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“Where did he look?”

“I think it was the passenger side. He just commented that you keep your car clean and shut the door. It was five seconds. Not even.” I walk around to the front passenger side door and throw it open. I run my hand into the compartment in the door and find nothing. “You there?”

“Yeah, just checking under my front seat.”

I reach under the passenger seat. Just crumbs. Maybe a twig. The rough texture of twenty-year-old carpeting. I set my phone on the seat and put it on speaker. I keep reaching under, closing my eyes, trying to ignore debris collected over two decades. My fingertips knock something farther under the seat, and I release a groan as I strain to grab it.

“You okay?” he asks. I yank my arm out from under the seat, and I’m faced with a small square about the size of my little iPod. “Tilly?”

“Yeah. Mick, I’ve gotta go. Thanks for answering,” I say. I don’t need to give him any information about Enzo—this is between us.

“Uh, okay. Bye.”

The line clicks, and I snatch my phone from the seat. I snap a picture of the square, so I can use a smart image search app to find out what I’m holding. I didn’t put this here.

Bluetooth battery-operated tracking device.

This type updates whenever a Bluetooth device is nearby. Every time I’ve driven this summer since the starter was fixed, he knew. The Bluetooth on my phone updates it with each drive, and nearby Bluetooth devices update it, too! My chest heaves. I can barely get enough oxygen into my lungs.

And if I’m going to confront Enzo about this, I need to think fast. He’s going to spin this to manipulate me further, but I’m awake to his bullshit. I’m not buying any part of him.

How could he do this after what I did for him?

He was in the depths of his addiction when my starter was fixed, but he could have come clean or undone this. Made any fucking effort to fix this. I cover my mouth. Mick was right about the bar. Enzo didn’t just drive by, but what would have happened if he wasn’t there? So much for my knight in shining armor.

But it’s fucked now, and I need a plan.

I place the tracker in the river rocks that line the driveway and carefully set a small rock over it to avoid damaging the device. I want Enzo to see I’m home…when I’m not. I’ll drop by this evening after sunset. He won’t see me coming, but I’ll text him that I’m still not feeling well to catch him off guard. He’s not one for surprises, clearly after my night out with the girls.

No wonder he was so frazzled when I showed up on his doorstep afterwards.

That was the one time he didn’t see me coming, and fuck it, I’m ready to see his world burn. See him sweat, not having an edge anymore.

By the time the sun sets, my fingers shake as I put the key in the ignition.

You have to fucking do this, Tilly!

And I’m Napa-bound.

If I don’t confront him, he won’t learn, but all he might get from this is how to do this shit cleaner next time. I suck in a few deep breaths, but they do little to soothe me. Not with adrenaline spiking. I probably won’t even sleep tonight.

I turn onto Enzo’s street, and his truck is parked in the driveway. I’m sure he’s suspicious that I’ve stayed away the past couple of days, but Enzo’s not the kind of guy you ask for space from.

I need a vacation from this damn summer break.

I park on the street in front of his driveway, so I can get away quickly without needing to reverse out. This won’t be pretty, but I won’t step foot in that house. If I do, he’ll just turn the charm on, and I don’t trust my body with him. It was clear just how well he could play me after he made me come in the back of his truck.

I take multiple deep breaths again as I approach the front door, but they do nothing for my pulse. He’ll see me coming from his video doorbell, and I close my eyes and exhale one last time before I knock on the door. Enzo answers the door in a split second. I can’t think about how hot he is or how good he feels inside me.

“Tilly?” He looks past me, but he can’t see the driveway from this angle.

“Hey,” I say, keeping my feet planted in front of the door. If I stay out here, I can escape.

“I thought you weren’t feeling well,” he adds.

“I’m not.”

“Want to come in? I haven’t seen you in a couple of days. Did you, uh, drive here?” He lifts his chin to look past me again.