Queen of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #4) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,107

focus on the fact that we were leading the soldiers away from her too. This was what it took to keep her safe and that was all I cared about.

We walked down the street outside with our little group of soldiers and were directed to climb up into the back of a huge, covered army truck where there were already a bunch of people inside waiting for it to leave.

I hesitated a moment before climbing the steps, wondering if I'd ever feel totally comfortable in the company of strangers again or if I'd forever be left with this niggling sense of nervousness when it came to interacting with people I didn't know. Months of lockdown and fearing the Hades Virus had definitely changed my outlook on the world. It had made me more thankful for the things I had, more appreciative for the things I'd once taken for granted and had shown me just how easily the entire world could be thrown into turmoil. Yeah, the virus had changed a whole hell of a lot, but we'd survived it, so I guessed we were doing better than some and I was determined to come out the other side of this crisis stronger for it.

I dropped onto one of the benches and Saint took the seat beside me while Kyan and Blake sat opposite us, all of us sporting the same grim looks as we were forced to leave our girl behind.

"Before you ship out, we need all of you to take a look at this flyer and let us know if you've seen this girl anywhere in the last few weeks," Sergeant Jeffers called out, handing the flyer to Saint and making my damn heart skip a beat as I spotted the photograph of Tatum in her school uniform.

Saint didn't even blink of course, studying the picture for a few seconds before shaking his head and passing it to me. I gave it a long look then muttered a no before passing it to the guy closest to me.

Blake yawned widely as the thing made its way around the truck and I couldn't help but side-eye everyone who looked at it. We'd been damn careful to stay out of sight since arriving here, but you could never be totally sure that we'd gone undetected. What if someone had seen her when she and Blake had run off to go visit his father? Or when we were coming in and out of the building? What were we going to do if those army assholes strode back into that movie theatre and hauled her out here? Was I about to get myself shot down trying to wrestle her from their arms?

I tried not to think about how that might play out, but it was impossible. My life was worth offering in sacrifice for Tatum Rivers. After I’d seen how weak and hurt she was by Troy Memphis’s people, there was no way I was letting him get near her again. But I prayed death wouldn’t be what it cost me to save her, because I still planned on being there when Troy fell from grace, wetting my hands in his blood and marking his death on my body for Mom and Michael.

The flyer made it back around to Blake and he gave it to Kyan last who released a low whistle.

"Holy hell, if you find her can you give her my number?" he asked with a grin. "She looks like the kind of girl I could have real fun getting naked with."

"She's hot as fuck," Blake agreed and Sergeant Jeffers snatched the flyer back from them.

"She is also a wanted woman who may have had a hand in releasing the Hades Virus into the world, so perhaps you should be choosier about who you want to stick your cock into," he snapped.

"Well I could still hate fuck her pretty good," Kyan reasoned. "But I can't guarantee she'd come quietly - get it?"

Sergeant Jeffers huffed a breath of frustration which momentarily fogged his visor before he hopped out of the truck and thumped the side of it a couple of times to get the driver going and we took off down the street. It was a relief to know they’d bought our bullshit, but the knot of tension in my chest still didn’t ease.

"I don't like this," I muttered, my voice so low that only the other Night Keepers would be able to hear me.

"She's a strong and capable woman," Saint replied as