A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 1)

“Hey!” I shouted at him, but it didn’t matter. Krein disappeared around a door and my arm was taken in a hold again. The guard led us further down the hallway until we were shown in to a big room. It was empty. A few tables were set up in one corner, but no one was in there. The floors were made of cement. The lights barely worked and it looked like the floors had recently been hosed down. Puddles of water were spread out all over.

I didn’t want to ask what that room was for. As soon as we were inside, I pulled my arm from the guard.

He protested.

I pointed to the table. “I’m going to sit. I’m not going anywhere.”

He frowned, but kept quiet. Tray followed me and I was relieved when the two guards remained by the door.

It wasn’t long before the door opened again and Krein led the group in. He walked towards me and spread his arms wide. “I deliver, Taryn. I always deliver. You can remember that for the future.”

I sighed in relief when I saw Mandy run around him and head towards me. Catching her in my arms, I hugged her tight. Her arms wrapped around me. I cupped the back of her head, holding her close. “Taryn, thank you so much.”

Four guards walked around us, carrying Samuel. He was laid out on the table and Amber went to him, crying, as she held his hand. The others sat around him. I was going to ask Krein if they could help with Samuel’s wounds, but a first aid kit was brought over and two of the guards started treating him before I could ask. Krein stopped beside us. “So this one’s your sister?”

Mandy stepped away, brushing away her tears, burrowing under my arm closer to me.

I nodded. “She is.” She stiffened next to me, and if she could get any closer to me, she would’ve. She was terrified of him. I was about to ask if Samuel needed an ambulance when the door on the opposite end opened.

Everyone stopped. The guards froze. Krein’s light-hearted attitude fled, and I turned to see who had entered.

Jace. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a black shirt that clung to him. A gun was holstered on his side and he held a radio in one hand. He looked at the group with one glance and scowled. “Get ‘em out, Krein. No parties. Not tonight.”

“Jace,” he started.

He wasn’t listening. He started towards the door Krein and the group had come through. “I mean it. I want them out. Now.”

Krein called after him, “Even Matthews?”

Jace was reaching for the door, but stopped and swung those piercing eyes my way. He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then Tray stepped up beside me. “We’ll get out of here as soon as we get our friend.”

Jace narrowed his eyes and started for us. “Evans.”

Tray gave him a tight nod in return. His gaze met mine for a second. I felt his warning in them again, but he turned and went to Samuel. The group helped him to his feet and then towards the exit door.

“My friends were here,” I told Jace. “That’s the only reason I’m back. I’ll leave as soon as we have them all.”

Krein asked, “I thought this was all of them?”

“We have one more.”

“My brother,” Amber spoke up. “Can I go with you?”

Krein waited for Jace’s approval.

He nodded. “Take her with you, find her brother, and then get all of them out of here.” He was staring right at me as he stressed the word all. I clamped my mouth shut, feeling a burst of anger. I wanted to say something. I didn’t, but I wanted so damn much to tear into him.

Amber headed after Krein, but she turned around and her eyes raked Jace up and down. When she finished her perusal, she ducked through the door. The noises from the club filled the room for a moment. It faded when the door shut once more. I looked around. Mandy had gone with the group out the exit door. The guards went with Krein. It was only Jace and myself.

He didn’t waste time. “Did you really only come because of your friends?”

I flushed and narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you calling me a liar? It was my sister, Jace. You know how I am with family loyalty.”

Unlike him. That was the unspoken message. He received it, and his glare lessened. Then he asked, his voice softer, “Are your friends okay?”

“I don’t really care about any of them except my sister.” I paused. “And Tray.”

“Evans.”