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He chuckled quietly. “Sure you were.”
“Where’s my dad, anyway?” I asked, twisting around to look in the direction of the gym.
“Why? Don’t you like being alone with me, Freckles?”
“Don’t call me Freckles.”
“What else should I call you? Ladybug?”
I snorted. “If you think that’s meaner than just Bug, you should know it’s not. It’s cute.”
I jerked, my words dying on my lips as Cayden’s hand reached out and brushed my arm, circling over a patch of freckles.
“Red with spots…elegant, but cute…so fragile and easy to crush. It suits you.”
I watched in fascination as he touched me for a heart pounding moment. His fingers were so thick and long. His whole damn hand was huge. Huge and capable. A shiver went down my spine. How was he able to make such awful threats one minute, then turn around and be gentle the next? I couldn’t get my head around him.
“Sorry to keep you guys waiting!” my dad called across the parking lot. He appeared out of the darkness just as Cayden dropped his hand.
“Lily, what did you think of Cayden?” my dad asked as we got into the truck. “This is your first time seeing him on the ice.”
I sat in the back and grabbed my phone out of my bag, intending to stare at it and avoid conversation all the way home.
“Hmmm, fine, I guess.”
“Fine? He was great.” My dad turned to Cayden. “You, Beckett, Marcus, and Asher are going to dominate the league, I can feel it. Make sure to get your head straight. Nothing matters but this.”
I zoned out of the sound of the upcoming inspirational speech. I stared unseeingly at my phone before popping my headphones on and staring out the window at the dark street rushing by. Ellen’s words played in my head.Be careful around Cade.What was she talking about, and why had she been so scared? She’d been worried for my family. It didn’t make any sense, but it was terrifying at the same time. Cayden wanted me to stay out of his business and not tell anyone what I’d seen. That only made sense if he wasn’t really a serial killer or someone who’d pose a danger to my family. My secret dirty fantasies or a dream school in California were nothing compared to the thought of my parents being in danger. I grabbed my phone and shot off a message to Eve.
Hey. Want to go for a trip after school tomorrow?
Sure, I’m always down for a trip. Where to?
Midnight Falls.
Ew. Why?
I’ll tell you on the way.
Shoot, I actually can’t tomorrow. I’ve got to help my mom. Then I have a group project. What about Tuesday?
Tuesday? I’d wanted to go as quickly as possible, but I didn’t want to go on my own. I supposed busting Cayden West’s secrets could wait till after the weekend.
Okay, let’s go on Tuesday. Let’s leave right after last period.
* * *
We got home just after seven, and I itched to go for a run. My anxiety and tension frothed in my veins like pop. I’d never be able to sleep while I was so jumpy. The thought of the downstairs gym, with its stuffy air and proximity to Cayden, was too much to handle.
I changed in my room into leggings and a sweatshirt, thick socks, and my running sneakers. Cayden and my dad were still in the kitchen talking tactics before the game. I paused at the entrance.
“Dad, I’m going for a jog.”
“In the gym?”
“No, outside. It’s not that late, and I’m a big girl. It’s not even that dark yet,” I rambled. Crap. I was going to college next year, and yet I still had to beg for permission to go for a run alone after dark. How exactly my parents didn’t see how controlling and overprotective they were, I had no idea.
“Lil, that’s why we have a gym.”
