Page 107

Our server is an older woman who smiles sweetly at all of us. I tamp it all down to give her a smile.

“Good morning!” she says. The server’s gaze goes to each of us before settling on Harper. “What can I get you this morning?”

Harper smiles, but her eyes are still sad. Jack told her what they went through. She’s processing it. She’s putting on a front because we’re out. Maybe we should have waited and talked more before heading here.

But to get the information we need, now is the right time.

The server takes our drink orders and slips away. Harper focuses on her menu like it’s her lifeline. I wish I could hide her away from the rest of the world. Keep her safe from whatever perceived wrongs we’ve inflicted on those who are out to take us down.

I love her so fucking much it hurts.

“Hey, guys.” Mike Cook comes up to our table.

I glance behind him at the table he got up from. Emma sits there with Hannah across from her. There are a few other football players at the table.

“Where’s Ashley?” Maybe it was the wrong thing to ask in front of Harper, but I haven’t received a text from her. And with everything that happened Saturday night, things might have gone horribly wrong.

The FBI and DEA cleared out the house of horrors, but who knows what else Zach had planned? Mike looks around like Ashley might be at a different table and shrugs. “Haven’t seen her since the dance.”

Fuck. I pull up the tracker I put on her phone and car just in case. I might not want to do the things we used to, but I also don’t want to be complicit if she went missing because of something I arranged for her.

Her car and phone are in the same location as Wilder’s phone. I relax slightly. The deal was for one night, but who knows what might have happened? What they may have decided to negotiate after meeting?

Ashley’s able to take care of herself, but I’m not leaving anything up to chance.

I send a quick text to both of their phones and set a timer for a few hours. If I haven’t heard from them, someone will have to be sent to investigate. We still have a few people we trust. When I lift my gaze, it collides with Harper’s. She’s watching me.

Mike has been talking to Nico about what happened at the school after we took off. I half listened to how the principal kept them all on site and the questioning from the police when they arrived.

“Is she okay?” Harper asks softly.

Of course Harper cares. She cares too much about people who barely care about her.

“I’ll find out, kitten.”

Ashley did help her Friday night. That’s big for Ashley. She might have wanted me back initially and tried the usual scare tactics on Harper so she wouldn’t get comfortable. But Ashley never would have taken it as far as Sidney did.

Sidney needs to fall and not be able to rise from her ashes. We need to follow up on what’s happened to her.

Harper smiles and I straighten. It’s time to get busy. Harper doesn’t need more sleep, but she doesn’t need to be out here being judged either. She does need to be seen. For everyone to know we weren’t taken down.

We need to make sure anyone who was involved even tangentially gets the message that we’re not out.

“My mom was so pissed yesterday.” Mike’s tone brings me back into the conversation. “She was texting and messaging all day. The board is meeting this afternoon after she got everyone to demand an emergency meeting to discuss what happened this weekend.”

I meet Luke’s eyes and he gives me a slight nod. Eventually parents would get involved in this situation. But a board meeting also means Sidney’s mother would have her shot at getting her daughter back in school.

That’s something we don’t want to happen. Which means Sidney’s involvement with Zach needs to be publicized.

She may not have been directly involved in Saturday’s riot, but she had to know and help with the plan.

“I need to talk to Emma.” I stand and interrupt what Mike was saying about the board and how the gymnasium is a crime scene.

“Oh, yeah, man. Sure.” Mike steps back to let me out. He nods at the rest of our table and leads the way over to where Emma sits.

I bump fists with Johnson and Carter and nod to Hannah. When my eyes lock with Emma’s, I jerk my head. “Mind if we talk?”

She nods and sets her napkin on the table. She stops in front of Mike, puts her palms on his chest, and goes up on her tiptoes. He leans down so she can brush her lips against his.