Ignoring everyone around me, my eyes are trained on Bowen as I march across the lot. When Mason jogs over to my side, he quickly realizes what’s about to happen and grabs my shoulder, but I shove him away before he can stop me. As soon as Bowen turns around, and I see that shit-eating grin of his, I want to smash his fucking teeth into his throat.
I seize him by the front of his shirt and slam him up against his car, triggering an eruption of shouts around us.
“You think I don’t know what that was, motherfucker?” I snarl in his face.
Amidst the chaos, I can hear Evie somewhere over my shoulder yelling my name. Then Hildy’s shrill screams drown out Evie as she bellows in my ear like a fucking banshee.
“How was I to know?” Bowen drawls, that stupid fucking grin still on his face, “You never know where those assholes are hanging out.”
I pull him forward and slam his back against the passenger side door again, “But you know where they hang out…”
Everyone goes quiet.
“Oh, shit,” Mason murmurs.
“You know they won’t stop you,” I growl, just inches from his nose.
“Be a mistake if they did,” Bowen looks me up and down, studying my face for a few seconds, “just like it’d be a mistake if you don’t calm the fuck down,” he winks.
He fucking winks.
Suddenly a shout cuts through the air from the back of the crowd, “Cops!”
As the red and blue lights get closer in the distance, the parking lot bursts to life and everyone scatters. Mason shouts in my ear, pleading with me to forget Bowen before we all get hauled off to jail. I finally release Bowen and let him and a few others drag me off toward our cars.
I spin around, looking for Evie. She’s gone. I need to find her.
Three Jackson County Sherriff SUVs whip into the lot on the other side of the building, lights flashing. Mason’s right, the Canaan police might not care about Bowen, but the county doesn’t give a shit who any of us are. My head on a swivel, I scan the tree line where people are darting around and jumping in and out of cars before tearing out of the lot.
Then I see her.
She’s standing at Jay’s car and Hildy’s grasping her arm through the passenger window. Evie looks over her shoulder and then turns to say something to Hildy. Hildy is protesting, tugging at Evie, but Evie pulls her arm away. Jay yells something at both of them before Evie backs away and waves her arm at them. My eyes round as Jay guns the engine and peels out of the lot, leaving Evie behind in a spray of gravel.
A second later, I finally realize what the hell she’s doing.
As soon as Evie turns around, Bowen’s car skids to a stop in front of her. When she turns to run around the side to the passenger door, she sees me. Her eyes dart across the lot at the flashing lights and then back at me. I clench my jaw, knowing that, even now, she’s paralyzed with indecision. She’s too loyal for her own good, and she doesn’t want to break her promise.
“Just go!” I wave my arm and start backing away.
Evie spins around and as soon as she dives through the passenger door, Bowen speeds out onto the road and disappears. I turn and jump into my car, Mason cursing me the whole way for wasting time.
She should’ve just gotten into Jay’s car.
But all of us got out of there in one piece, and not in handcuffs, which is all that matters. A minute later and Bowen’s face would be broken and I’d be in custody, taken off to jail to be booked by Pappy Garrison.
About two hours later, I’m back in Dire Ridge at Mason’s house and I finally hear from Evie again.
EVIE (8:02PM): Don’t be mad…now you don’t have to drive me to Hildy’s house!
ME (8:03PM): nice save. R u there now?
EVIE (8:03PM): Yes
ME (8:04PM): text me if you need a ride tomorrow
EVIE (8:04PM): OK, love youuuuuuuuuuu!
ME (8:04PM): love you too
I drop my phone in my lap, and then pause before reaching down and deciding to shoot one last text off to her. Mason sits down next to me and tosses a beer into my lap as I snicker to myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I shake my head, dropping my phone again and trading it for the beer.
ME (8:06PM): don’t feel bad. I bet your jeans were too wet for you to make it back to my car fast enough
EVIE (8:07PM): If you tell anyone about that, I’ll red card you like you did Bo.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Evie
High School
I thought Bo would ice me out for what Colson did to him during the soccer game. Because that’s what Bo does—death by association. Not that it would matter that much, because Bo and I aren’t close. He’s Hildy’s twin brother and we’re around each other a lot, but it’s different.
It’s not like me and Colson.
