Dream Keeper (Dream Team 4)

Auggie shot up in bed.

And then he shot out of bed.

“I know where they are,” Cisco continued. “We’ve got our eyes on them. Currently, the situation does not seem out of hand. They’re waiting for something, or someone. But I don’t know why they’d take the women or who they’re waiting for. This means I don’t know the state of play or how much time we have. Now we’re either gonna handle this situation together, or I’m gonna handle it alone. That’s your call. But if it’s a together thing, you better get your ass here right away.”

Cisco wasn’t gonna handle it at all, but Aug wasn’t going to get into that with him now.

They’d also get into it later how and why Cisco had Pepper under surveillance, which he obviously did.

Then again, he’d had all the women under surveillance at one time or other. After he’d kidnapped them himself, he’d claimed them along the way. So this wasn’t exactly a surprise.

And with this happening, at this juncture, it wasn’t unwelcome.

“Text me details, I’ll be there ASAP,” he said, yanking on his underwear.

“See you soon,” Cisco stated like he was very much looking forward to that.

Auggie was moving fast.

But that tone from the man called Cisco, who was one thing to their crew, but an entirely different thing on the streets, made him move faster.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sisters

Pepper

This is way not as much fun as I thought it’d be,” Lottie groused.

I could have told her that.

I didn’t tell her that now.

I was too busy watching my brother with Saffron’s boyfriend standing together at the other end of the garage they’d taken us to.

We were on our asses and tied together back-to-back à la characters in a number of TV shows, spy movies and Indiana Jones and his dad (sans the chairs).

I had the feeling, regardless of my current circumstances, that Lottie and I weren’t in danger.

And because of this, I was not scared.

I

Was.

Pissed.

“Didn’t take long to get in on the scam, big brother,” I called out to Birch.

He flicked his glance my way but that was it.

“Can we move this along?” I demanded. “We both have things to do.”

The two men looked at me that time, but it was Birch who spoke.

“We’re waiting for Saffron to get here. She wants to talk to you.”

Okay.

Ummmm…

That flipped me out.

“Saff is in on it too?”

“In on what?” Saffron’s hottie boyfriend almost barked.

Lottie pressed closer to my back.

Yeah, that didn’t sound good.

“Whatever you’re in on,” I said.

“And what’s that?” he asked.

“Chill out, Jon,” Birch muttered.

“I wanna know what she knows,” Hottie Jon said.

“And Saffron’s gonna talk to her,” Birch replied.

“I don’t know anything, by the by,” I lied. “Though, a good way to find out, you know, without jumping us, manhandling us, zip-tying us and shoving us on top of each other in the backseat of a car is to pick up a phone and call. Both you and Saffron have my number.”

“You weren’t answering,” Birch retorted.

“Then you came over, and Aug told you to call me, and I not only didn’t hear from you, you didn’t return my texts,” I pointed out.

He didn’t meet my eyes when he said, “Things got hectic after that.”

Hectic as in he somehow got involved in…

Whatever this was.

“You do know this kidnapping thing is a very bad idea,” Lottie jumped in.

“Saffron will be here soon. She’ll explain. Then you’ll be here for a while. Tomorrow, latest the next day, we’ll let you go,” Birch told us.

Hang on a second.

Tomorrow, maybe the next day?

I felt Lottie’s body jolt at that, but I spoke.

“You’re keeping us here for days?”

“It’ll probably be tomorrow,” Hottie Jon muttered.

“You can’t keep us here for days!” I yelled.

That got Birch looking at me with a Cool it! expression and Saffron’s hottie looking at me with a totally different kind of expression.

One that had me shutting my mouth.

“You can breathe easy or we can gag you. Your choice,” Hottie stated.

“Just hang tight, babe,” Lottie advised. “My guess, we’ll be out of here in an hour.”

Oh man.

This was her first kidnapping, and I was seeing we girls should have given Lottie the Kidnapping 101.

Her words meant both guys continued to watch us, but neither of them had good expressions on their faces.

“Lots,” I mumbled warningly.

“What d’you mean?” Hottie Jon asked Lots.

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

Too quickly.

The hottie looked at me. “What did she mean?”

“Nothing,” I repeated, trying to make it sound more blasé.

“Then why’d she say it?” he asked.

“Because you’re going to let us go,” Lottie covered.

She’d totally been talking about the fact the guys were going to figure out we were here and come to save the day. That was what they did. That was their job.

And in my current position, I could thank God for that.

She kept speaking.

“Because we don’t know what you’re up to and we don’t care. So you’re not gonna make us sit on our asses in this dingy garage for however long it takes you to do whatever it is you’re up to.”