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Nick lost the easy smile. “Where?”
“Playing ball now, I think.”
He swore and set the bottle of water on the hall table, then turned for the hallway that led to the back door.
She watched him take a few steps, curiosity telling her to follow him, common sense telling her to get the hell out of the house.
“Shouldn’t you take that with you?” she called.
He stopped short. His head whipped around.
She picked up the bottle of water. “For Chris.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, and he smiled a little, but it was a calculating look. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” His eyes flicked to the foyer. “You should, too. Go home.”
Then he turned on his heel and walked away.
Oh, she was so following him.
But she wasn’t an idiot about it. She held back for a minute so he wouldn’t see, peeking into the nearby rooms to see if she could spot Hunter. Guilt flickered in her mind—he was probably heading back to his car now.
Unless he was out back, too. He’d also gone to look for Chris.
She slid past some couples who were making out in the hallway, then eased through the sliding glass door onto the darkened patio. It was easy to hide—someone had killed the light over the door, and the only illumination came from the tiki torches and the slight glow from the grill.
The wind had kicked up, pulling at her hair and stinging her eyes with charcoal smoke. It battered the bamboo wind chimes hanging by the door, sending them spinning and knocking against the siding.
She spotted the brothers right off, standing in a tense cluster by the grill, flanked by two torches. She couldn’t hear a word of their conversation. No sign of Hunter or his dog.
Some guys from her class shoved through the door, jostling each other onto the patio. She flinched and shuffled to the side, retreating more deeply into the shadows.
Tyler wasn’t on the basketball court, and she couldn’t see him anywhere else, either.
A few more guys came through the door, trailing some giggling girls. It was too dark for her to make out any of them clearly, but one of the girls saw her and stopped. She was pretty, but in a rough, used way. Becca didn’t recognize her, but she looked older than the others. Maybe another college student.
Alcohol hung on her breath, and a cigarette rested between two fingers. “Hey. You got a light?”
Becca shook her head quickly. “No, I don’t.”
One of the guys doubled back. “Damn, Lilah. Can’t you wait a frigging second? Just light it on the drums.”
Lilah rolled her eyes at Becca and muttered, “He’s such an ass**le.” She tossed a look over her shoulder. “Shut it, Seth. I’m not putting my face up to one of those things.”
Seth came up beside her. Becca froze.
But he was still looking at Lilah. He gestured. “Light it on the grill, then.”
Becca wanted to run—but where? Seth was blocking her path to the door. It wasn’t like she could take off across the sand and hope for any speed.
Maybe it was too dark for him to recognize her. She ducked her head and let her hair fall across the side of her face.
Lilah shoved him lightly, then leaned in toward Becca again. “Thanks, anyway.”
Becca studied the darkened bricks of the patio. “Sure.”
Lilah turned away.
Seth didn’t.
