Free Prey by cassanna dwight Page A

all.”
    Nae clutched the sheet tighter in her
fist. The flush of heat started at her neck. “Woke up alone. Sorry,
I can’t help you.”
    Gunter rubbed his chin. “We can’t find
Trace either.”
    “ Who is Trace?” Nae lifted
her shoulders.
    La leaned back in the cushions. “You
met him, my brother from another mother and daddy, too. Come to
think of it. Ya know tall, silent, and brooding.”
    “ Ohhh. Yeah, no I got
nothing.” Nae pressed her lips together. “Regardless since you’re
here I need a lift to the airport.”
    “ Why?” Ari cocked his
head.
    “ To take a flight.” Nae
dipped to put the lamp down. “I need to go home.” She waved her
hands. “All of this is beyond my realm of… Hell, I want to go
home.”
    Ari’s eyebrows came together. “I
wasn’t asking why you needed a ride. Your SUV is parked in the
driveway.”
    “ Oh. Well then, it was
great meeting you all.” Nae backed up.
    Gunter cleared his throat. “As
entertaining as it might be to watch El finally lose it, this isn’t
the time to push his buttons.” He leaned forward on his knees. “Get
dressed. I bet El and Trace are probably at the bar. You can work
out your issues with El, and then maybe the rest of us can get down
to business.”
    “ I think I like my
original plan.” Nae lifted her chin.
    “ It wasn’t a request.”
Gunter rose and took a few steps in her direction before stopping
and smiling. “We’ll wait right here for you. El would murder me if
I let something happen to you.”
    Nae pursed her lips. “Sure, let me get
my clothes.” She shuffled deeper into the mouth of the hallway
before turning her back and seeking out the bedroom she’d shared
with El.
    She pressed the door shut
with a soft click, flipped the tiny switch in the middle of the knob, and then
turned around to survey the room. Sunlight poured in from the
single window, brightening the area. The night stand was on its
side, and the contents littered across the floor. Linear black
marks marred the walls where the metal headboard had gouged the
surface. The mattress was lying cockeyed, off the box spring and
half on the floor. Long multiple slits split the tufted material at
awkward angles. The fabric had curled away from the cuts to expose
the cotton padding and springs. Bedclothes were in a tangled heap
and partially hung over the footboard. A touch of blue in the
corner caught her eye. She dropped the sheet and rushed over to
pick up her jeans. Her phone tumbled out of her pocket, and she
swiped her finger over the blank screen.
    It didn’t flash on. She
rubbed harder and realized it was completely dead. Tossing it to
the floor, she lifted her jeans up and stuffed one leg, and then
the other into the denim pants. She spun in a circle looking for
her blouse. Fuck it . She ran to the closet and snatched it open. A few suits
hung in the back along with a couple of club vests, T-shirts and
polo’s filled the front in a myriad of colors. She yanked a shirt
off the hanger and hurried to put it on. One way or another, she
was getting the hell up out of there without the goon squad on her
heels.
    Tiptoeing to the door, she placed her
ear on the wood and listened. Boisterous laughter confirmed her
jailers were still in the house. Careful to skirt the various items
on the floor, she made her way across the room to the window and
said a prayer it would open. She fit her fingers beneath the ledge
and heaved. No movement. Nae reared back and studied it. She struck
the heel of her hand on her forehead, and then reached out and
flicked the latch on top of the pane. The glass went up smoothly. A
few taps at the corners of the screen, and the panel popped out,
dropping into the shrubbery below before she could catch it. The
faint metallic bang made her glanced over her shoulder at the
bedroom door. When nothing happened, she sat on the window sill,
pulled her legs in tight against her, and worked her way around to
face the outside.
    She jumped.
    The iron