Chase snorts. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Much to my relief, the waitress returns and sets a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. She startles when she realizes Foster is now Chase.
“Oh. Mornin’, hon,” she greets him. “What can I do ya for?”
I gape at him as he proceeds to order, but wait until the server hurries off before I fix him with a glare. “I’m not having breakfast with you.”
“It sort of looks like you are.”
Ugh. I hate this guy. “Why are you up so early, anyway?” I demand. “It’s Sunday.”
He rolls his eyes. “I mean, I’d like to say I scheduled an early-morning date too, but I save my hookups for after dark.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like? I’m listening.” He crosses his arms, not budging from the booth.
I want to smack that smug expression off his face. I stick my fork into my scrambled eggs and take a huge bite. Staring at him while I chew.
“Whatever,” he says. “Keep your secrets, Ryan.”
He has no idea.
I eat my breakfast in stony silence, while Chase sips the coffee that the waitress brings him and mocks me over the rim of the cup. I ignore him, my mind running over my plans for later.If I’m sneaking out and returning to my old property tonight, I’ll need to take my aunt’s or uncle’s vehicle again. It’s easy to do that in the morning—there are tons of reasons I might have to go somewhere—but late at night? If one of them wakes up and finds me gone, it’ll raise their suspicions for sure.
I bring my coffee cup to my lips, suddenly studying Chase from across the booth. “You want to go somewhere tonight?” The question pops out before I can stop it.
Although it does gratify me to see him lose that cool, steady Chase facade for a moment. “What?”
I give him a little shrug. “I need a ride to the Thorn property. Maybe around midnight?”
He stares at me. “Why?”
“Because I need to go there.”
“Why?” he repeats.
I grit my teeth. Maybe asking him was a mistake. Am I really going to let Chase in on this?
“Is this about the reward money?” he says when I don’t respond.
I jump at the excuse he feeds me. “Obviously. So, are you in?”
No matter how much he distrusts me, it’s clear he can’t fight his curiosity. After a beat, he shrugs too and says, “Sure, what the hell. I’ll pick you up at midnight.”
twenty-nine
Make Wise Choices
There’s one good thing about my constant nightmares.
Jasmine has gotten so sick of them that she’s resorted to wearing earplugs to bed. Which means she doesn’t even stir when I slip out of bed and change into my jeans and hoodie. Using the flashlight from my phone once I’m far away from the house, I break into a run toward the edge of the driveway.
Chase might not like to follow the rules, but he’s followed my rule, at least—he’s standing next to the mailbox, by his bike, like I asked him to. When the beam of the flashlight hits his eyes, he bats it away.
“Stop that,” he grumbles.
I grin at him. “Oh no. Poor baby’s allergic to light.”
