“I know,” I say. “Carmen hacked his emails.” Danny may not have been the one sent after Hazel, but he still left his house at two in the morning. He’s probably waiting with the senator for Tommy to deliver Hazel to them. Just the thought of how close Claren got to succeeding has me fantasizing over all the different ways I could kill him.
“Oh god.” Hazel jolts up, the hot chocolate splashing over the rim of the cup. “Derek.” She turns to me, her gaze panicked. “They have Derek. I thought they had you, but they didn’t. We need to go. We need to call the police.” Caught in a whirlwind, Hazel tries to scramble off the couch, but I hold her to me, sliding my hand around the back of her neck.
“Hey, slow down. Breathe.”
“We don’t have time. I can’t believe I was just sitting here. Oh my god?—”
I cradle her head in my hands, digging my fingers in just enough to catch her attention. “Breathe, Hazel.”
Her chest heaves as she sucks in air, her brown eyes blinking rapidly, unfocused.
“Again.”
I breathe in for her, leading with a slow, steady pace, and her gaze settles.
“Now, explain,” I say.
Hazel fiddles with the collar of my shirt as she talks. “I think he thought Derek was my boyfriend. He showed me a video of him.” She grimaces, her fingers clenched around my shirt. “He was tied up. Tommy said if I didn’t go with him, they’d killDerek.” She looks up at me, fear swirling in her deep brown eyes. “If I don’t show up, Derek’s dead, Flynn.”
I care very little about the life of the guy who stood Hazel up, but she’s had enough people in her life die. I would do anything for Hazel and if she wants to save Detective Douche, then we save Detective Douche. “I guess we better make it look like Tommy succeeded then,” I say. “How do you feel about that whole being kidnapped idea?”
Hazel peersup at me in the dark as I reach behind her to check the ropes binding her wrists. “Is this like one of your fantasies?”
My lip quirks. “Having you tied up and helpless? Definitely. Putting you in the trunk of the car? Not so much.”
Hazel clenches her thighs together, her reply coming out breathy. “Good to know.”
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I ask.
She draws back her shoulders and nods. “We have to make it look real, right?”
That’s the plan. In trying to kidnap Hazel, Claren inadvertently created the perfect opportunity for us. I pretend to be Tommy, and we walk right up to the senator. “I’ve done a false knot,” I tell her. “You pull on the end of the rope, and it will come loose. If you need out of the trunk just kick it three times, I’ll pull over and let you out straight away.”
The hint of a smile grazes Hazel’s dusky lips. “Relax, Flynn. I’ll be fine. I’ve even got the pen knife you gave me.”
“Tell me the plan for when we get there.”
My bratty Little Lilac rolls her eyes. “We’ve been over this three times.”
I tug on the ropes around her wrists and back her up against Tommy’s shitty car. “And we’ll go over it again and again until I’m happy. Tell me.”
“You get me out of the trunk. As soon as we’re inside, I run, find somewhere to hide and stay there until you come get me.” Hazel bites her lip, so many thoughts rushing behind her eyes. “Are you going to kill Claren?”
I give her a look. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to, Lilac.”
Her throat bobs and I lean past her to open the trunk. It’s an old car, one with an isolated trunk, completely cut off from the rest of the vehicle.
“Ready?” I ask.
Hazel eyes the small compartment but she nods.
I lift her up and place her gently in the trunk. “What do you do if you want to get out?”
“Kick three times.”
“Good girl.”
I brace my hand against the roof of the trunk. “Hey, Flynn,” Hazel peers up at me from under her wavy bangs. “Kiss me.”
