Page 106 of Lucky Haven

“You did that to yourself.”

So that’s a yes. My skirt pulls up my thighs as I inch toward the door of the van. I don’t want to drag my body out the door, straight to my doom, but I don’t see another option. Maybe he’s not strong enough to carry me. Could I stage a sit-in protest in this van?

“Stop stalling. Do you think I’m stupid? Get up. We’re going inside.”

“I’m wearing a dress. This is hard.”

“Make slut choices, experience slut consequences.” He yanks my skirt down my bare thighs and I recoil.

Swearing under his breath, he leans in and grabs the zip tie binding my wrists. The plastic cuts into my skin as he hauls me upright, dragging me to the edge of the van floor.

“Okay, okay. I’m getting up.” I push to my feet.

Shivering, I manage to keep my dignity as he shoves me up the stairs to the front door of the two-story cabin.

“Did you bring Kaitlyn here, too?”

“Inside.”

“Sounds like a yes. With a group? Or just the two of you?”

“Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Like what? You’re the one with the inappropriate relation⁠—”

He yanks me to look at him, then slaps my face so lightly it’s almost insulting. His expression is mean, no veneer left. “Kaitlyn is a pure young woman.”

“A pure young woman who is going to tell someone that you were the last person to see me, so you should let me go before you make this worse.”

“She isn’t going to say a word.” But he doesn’t sound as sure of himself this time.

That makes me bolder. Fuck it, as Cash would say. What do I have to lose?

Cash. You could lose Cash.

I swallow hard. “Because she trusts you to clean up this mess the two of you made?”

“There’s no mess.”

Is that a thread of confusion? That gives me great joy. “Maybe you don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“She saw me as a threat. Wrote me nasty emails.” I don’t tell him about the notes. That feels raw, and if he doesn’t know, I’m not giving him ammunition.

“You probably deserved them. She’s smart. She sees how you are.”

“She’s sixteen. She’s a child.”

“She’s a faithful young woman.” The words come out with a tenderness that makes my stomach turn over. “Which is more than anyone can say for you. Sit down and shut up.”

He shoves me backwards and I fall onto the couch.

My skirt flies up, and it’s not easy to fix with my hands like this. I shove at the fabric anyway.

Jeb stares at my legs, his brow furrowing before he starts pacing.

I’ve never been here when it’s not full of noisy teenagers. It’s a strange cabin, large but rustic, with outdated fixtures. And very quiet.