Unwritten Rules (Rules 1)

“No, Rose, just drop it.”

“It’s another fight?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

There was no response.

“Yeah, okay, got it. Don’t call me ever again.”

“Rose, wait—”

The line went dead.

“Really? A booty call? That’s all we get? I thought tapping the phone was supposed to be the answer,” Kendrick critiqued.

“It is.” Haze paused. “The number who sent Winter those text messages will lead us right to the person responsible. It’s the fastest way to track them. All we need is a little clue.”

“Then what?” Will asked.

“We wait. Even if we do find out who’s responsible, we can’t just attack without preparation. We don’t know where they’re keeping her. Or how many of them there are.”

Devon looked at Haze and motioned to get closer to the table, pointing at his computer screen.

“The booty call happened an hour before the fight and Winter’s kidnapping,” Haze read out loud.

Haze locked eyes with Devon, and he didn’t need to speak for him to understand.

“We got another call.”

Crackling noises.

A couple of rings.

Then a voice.

“Hey, man. I just wanted to call and let you know that… well… rumors are spreading.”

“About what?”

“You know what. The girl’s really starting to be a problem.”

A long silence followed.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Thanks, Tanner.”

The line disconnected.

“I—” Haze opened his mouth to speak but ended up closing it.

He immediately pulled himself together like he’d realized that this was not the time to have a “damn it, my brother’s evil” moment.

“How could you not recognize your brother’s number?” Kendrick finally asked.

“I don’t have this one registered in my phone. He’s got two different lines apparently.”