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“But you’re not mad.” There’s a low rumble in the distance that my brain ignores. I’m too busy holding his gaze, my owneyes wide with shock and fear anddenial.“You’re not going to kill me?”

“You already knew about this, anyway.” He nods toward the shed. “You just hadn’t seen it…oh.” He looks up as the rumbling gets louder and carefully reaches out a hand to me with a sigh. “Come on. You might want to be standing forhim.”

Without thinking, I let him pull me to my feet, looking up in time to see the large truck pull into the driveway and park, gravel dust curling through the air behind it. I can hear the loud music from inside, just as well as I can see the man’s lips moving before he turns off the engine, cutting off the music and the loud engine of the truck.

Jed groans as the door opens, shoving his hands into his pockets as he steps away from me, looking guilty. “Perfect timing,” he mutters to his feet, though there’s no real heat in it or actual anger. If anything, he looks…ashamed.

“Uh,Jed?” My heart pounds as the black-haired man gets out of the truck, his shoes scraping in the gravel before he closes the door behind him. “Was she puking while I was driving up here? Please tell me she wants to be here and the shit I heard from Cass aboutkidnappingsome girl you’re freaking out over isn't true. Because honestly?” I look up at him finally, seeing his coal-black hair and brows raise over concerned eyes. “We’re going to have to have an intervention if you’veliterallykidnapped her and aren’t letting her go.”

Chapter

Twelve

When I’m finally able to tear my gaze away from the black-haired man in front of me, a glance at Jed shows me he’s just as surprised and speechless as I am. He shoots me a look, then glances down like he’s ashamed of something, foot scuffing in the dirt.

“Did Cass tell youeverything? Or did you hear I’d kidnapped someone and just floor it all the way up here?” he mutters, shoving his hands in his pockets like a kid who’s been caught doing something wrong. “Surprised you didn’t drive straight through the gate to rescue her, Wren.”

Wren rolls his eyes in exasperation, his attention turning to me. “I’m Wren,” he greets, stepping towards me carefully. He moves gingerly and hesitates, as if he’s afraid I’m going to run away. He stretches one hand out to me, non-threatening and non-lethal, but I just look at it for a few seconds. “I won’t hurt you. He’s not going to hurt you, either.”

Just as carefully, I reach out and take his hand, shaking it loosely before dropping it like a hot potato. “Saylor. Can I askyou something?” I ask, eyes wide as I gaze up at all six-foot-something of him.

“Yeah, of course. Saylor? You can ask me anything.” His eyes pin me in place, their earnest honesty and concern not nearly as nice to look at as Jed’s.

“Are you the one who dumped a body here for Jed to chop up into bits?”

The look of shock on Wren’s face is almost comical. So is the choked, coughing noise that Jed makes as he turns away from the both of us, hand going to cover his face. Wren glares at him, glancing at the shed before looking back at me. “Okay. I’ll bite. Clearly there’s something I don’t know, if you’re asking me shit like that. Where…did you find her exactly, Jed?”

“Well, I didn’t swipe her off the street,” the blond mutters. “You want to come in or something? Feels weird to make her stand in front of the butchering shed when she…” He glances down at my still-drying vomit on the ground, and I wince in embarrassment. “Well, it stinks anyway and I’m tired. Saylor needs something to drink.” He turns his eyes on me once more, a small, hopeful smile curling his lips.

But I can’t return it this time. I can’t get the smell of dead, rotting flesh out of my nose. I can’t get the feel of the chainsaw on the pads of my fingers out of my mind enough to do anything but stare.

“Great. Awesome. Got any food?” Wren walks between us, throwing an arm over Jed’s shoulders and towing him along without a look back at me. I see him lean over and hiss something sharp in Jed’s ear. Something that makes the killer wince, but his tone is too quiet for me to do more than speculate about his words.

But from Jed’s face, he doesn’t like whatever it was Wren said.

I follow them at a short distance, picking at my nails as Wren all but drags Jed along merrily. It’s…something to see him being manhandled by someone much bigger than him, and part of me almost feels bad for my kidnapper.

Jed finally pulls away when we’re inside, going to the kitchen and opening the fridge before he turns and looks at me. “What would you like?” he asks, gesturing to the well-stocked fridge. “Just water to wash your mouth out for now? I can make you something to eat soon, if you feel like it after that?”

Wren makes a noise I can’t identify and sits down hard at the counter in one of the high, stool-like chairs. “Oh man, Jed,” he sighs, leaning forward and running his hands through his mass of black hair. “You have it bad. What did he make you for dinner last night?” He peers up at me from under his hands, grinning, and I freeze in place, confused.

“Umm. Chicken and broccoli Alfredo?” I reply, confused.

Wren whistled. “He made you pasta from scratch already? We’re not holding back, are we, brother?” His grin is wolfish when he looks at Jed, who hunches his shoulders and gives a quick shake of his head before swiping three bottles of water from the fridge and closing it.

“Don’t do that,” he requests, because there’s no way it’s a dare when he says it so…hopefully. Even a request is being generous. “Don’t make her uncomfortable, Wren. This is weird enough for her.”

“Weird isn’t the word I’d use,” I admit, leaning against the back of the sofa, darting a glance at the water bottles in Jed’s hands. He pauses, stopping mid-way when he’d been going to sit, and instead strides across the distance to hold one out to me, smiling slightly as he does.

It makes my heart twist in ways that definitely don’t fit the situation, and I want to bang my head against the nearest wood pillar in the room in response.

“I’m not trying—” Wren trails off with a sigh, his smile falling incrementally as Jed sits down beside him. “Look. You fucked up by kidnapping her. We don’tdothat Jed. Cass said something about it being a bad circumstance, but I want to hear it for myself.”

Jed makes a noise in his throat, stirring as he grips the bottle hard. “Like I told him?—”

“Nah, sorry.” Wren doesn’t take his eyes off me as he talks. “I want to hear it fromher.”

I jolt, probably jumping a few inches as my ribs squeeze down on my heart. My hand trembles as I bring the water bottle to my mouth, swishing it around before swallowing. Thankfully, I’d only heaved up a little bit of bile and nothing worse. I’d hate for it to have been worse. “Why me?” I ask, glad I don’t have to sit. I know I don’t really have anywhere to go, but I feel better standing here instead of sitting there. Especially when my heart thumping in my chest tells me that Wren might be the one to actually kill me.