The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

“What’s going on here?” Tristan decided to speak up, none the wiser. But she was alert as she asked, “What’s been going on for a while? Because something’s been going on. I know that much. Does it have to do with Mandy? Is Mandy okay?”

“She’s fine and it has nothing to do with Mandy.” I promised.

“Tray, what’s up?” Carter tried a different tactic.

“Nothing. You guys should just go, okay?” Tray sounded tired, which he had a right. But, watching him, I knew he’d get a lot more on his plate before the end of the night.

“But—”

“Fucking leave, alright!” Gentley rasped out. “Holy fuck, you people are annoying. He said to leave, so fucking leave.”

Amber looked indignant, but Carter read the message when Tray didn’t speak up against Gentley. Carter grabbed Amber’s arm and led her outside with Tristan trailing behind, but not before sending me a quelling glance.

I turned away.

“What’d you find out, Taryn?” Trent was the one who asked. All three were watching me, but I cut my eyes to Tray. He read the message immediately because he said, “We got an empty warehouse, that’s it. So you guys can leave until we find out more. Trust me, we’ll be moving on whatever we find but right now—that’s nothing. So leave.”

Trent was about to argue, but Gentley must’ve thought better of it because he grabbed Trent’s arm and jerked his head to the door.

Trent wearily accepted and followed, reluctantly.

The door closed shut, an echoing sound.

And Tray asked quietly, “So what did you find?”

I looked up and met his gaze. He knew I found something, it was the only reason I would’ve come back as quickly as I had. But I was reluctant to say it. But I did anyway.

“Your brother’s on the video. He’s with a girl.”

Tray froze.

And then he stormed out to the library.

From the force Tray pushed through the door, Props fell over in his chair, startled. It would’ve been funny in any other circumstance, but Tray’s eyes were riveted on the screen where an enlarged image had been froze in place.

Tray shut down. In that second, I knew he’d shut down. Everything else, even when Galverson had shown up, Tray hadn’t shut down. He’d gotten through it, but this time—it scared me.

Tray scared me.

The situation scared me.

“Tray,” I whispered hoarsely.

“That’s Chance,” he said, “and that’s Lily.”

Chance was with Galverson’s daughter. I’d already figured it out.

“Tray, I’m—”

“If you say you’re sorry, I will—” But he didn’t finish the threat.

“I’m understanding,” I only said. It was true. I’d lost Brian. I might lose Grayley and Tray was just reminded, in video animation, what he’d walked away from a long while ago: his family.

“Uh,” Props squeaked out, terrified, “I stamped the time for when they went inside and when they left. It was today, at 6:03 p.m. They left exactly twelve minutes later.”

Chance was in town. Tray’s brother was in Pedlam, a mere four hours before we’d gotten there

And Chance had waltzed in, unannounced, but still allowed. He was either undercover or he was working with Jace.