“A test,” he deadpans.
“Something like that. Better fix yourselves before Rhett… in fact, better hurry, I think I hear footsteps.”
Shit.
Shit!
I push Wes off me and quickly fix my tank and skirt before sitting up against the headboard and smoothing my hair down. Wes climbs off the bed and grabs his t-shirt, pulling it back on. Then he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and perches on the side of the bed, putting plenty of distance between us.
I hear a door slam and heavy footsteps approaching, and soon enough the door handle moves, but it doesn’t open.
“Open up,” Rhett booms, “it’s me.”
Dane pads across the room to unlock the door and it swings open.
“Why is the door locked? Is everything—” Rhett pauses, his eyes running over the three of us, lingering on me. I shoot him a saccharine smile.
“What did Ritz want?” I ask innocently.
“What the fuck is going on?” he grits out.
“Nothing, we’ve been waiting for you,” I say as calmly as I can, hoping he can’t hear the slight hitch in my voice.
“Yup,” Dane agrees. “Just grilling Pretty Boy and getting to know him a bit better. He was feeling kinda hungry, but don’t worry, I got him something to eat.”
I smother a gasp, pressing a hand against my mouth and pretending to yawn. Rhett blinks, his eyes narrowed as if he isn’t buying a single word of it.
“We’re heading out,” he says. “Take him home and get Sadie to Dee’s house. The girls stay there until Ray says it’s safe.”
“Seriously, you’re not going to tell us what happened with Ritz?” I balk.
“Later. We need to go.”
“Fine, let’s roll.” Dane stands and moves toward Rhett, the two of them slipping into the hall while Wes helps me off the bed.
“You good after… you know.” He rubs the back of his neck.
“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry things got a little bit… out of hand. Dane is—”
“I don’t regret it.” He runs his knuckles down my cheek. “I like you, Sadie. I like you a lot.”
“I like you too.”
“I won’t pretend any of this makes sense to me. It doesn’t. And I know I should probably walk away and never look back, but I can’t. I won’t. Even if Savage kicks my ass for it.” Wes smiles weakly, and my stomach drops.
“I won’t let him hurt you.”
“I’m not scared of him.”
“You should be,” Rhett barks, his eyes fixed on the both of us. “Let’s go.”
We file out of Dane’s room, but Rhett lingers, keeping me back while Wes and Dane disappear.
“What?” I ask when he doesn’t speak.
“Are you… okay?”
“I’m okay. But I don’t like all these secrets. And stop being a jerk to Wes. You owe him and you know it.”
Rhett pushes his face into mine. “If it wasn’t for him, you never would have left the compound.”
“Seriously, you think that’s why I left?”
His brows pinch. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means. We should go, they’re waiting.” Moving around him, I take a step ready to leave but he grabs my arm.
“This isn’t a game, princess. If you don’t want your Pretty Boy to end up hurt, you should—”
“Jealousy looks good on you,” I sass, yanking my arm away and taking off down the hall.
This time, Rhett lets me go.
The atmosphere in the truck is tense as we head to Wes's house. I brush my hand up against his and he glances down, interlocking our fingers.
“Okay?” I ask, and he nods but his expression is vacant, as if he’s worried about what he might find when we get there.
“We can still tell some—”
“No, I can handle it.”
“She has a point, man,” Dane adds. “If your old man is—”
“I said I can handle it.”
I flinch at his tone.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Wes sighs. “I just… I’m not used to sharing the burden.”
“You’re not alone in this,” I say. “Not anymore.”
Dane’s eyes burn holes into the side of my face as he drives across town, but I focus solely on Wes.
“Thanks.” He offers me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe just let me out at the end of the street. I don’t want to set him off again.”
“Fuck that,” Dane hisses. “We’re not just going to abandon you.”
My eyes snap to Dane and his lip quirks. “Thank you,” I mouth, unsure if he knows what it means to me that he’s being so cool about all of this.
Anything for you, his intense gaze seems to say.
“We’ll make sure everything’s okay and then we’ll leave.”
“Yeah,” Wes concedes. “Okay.”
The second we turn into his neighborhood, he lets out a steady breath, one I feel down to the pit of my stomach. I squeeze his hand, my heart crashing in my chest.
I immediately search for his dad’s car, relieved when I see it missing.
“He’s not here.” Wes relaxes beside me. But the second the truck stops, he shoulders the door open and climbs out.
“I’m coming.” I go after him. I have a bad feeling about this. I can’t explain it, but dread unfurls inside me.
“Shit,” Dane says as my feet hit the ground.
I don’t wait for him, trailing after Wes as he enters his house.
“Mom?” His voice echoes through the high-ceilinged hallway.
Silence greets us.
Thick, sludgy silence.
Something isn’t right.
“Mom?” He takes off, racing down the hall.
“Maybe she left with him?” I suggest, hurrying after Wes. He disappears through a door but draws to a sudden stop.
“Mom, fuck…”
I enter the kitchen and the sight before me steals the air from my lungs. “Oh my God.”
Mrs. Noble is slumped on the floor against one of the counters, blood trickling from a nasty gash in her head.
“W-Wes?” She sobs. “Oh, Wes.”
Guilt coils around my heart. We left her.
We left her here… and he hurt her.
Anger boils the blood in my veins.
“Sadie Ray? Oh, gosh. I didn’t—”
“Shh, Mom. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Wes lifts her off the ground and I rush to the table to pull out a chair. Gently, he sets her down. “This is so embarrassing.” She barely meets my eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” I choke out.
“Oh. Sweetheart. It isn’t… Grant’s temper gets the better of him sometimes. It’s worse than it looks. I was just…”
“Mom, stop. She knows.” Wes's eyes shutter as he drags in a shaky breath.
But she isn’t looking at me anymore. She’s staring past me. “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met.”
Dane steps up beside me, a quiet storm. I reach back for his hand, and he laces our fingers together, letting me anchor him.