Runaway (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 4)

“Are you sure this is where Oscar disappeared?” Harry asked as he warily eyed the long row of houses to one side of the street.

Jasper studied the warehouse at the far end of the street beyond w

hich lay a thicket beyond which was God only knew. It was so dark he was struggling to see his own hand in front of his face, but they had no choice but to do what they came to do.

“Just stay as close to me as possible,” he murmured to Molly for about the thousandth time since they had left the safe house.

Molly edged closer. Now that she was in Rigley Row she was starting to doubt the wisdom of her insistence she come with them. She was slightly surprised that the men had agreed to it. They were, after all, the Star Elite, an elite fighting force. They could search for her brother without her, but seemed to realise that they would struggle to get Oscar to return to the safe house.

“Why? Why leave this here?” Oliver growled as he studied the empty windows of the partially derelict warehouse. “I wonder what it was used for?”

“It isn’t what it was used for that is the problem, it is what it is used for now that we need to think carefully about. God knows what is lurking in there,” Niall retorted.

“Anybody could hide in that thicket,” Harry added with a nod toward the thick cluster of bushes at the end of the road.

“It might have been a part of the warehouse,” Phillip suggested. “But for some reason it has been abandoned.”

“It is overlooked, isn’t it?” Molly said.

“What do you mean?” Jasper asked.

“Well, nobody would be able to do much in here without at least a dozen pairs of eyes noticing. Look at how tightly packed those houses are. They are undoubtedly full of people. Some of the rooms in those buildings probably have more than one family living in them. It is inevitable that people will be on the lookout for strangers.”

“Like us,” Niall agreed with a nod.

“At least there are plenty of ways out of here if someone does appear and challenges us,” Harry said with no small measure of relief.

Molly glanced down when Jasper captured her hand in his. She immediately copied his movements when he interlaced his fingers with hers until they were holding hands. It was an intimate display of togetherness that left everyone well aware that nothing was going to separate them. Further, it made her feel infinitely safer to have some sort of contact with him. Their gazes met. He winked at her. Molly smiled and edged closer. It was startling just how right it felt to be this close to him, and not bother to hide their connection.

In that moment, although Molly didn’t know it, she effectively became one of them; a member of the Star Elite the men would do everything to protect. That also changed the status of Oscar, who also became one of theirs, and someone they had to retrieve at all costs.

Molly frowned at the way the men were all looking at each other. It felt as though they were having a silent conversation that only they could hear. She had to wonder what kind of secrecy they were used to.

“How do you do that?” Molly asked when the men began to make hand signals to each other.

“Practice, and years of working together,” Jasper replied but didn’t explain to her what they meant.

Molly didn’t ask. She suspected it was best not to know.

“Are we going to stand out here all night?” she asked.

“We are giving them time to get bored,” Jasper replied casually.

Molly blinked at him. “Them who?”

Jasper nodded at something over her shoulder. Molly turned to look. “Who are they?” she breathed.

She clung tightly to Jasper’s hand as she eyed the two young men who blatantly stared at them from the corner of the warehouse. She had no idea where they had come from. They made no attempt to approach, but their presence was no less sinister.

“What do you think they want?”

Jasper leaned down so he could talk directly into her ear. “The people who inhabit Rigley Row usually come out at night when most people are tucked up in bed and people and properties are at their most vulnerable.”

“We are on their turf,” Niall whispered.

“They are probably on their way to work,” Oliver growled.

“Doing what?” Molly lifted her brows and wondered if she should have asked.