Fallen Crest Forever
Page 45
“Shit, no. Not after hearing she said no.”
I nodded. It sucked. It more than sucked. It burned me raw. “Yeah.”
“You want to go do something stupid? Like we did in high school?”
I glanced over. “Like what?”
But I was going. Whatever he suggested, I needed to slip back into that skin where it was him and me against the world. Everything made more sense then.
“Let’s go find Adam Quinn.” He grinned crookedly at me. “Let’s go light his car on fire.”
I grinned back at him. “Like we did with the Broudous.”
This was wrong.
This was stupid.
This was something we’d do in high school.
I finished my third glass. “I’m in.” I pointed the glass at him. “But just the car. Nothing else. We can’t be that stupid.”
He nodded. “Of course. We’re never dumb.”
We both cracked grins, and I said, “We need a driver.”
As one person, we looked up at the ceiling. We were waking Nate within thirty seconds.
“Hey!” I shoved at his shoulder.
Logan didn’t waste time. He yanked off Nate’s blanket and both of us turned away, in case there was nudity.
“HEY!” Nate reared up. “I’m naked.”
There was nudity.
“Yeah.” I made a hurry-up motion with my hand. “We need you to drive us somewhere. Get dressed.”
Logan was heading back to the hallway. He slapped a hand on Nate’s wall. “Get your ass in gear, Monson. We’ve got a mission to fuck some shit up.”
Nate growled, but we heard him moving around as we left. Logan went to change, but I was ready to go. This wasn’t a smart decision, but I didn’t care. I filled my glass again as I waited.
Logan’s grin was wicked when he saw my fourth glass. “This is what I love.” He filled his fourth too, and we went to the kitchen until Nate showed moments later. He stopped in the entryway, dressed in jeans and a black sweatshirt.
He eyed us. “Do I even want to ask?”
Logan pointed to me. “He and Sam are kind of engaged, but kind of not. She said no at first.”
Nate’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Really?”
I didn’t want to talk about it, and I downed the rest of my drink. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
Logan finished his too, leaving the glass on the table. He grabbed Nate’s car keys from the wall where they were hanging and hurled them to him. “You’re driving. We’re doing a road trip to Adam Quinn’s place.”
“Are you serious?”
Logan nodded, pulling his phone out. We were heading out to Nate’s vehicle when someone answered his call.
“Tate!” he said. “Hey, you owe me one.” He paused. “I don’t give a shit what time of night it is. Where’s your cousin’s ex-douchebag staying these days? Call it a hunch, but I’ve a feeling she’ll know.” He waited again, then said, “Okay. Got it. Thanks, and hey.” His voice turned ominous. “Don’t think ahead of yourself and give someone a heads-up. Got it?”
As we got into Nate’s truck, he said, “Adam’s staying at the cabin to get away from the news media. Apparently, they haven’t located the cabin yet.”
Nate started the engine.
I looked back. “His parents?” I was sure his dad was out on bail.
Logan’s grin looked a little dangerous. “Daddy dearest is in town so he can meet with his lawyers more easily. His mom is in Fallen Crest too. Adam’s alone.”
I’d once whispered to Adam that if he fucked with my life, with Sam, with anyone I loved, I was going to end him. I didn’t know how, or when, but one day he would look around and realize no one was there to help him.
That day had come.
SAMANTHA
Something wasn’t right.
I felt it even before I woke up, and when I did, I knew Mason wasn’t next to me. I had no reason to know something was going on, but I did, and I acted on that instinct. I dressed, pulled my hair up into a ponytail, and went to wake Taylor. I wasn’t surprised to see that Mason, Logan, and Nate were gone. I checked the kitchen, living room, outside, and Nate’s room as I went up to Logan’s room.
Taylor was curled over on her side, her body rising and falling in deep breaths.
“Hey.” I tapped her on the shoulder. “Taylor.”
She woke with a gasp, whirling over to stare at me. She clutched the blanket. “Who—Sam?” Recognition eased away her panic. She ran a hand through her hair, blinking and squinting at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Something’s wrong.” I couldn’t explain it. “The guys are gone. I think they’re going to do something bad.”
“Like what?”
She hadn’t been around for all those fights. She’d seen them defend her, save her from her friend’s enemies, but that was it. Logan had shielded her from the dirty stuff. I wouldn’t do the same. She needed to know, but for now I just shook my head.
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have. We need to find them.”
“Okay.” She rose and reached for a robe, then paused as she took in my getup: jeans and a sweatshirt, all black. She let out a wary breath. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon?”
I turned and headed for the door. “Because you’re not.”
I went downstairs to wait for her and pulled up a tracking app I’d put on Mason’s phone. He knew about it. He wanted one on mine, so I insisted on one for his phone too. I’d also put it on Logan’s phone. He just didn’t know about it, or I doubted he did. He had so many apps on there.
“Where are we going?” Taylor asked as she appeared.
I held my phone up. “You drive. I’ll tell you where to go.”
We got into her car, and she pulled out a moment later.
I looked down at the dot on the screen that was Mason and said, “Head out of town. We’re going back to Fallen Crest.”
MASON
“Do we have a plan?”
Nate asked the question after we’d been on the road for three hours. First we had to go toward Fallen Crest, and then we’d been taking a county road north for the last half hour. We were getting close.
Logan leaned forward. “Besides picking a fight?”
Nate frowned. “I thought we were just going to throw some fireworks in his car or something.”
Logan snorted, falling back to his seat. “Right. Because we’re traveling three hours just to pop some sparklers in his car. You’re kidding, right? Are you not with the program?”
“Well, you two are drunk.”
Logan hid a grin. We’d brought the bourbon with us, though the drive was starting to sober me up. Logan rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror before shaking his head.
“What?” Nate looked at me, then Logan in the mirror. “We’re not really going to do anything. We can’t. Mason, you just went on television and pointed the finger at him.”
“He’s at the cabin,” Logan said. “He’s hiding.”
Nate looked back to Logan in the mirror again. “And that means what?”
“You really think we’re going to not do anything? He tried to frame Mason. He could’ve fucked his entire football career. He broke into the house. He was in your room, dude. Your room. He didn’t actually get to Mason’s, because he went to both of our rooms first. What if he planted that virus on your computer?”
Nate straightened in his seat, like he hadn’t thought of it that way. His hands gripped the steering wheel. “What are you saying? You think he put that shit on my computer?”
“I was with you when you checked your room. Your computer was on. It’s not password-protected. He could’ve.”
A vein popped out of the side of Nate’s neck. “Are you messing with me, Logan?”
“That’s the point.” Logan’s tone cooled. “Quinn’s not some fucking innocent, and you have to stop treating him like he is.” Logan’s eyes skirted to mine as he said to Nate, “And you know it.”
I nodded. It sucked. It more than sucked. It burned me raw. “Yeah.”
“You want to go do something stupid? Like we did in high school?”
I glanced over. “Like what?”
But I was going. Whatever he suggested, I needed to slip back into that skin where it was him and me against the world. Everything made more sense then.
“Let’s go find Adam Quinn.” He grinned crookedly at me. “Let’s go light his car on fire.”
I grinned back at him. “Like we did with the Broudous.”
This was wrong.
This was stupid.
This was something we’d do in high school.
I finished my third glass. “I’m in.” I pointed the glass at him. “But just the car. Nothing else. We can’t be that stupid.”
He nodded. “Of course. We’re never dumb.”
We both cracked grins, and I said, “We need a driver.”
As one person, we looked up at the ceiling. We were waking Nate within thirty seconds.
“Hey!” I shoved at his shoulder.
Logan didn’t waste time. He yanked off Nate’s blanket and both of us turned away, in case there was nudity.
“HEY!” Nate reared up. “I’m naked.”
There was nudity.
“Yeah.” I made a hurry-up motion with my hand. “We need you to drive us somewhere. Get dressed.”
Logan was heading back to the hallway. He slapped a hand on Nate’s wall. “Get your ass in gear, Monson. We’ve got a mission to fuck some shit up.”
Nate growled, but we heard him moving around as we left. Logan went to change, but I was ready to go. This wasn’t a smart decision, but I didn’t care. I filled my glass again as I waited.
Logan’s grin was wicked when he saw my fourth glass. “This is what I love.” He filled his fourth too, and we went to the kitchen until Nate showed moments later. He stopped in the entryway, dressed in jeans and a black sweatshirt.
He eyed us. “Do I even want to ask?”
Logan pointed to me. “He and Sam are kind of engaged, but kind of not. She said no at first.”
Nate’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Really?”
I didn’t want to talk about it, and I downed the rest of my drink. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
Logan finished his too, leaving the glass on the table. He grabbed Nate’s car keys from the wall where they were hanging and hurled them to him. “You’re driving. We’re doing a road trip to Adam Quinn’s place.”
“Are you serious?”
Logan nodded, pulling his phone out. We were heading out to Nate’s vehicle when someone answered his call.
“Tate!” he said. “Hey, you owe me one.” He paused. “I don’t give a shit what time of night it is. Where’s your cousin’s ex-douchebag staying these days? Call it a hunch, but I’ve a feeling she’ll know.” He waited again, then said, “Okay. Got it. Thanks, and hey.” His voice turned ominous. “Don’t think ahead of yourself and give someone a heads-up. Got it?”
As we got into Nate’s truck, he said, “Adam’s staying at the cabin to get away from the news media. Apparently, they haven’t located the cabin yet.”
Nate started the engine.
I looked back. “His parents?” I was sure his dad was out on bail.
Logan’s grin looked a little dangerous. “Daddy dearest is in town so he can meet with his lawyers more easily. His mom is in Fallen Crest too. Adam’s alone.”
I’d once whispered to Adam that if he fucked with my life, with Sam, with anyone I loved, I was going to end him. I didn’t know how, or when, but one day he would look around and realize no one was there to help him.
That day had come.
SAMANTHA
Something wasn’t right.
I felt it even before I woke up, and when I did, I knew Mason wasn’t next to me. I had no reason to know something was going on, but I did, and I acted on that instinct. I dressed, pulled my hair up into a ponytail, and went to wake Taylor. I wasn’t surprised to see that Mason, Logan, and Nate were gone. I checked the kitchen, living room, outside, and Nate’s room as I went up to Logan’s room.
Taylor was curled over on her side, her body rising and falling in deep breaths.
“Hey.” I tapped her on the shoulder. “Taylor.”
She woke with a gasp, whirling over to stare at me. She clutched the blanket. “Who—Sam?” Recognition eased away her panic. She ran a hand through her hair, blinking and squinting at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Something’s wrong.” I couldn’t explain it. “The guys are gone. I think they’re going to do something bad.”
“Like what?”
She hadn’t been around for all those fights. She’d seen them defend her, save her from her friend’s enemies, but that was it. Logan had shielded her from the dirty stuff. I wouldn’t do the same. She needed to know, but for now I just shook my head.
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have. We need to find them.”
“Okay.” She rose and reached for a robe, then paused as she took in my getup: jeans and a sweatshirt, all black. She let out a wary breath. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon?”
I turned and headed for the door. “Because you’re not.”
I went downstairs to wait for her and pulled up a tracking app I’d put on Mason’s phone. He knew about it. He wanted one on mine, so I insisted on one for his phone too. I’d also put it on Logan’s phone. He just didn’t know about it, or I doubted he did. He had so many apps on there.
“Where are we going?” Taylor asked as she appeared.
I held my phone up. “You drive. I’ll tell you where to go.”
We got into her car, and she pulled out a moment later.
I looked down at the dot on the screen that was Mason and said, “Head out of town. We’re going back to Fallen Crest.”
MASON
“Do we have a plan?”
Nate asked the question after we’d been on the road for three hours. First we had to go toward Fallen Crest, and then we’d been taking a county road north for the last half hour. We were getting close.
Logan leaned forward. “Besides picking a fight?”
Nate frowned. “I thought we were just going to throw some fireworks in his car or something.”
Logan snorted, falling back to his seat. “Right. Because we’re traveling three hours just to pop some sparklers in his car. You’re kidding, right? Are you not with the program?”
“Well, you two are drunk.”
Logan hid a grin. We’d brought the bourbon with us, though the drive was starting to sober me up. Logan rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror before shaking his head.
“What?” Nate looked at me, then Logan in the mirror. “We’re not really going to do anything. We can’t. Mason, you just went on television and pointed the finger at him.”
“He’s at the cabin,” Logan said. “He’s hiding.”
Nate looked back to Logan in the mirror again. “And that means what?”
“You really think we’re going to not do anything? He tried to frame Mason. He could’ve fucked his entire football career. He broke into the house. He was in your room, dude. Your room. He didn’t actually get to Mason’s, because he went to both of our rooms first. What if he planted that virus on your computer?”
Nate straightened in his seat, like he hadn’t thought of it that way. His hands gripped the steering wheel. “What are you saying? You think he put that shit on my computer?”
“I was with you when you checked your room. Your computer was on. It’s not password-protected. He could’ve.”
A vein popped out of the side of Nate’s neck. “Are you messing with me, Logan?”
“That’s the point.” Logan’s tone cooled. “Quinn’s not some fucking innocent, and you have to stop treating him like he is.” Logan’s eyes skirted to mine as he said to Nate, “And you know it.”
