Caught In Between

XXVI. The Alliance

Asher's POV:

The dial tone fills the air, the three beeps seem to last forever as William and I stand in silence, trying to process what we've just heard.

"She's locked at the house right now. There's no way anyone can get in or out. Not without the gate code." William frantically gets his phone out of his pocket, pulling up surveillance footage of the house and speeding through every camera frame.

"I know that voice." His attention turns to me. "That's my mother." Chills erupt over my entire body upon saying that aloud.

"That isn't possible... your parents died."

"I know my mother's voice when I hear it. That's her. She took Brooke."

"Well, let's fucking go! Do you have any idea where she would take her?" He grabs his gun off the coffee table, and I run to my room to grab my handy pistol from my nightstand. I also grab an extra magazine of bullets.

I run back out to the living room, momentarily getting hit by the fact that William and I are no longer trying to kill each other. Instead, we're trying to help each other find Brooke. All that matters right now is Brooke.

"No, but I know of someone who might."

We waste no time in rushing to Williams' car. He gets into the driver's seat, while I take the passenger's. I pull up my phone to the tracker that Dax sent me. Dax has been tracking Josh since I heard the truth about what he did to her the first night she came over. Dax said some shit about how it's way too easy to tap a phone.

I see that Josh's location is very close to Brooke's house. It looks like he's getting closer to her house as if he's walking there.

"Drive to your house. Josh is almost there."

"Josh? What the hell does he have to do with anything?"

"Just fucking trust me! Go."

He doesn't question me this time. He slams his foot on the gas pedal, accelerating the car forward. He hauls ass back to his house. Turing a normally twenty-minute drive into a five-minute drive.

He pulls all the way up to the driveway, roughly slamming on the breaks. He puts the car into park, and we both bolt out. Just as I expected, Josh is standing on the front porch of the house.

I pull my gun out of my waistband, click the safety off, and point the gun directly at his head, my finger itching to pull the trigger.

"Where is she, Josh?" My voice is frigid, my eyes are blazing with fury at him.

"I don't-" He stammers.

"Cut the fucking bullshit. You either tell me exactly where she is right now, or you're gonna get a bullet in your head." When he doesn't speak, I move my finger onto the trigger. "Five, four, three," I slowly count, waiting for him to speak up. "Two, On-"

"Okay! She's with the Deathstalker and the Emperor. They're at that big ass house on the other side of town. I can give you the address. I have it written in my phone." He begins to reach for his pockets.

"Keep your fucking hands up." This time, it's William that speaks up. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that he, too, has his gun pointed at Josh.

Josh raises his hands back up with a fear-stricken expression.

"I-I tried to warn her. I told her, but she didn't listen. She wouldn't-" He begins talking.

"You mean when you threatened her because she wouldn't give you money?" I spit.