The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 172

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

The Other Wasn’t

62

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ZANE

The address came just after midnight.

Just a location deep in the woods, farther out than the first cabin.

I barely slept.

By late afternoon I was already dressed in black: fitted long-sleeve shirt, dark jeans, boots. Nothing that would catch light or slow me down.

My phone was fully charged and a small knife sat in my boot.

I wasn’t supposed to bring anything, but I didn’t care what Hayes preferred.

I stood in the middle of my room and looked at the small brown bear sitting on my desk. I picked him up, staring at the uneven stitching on his left ear.

“We’re bringing her home tonight,” I said quietly.

Then I pressed a short, rough kiss to the top of his head and set him back down.

A soft knock sounded at the door before it opened.

My mother stepped inside. Her eyes moved over me-the all-black clothes, the tension in my shoulders-and something tight pulled at her expression.

“Zane…”

I didn’t say anything.

She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me. I stood rigid for half a heartbeat before one arm came up around her shoulders. She held on tighter.

“Bring her back,” she whispered.

“I will.”

She eased back just enough to meet my eyes.

“Jason’s here.”

I wasn’t surprised. “Send him up.”

She nodded, then paused at the door. “Zane… be careful.”

“I will.”

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10:22 Fri, Aug 7

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

The door clicked shut behind her. Barely a minute later another knock came.

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Jason walked in looking almost as wrecked as I felt. He hadn’t bothered pretending he’d slept either. His gaze landed briefly on Patches before returning to me.

“They got the address.”

I nodded. “They did.”

He drew a slow breath. “I’m going.”

I leaned against the dresser. “You’re telling the wrong person.”

His brow furrowed.

“I don’t decide who goes,” I explained.

“I don’t care about the police.” His eyes locked on mine. “If Astra’s out there…” His jaw tightened. “…I’m not sitting at home.”

I gave a short nod. “I’m not stopping you.”

His shoulders eased a fraction.

“But don’t expect Hayes to let you anywhere near Mercer.”

Jason let out a humorless laugh. “I figured.”

We left the house twenty minutes later.

The meeting point was a closed industrial lot on the edge of the city, far from any cameras or traffic. Three unmarked vans and two black SUVs were already waiting under the weak glow of a single floodlight. Officers in dark tactical gear moved between the vehicles in quiet, efficient patterns.

Hayes stood near the lead SUV with a tablet in his hand. The second he saw me, his expression tightened.

Then his eyes shifted to Jason and he didn’t look pleased.

“Ashton,” he said as we approached. “I told your father the perimeter team is already in place. You were supposed to stay-”

“I’m not staying anywhere,” I cut in.

Hayes exhaled through his nose, then nodded toward Jason. “And what is he doing here?”

I shrugged once, completely unbothered. “Don’t know.”

Hayes’s glare sharpened. “Don’t play with me tonight.”

Jason stepped forward before the detective could continue.

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10:22 Fri, Aug 7

The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback

គ. 62,

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“I’m here for the same reason he is,” he said evenly. “Astra Hawthorne is my… was my girlfriend. I’m not sitting at home while this happens.”

Hayes looked between the two of us, jaw working.

“This is a controlled operation,” he gritted out. “Not a field trip for every boy who’s ever had feelings for the victim. Both of you will remain in the secondary vehicle at a designated distance. You do *not* approach the house. You do *not* engage. Am I clear?”

Jason answered first. “Clear.”

I didn’t.

Hayes’s eyes narrowed on me. “Ashton.”

“I heard you,” I said.

It wasn’t the same as agreeing.

Hayes studied me for another long second, then turned toward one of the officers.

“Put them in the second SUV. If either of them moves without order, cuff them.”

He looked back at us one last time. “Get in the car.”

I walked past him without another word. Jason fell into step beside me, the silence between us saying everything we already knew.

Orders were one thing.

What actually happened once we reached that house would be another.

“Everyone.”

Hayes’s voice cut cleanly across the lot. The conversations around the command post faded as officers gathered around the folding table. An aerial map of the meeting site lay spread across it, held in place by flashlights and spare magazines. Harsh floodlights washed over the scene, carving deep shadows across tired

faces.

Landon stepped into the circle. He wore a charcoal overcoat over a black suit, his face carefully controlled- the kind of composure that took effort to maintain.

Hayes tapped the map once.

“Abandoned rest stop. One way in.” His finger traced the narrow forest road. “One way out. Mercer chose it because he thinks he owns the terrain.”

A tactical officer spoke up. “Aerial recon’s clear. No obvious explosives. No secondary structures within three hundred metres.”

Hayes nodded and kept going, voice calm but absolute.

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