Miles quickly wrote something on his phone before placing it on the table towards us.
I can skip. This is more important.
“I can’t ask that of you,” I said, meeting his eyes. “Today’s a bad day, Miles. I know you need to go.”
He pushed the phone back, the same message still up.
“If you’re sure….”
He tapped the phone.
“All right, kids, anything else?” Sean asked, looking between us. When he saw our somber looks, his face dropped. “What’s up.”
“My friend here is in hiding. Can we stay for a bit?”
“Of course. I’ll bring you guys something to drink.” He went to turn but thought of something else to say. “Is there anyone I should be keeping an eye out for in case they come here to look for you, hun?”
“An older man that you haven’t seen before,” Sawyer said. “His picture’s been in the paper the last few months.”
“Oh? Well, I guess I won’t know who to look for. I don’t watch the news. To tell you the truth, I don’t ever keep up on all that.” The main phone began to ring, and he excused himself. My eyes followed him around the corner. Then, they glanced around the place again, looking for anything that was out of the ordinary.
Another text message came through, once again from an unknown number.
Your friends will be the first to go
My heart was in my throat, and I tried to keep my emotions under control.
“Most of the people are good ones,” Sawyer said. “l told you, this town has changed me—with your help, of course. You don’t ever need to worry about being on your own. You’re kind of stuck with me now.”
I gave her a watery smile, not sure if I was feeling amazed or lost. It was somewhere between the two.
“Hey,” Sean said, setting down another round of drinks for the three of us. His eyes met mine for a moment before he lowered his voice. “I believe an Ace Vicci was calling me about a threat made to my establishment. I’m not to let you three leave until someone shows up to take care of a problem. I’m sorry I didn’t know, Scarlett. If I had, I’d have kept a closer eye on who came and went today.”
His voice was low, but he felt like he was sorry. “I have a back door I can get you out of. But only you, Scarlett. I can’t sneak the three of you together. It’d draw attention.”
“Oh,” I said, eyes wide as my mind went blank for a moment.
“Go to the bathroom, and I’ll meet you back there.”
“I’ll go with her,” Sawyer said, not leaving room for Sean to argue against that idea..
“Fine. Miles?”
“He has a therapy session. He’ll meet us back at the apartment later,” she said for him.
“Okay. Give me a minute, then go.” Sean then walked away, acting as if nothing was amiss.
Exactly a minute later, I followed Sawyer to the bathroom. I felt a pair of eyes on me, but when I turned around, no one was looking. As I shook it off, we found Sean leaning against the door that led to the kitchen. He motioned us to follow him. I went first, my legs feeling like jelly.
“Through here. I believe someone is already waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I didn’t have a choice, not when a Vicci calls.”
Opening the door, the sun streaked in as Sawyer and I squeezed out. There, standing against a black SUV, was none other than Wyatt. He looked around the place, a worry clouding his features. When his eyes landed on me, he relaxed for a moment before hardening as he noticed who I was stood with. His black hair was covering the tops of his eyes, and he tried to move the pieces over. They didn’t cooperate well.
“Shit!” Sawyer hissed. Louder, she said, “It’s not what it looks like! I swear!”
“I’ll deal with you later,” Wyatt hissed. “You,” he pointed at me when he was at the table, “are to come with me.”
“No,” I said. “You can’t talk to my friend like that and just demand me to leave with you. I’d rather deal with whatever Alan has planned than go with you anywhere.” I folded my arms across my chest, daring him to do something.
“He’s my brother,” she said, not too happy about that fact, either. “But he’ll deal with me later. Let’s just go.”
The Wyatt I remembered had been understanding, though. This one was anything but. The way Sawyer had talked about her brother, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was this man she adored. I had met him when I was with Zevon and Collin. He had popped up to help put a stop to a new drug dealer in town.
But, after knowing the little bit about Wyatt that I did know, his reaction made sense. He worried about his sister, and I was a huge complication. Danger followed me.
“I’m sorry, Sawyer,” I whispered as Wyatt opened the back door for us. I crawled in first, then Sawyer.
“Don’t you dare,” she whispered back as the door was shut on us. I glanced around, seeing the alleyway through dark tinted windows.
“Then you need to understand that Alan will not stop at anything to get to me. That includes going through either of you.”
“He won’t stand a chance. Not with the way you talk about how your family cares about you. I can see what you’re thinking. You think you can push us away. But listen here, girly. You cannot push me away, and I’m sure that Miles feels the same way. You are stuck with us.”
I dropped my head to my chest and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to put anyone at risk of dying, but they were able to decide that for themselves.
“I hope you don’t regret it.”
“Oh, they won’t,” Wyatt said as he got into the driver’s seat “When my sister gets an idea in her head, she sticks to it. There is nothing you can say to sway her. Believe me, I’ve tried for years.” He started the car and slowly drove down the alleyway as if it were just a normal day.
“Not my fault I’m so hard headed,” Sawyer said. “See, this is what I always have to deal with.”
“I’ll not comment on that,” Wyatt said.
Not much else was said as he drove down the street, making a few more turns than were necessary. I figured he was making sure we weren’t being followed. Every so often, his eyes would look in the review mirror.
Once he parked in the parking lot by the apartment, he ushered Sawyer and me out, then quickly inside. He kept his eyes peeled, his hand ready to pull out his weapon if needed. I kept my head down, as instructed, until we were safely inside the building.
N othing was different outside, or on the way to the apartment building. People on the streets went about their business. No one knew the panic that was starting to grow in my chest with every inch as we got closer and closer to where I was living these days. I could feel my chest caving in with each passing second.
When we got to the apartment, Wyatt entered first and checked every corner to make sure no one was in there, hiding. When he deemed it safe, I took slow, steady breaths as I followed him in. I went to the couch, sitting on the edge, hoping that my panic would just go away.
Sawyer sat beside me I set my head in my hands, elbows on my knees as I fought the all-consuming blackness. I could feel it seeping up through my veins. Each beat of my heart rushed through my ears like a drum.