I screamed ouch and the two bitches slipped away.
“See you around,” Evie said.
My face and my arm hurt.
They just walked away like nothing happened.
A hand touched my back and I spun around, ready to hit someone.
It was Noah.
His perfect hair, face, everything… but his eyes were still dark and mean.
“What was that about?” Noah asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “They’re pissed that I can’t remember them. And that I guess I’m getting attention.”
“Oh, yeah. Darcy’s wanted a piece of my dick for a while now.”
“Good to know.”
I took a step and Noah stayed with me. “Jealous?”
“Of what?”
“What I just said.”
“No. You want to sleep with Darcy? Have at it.”
“Why? Is she that bad?”
“How would I know?” I asked.
Noah studied me.
Is his trying to catch me?
This entire thing was getting exhausting.
“Meeting tonight, Winter,” Noah said.
“Meeting? What does that mean?”
“We need to talk,” he said.
“Us?”
“All of us,” he said. “We’ll be on the beach. Well after dark. Be alone.”
“You know, that sounds kind of scary. Threatening even.”
“Do we have a reason to threaten you?” Noah asked.
I turned my head and saw Easton and Xavier staring at Noah and I.
“No,” I said. “I just don’t get what you three want with me.”
Noah touched my back. He ran his hand up and down.
“You’ve been through a lot, Winter. Can’t we just be nice?”
I looked up at Noah. “Since when are you nice?”
“Good point,” he said. “See you tonight.”
He kissed my cheek and backed away.
“Noah… what is this?”
That was the most vulnerable I sounded in front of him.
He didn’t respond.
He just kept walking backward, staring at me.
Chills devoured my body and I made my move for the doors.
I needed a breath of fresh air.
Whatever this all was… it felt like I was breaking them down one day and then the next they were back to normal.
Meaning this was never going to end.
Someone was following me.
The guys were picking fights with the wrong people.
Talon wanted more money.
Gia was a good friend but a little unstable.
And there was one way to stop it all.
Just tell the truth.
As I drove to the police station, I played the entire scene out in my head. How it would go. Who would say what. Then the idea of what would happen next. At the end of the day, the truth would be known. There was no need to drag anyone else into the situation. I would not mention a thing about Talon. It was already sad enough he was a Troc.
Not to mention once Talon got word that I had talked to the police, he would disappear for good. Trocs wanted nothing to do with the cops. They didn’t have the resources us Bumps had to get out of things.
Sadly, I had a moment as I drove where I thought about my mother.
That I was letting her down.
That she was going to end up disappointed in me for doing this.
That in itself was twisted and sick. And I guess it proved somewhere inside my heart that I did want my mother’s approval and love.
Then again, who doesn’t want the love of their parents?
It’s why I accepted the love Dad gave me. Which was a giant house, endless gifts, endless money, and fake affection through material items.
My mind and my heart hurt.
I stopped at a stop sign, looked left to right, and then drove forward.
Before I could cross the intersection, another vehicle appeared.
Right behind me.
Following me.
Getting really close to me.
My hands gripped tight to the wheel and I forgot everything I had been thinking about.
It’s the same vehicle… right? It’s the person who was outside my house… right?
Then I realized I needed to mention that when I talked to the police.
My story was going to be very crazy.
Someone messed with my SUV to make me crash, wanting me to die. I woke up with no memory but regained it a little while later. From there I decided to fake not having my memory so I could get back at the guys who did this to me. And now it seemed like someone - or people - were following me.
Is it really that crazy?
Simply put - yes.
I took a deep breath and casually looked in the mirror.
The SUV was still there, behind me.
Very close to me.
Almost threatening.
I should have been more scared but my comfort was that I was on my way to the police station.
I figured as soon as I got near the police station, the vehicle would back off.
But I was wrong.
I was very wrong.
The second I turned to go into the police station parking lot, the vehicle behind me did the same thing.
That’s when my heart danced up into my throat.
I slowly found a parking spot.
The SUV behind me did the same.
The vehicle parked three spots down.
Before I could open my door, someone got out of the other SUV and hurried up the steps to the station.
It was a man.
He was in slacks and a button-down shirt that wasn’t tucked in.
He ripped his sunglasses off his face just before opening the door and going inside.
I sat in Tank Two for a minute, thinking.
Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding.
I was nervous. Paranoid.
Maybe nobody was actually following me.
But I still had reason to be at the police station.
I slowly climbed out of Tank Two and walked to the door.
I reached for the handle and the door exploded open.
I had no choice but to step back.
As I did, I forgot all about the steps behind me.
“Whoa, you’re going to fall there,” a voice said.
I looked up and saw the man who had been driving the SUV as he reached for me.
He gently touched my arm and moved almost around me to keep me from falling.
I gasped.
“Are you okay?” the man asked.
I looked at him.
Everything about his look and feel was shady.
He smiled.
But it was a fake smile.
I inched my way from him.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Sure thing,” he said.
He hurried down the steps and to his SUV.
He got inside, started it, and drove off like everything was fine.
“Can I help you with something?”
I turned my head and saw a man dressed all in black looking at me.
Black messy hair, a scruffy face, tired eyes.
He looked aggravated that I was there.
“Are you a cop?” I managed to ask.
“Detective,” he said. He flashed me his badge. “Is something wrong?”
This is it… time to end all of this right now.
“I know who you are.”
“What?” I asked.
“You can call me Pete,” he said. “I don’t like the formality of being called Detective. I don’t need the fancy title and prestige. I care about one thing. The truth. Finding it. Exposing it. Making sure bad people pay and good people feel safe. You don’t look like you feel safe. I can understand that.”