiting. We’ll bring you as close to the border as we can, but then you guys need to go and not look back.”
I nod, fear making my limbs tremble.
“When do we leave?” I croak.
Posie shoves off the couch. “I’ll go call Eloise and see if she can come over here.”
My eyes flit to Archer’s. “Were they here looking for me?”
Archer nods, swallowing down the rest of his drink before he sets it on the table. “They were.”
I bite my lip. “They didn’t find me.”
He nods. “But they know you were here. The unfortunate thing about it being winter is that your footsteps led you directly here.”
My eyes widen, and I lean forward in anxiousness. “And? How did they not find me?”
He tilts his head to the side. “I told them you came here and I sent you away.”
My brow furrows. “They believed you?”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t fucking matter. You weren’t found.”
My body slowly begins deflating. “I want to save him,” I whisper.
He nods, shoving off the couch. “We all do, Lakyn. And that’s what we’re going to do.”
Chapter TWELVE
REIGN
“You can kiss your sorry life goodbye, Reign Whitmore.” The words are lashed in my direction as my face is shoved into the snow. My skin burns from the icy cold, and I scowl as I’m lifted up, police and FBI surrounding me from every direction.