AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Yeah, because he’s the fire marshal, you idiot.
“Did you see anyone?” said Tyler.
“No.” Michael kept his eyes on the woods. “I didn’t.”
And that bothered him, too. Everything had happened so fast that Michael was still trying to piece it together. Had a Guide affected the air, making it thin and difficult to breathe—or had Michael been panicked, leaving adrenaline to do the same thing? Tyler had started the fire on the forest floor, right? Had the Guide made trees fall? Or had Michael done that?
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. It hit him like a live wire. Michael jumped and swore.
“What?” said Tyler.
“I got another text.”
Tyler’s voice dropped, though they were alone in the car. “From the guy in the woods?”
“My hands are cuffed behind my back, Tyler. It could be from anyone.”
But it wasn’t. He knew. This was bait. A trap. A taunt.
He looked out the window at Jack Faulkner and wondered if he should tell him. The earlier text messages weren’t a secret—was there any reason to keep these hidden? He’d probably lose this phone too, but hell, he’d lose it anyway when he got to the police station and they booked him.
miled. “I am tired.” The smile fell off her face. “It’s been a long weekend.”
He studied her. “Thinking heavy thoughts?”
“Something like that.”
But it was exactly like that. She’d been thinking about her dad’s words all afternoon. She’d been full of vitriol and judgment when he’d started playing the overprotective parent, but now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe he had been obligated to report Michael and his brothers. He wasn’t wrong—the Merricks were in trouble. A lot of trouble. She had no idea how deeply Michael was buried in debt or work or anything. If she lost her job or her car or ran into financial difficulty, she knew her parents would provide a safety net. Michael didn’t have that luxury.
“Want to share?” said Irish.
“I’m thinking about Michael. And my dad.” She frowned and looked out the window. “I still can’t believe what he did.”
“He said you’d be pissed about the arrest. I think he was more pissed that the attorney pulled strings with the county prosecutor.”
The words hit Hannah like an assault, completely unexpected, and just as unwelcome. “Wait a minute. What are you talking about?”
Irish raised an eyebrow. His level voice didn’t change. “I’m talking about your dad arresting your boyfriend.”
“He arrested him?”
“It didn’t stick for long. Like I said—”
“Wait.” Hannah thought her head might explode. “My dad told you all that? He talked to you about the case?”
“Not a lot.” Irish looked surprised that she was surprised. “He knew I was interested—”
“Do you have any idea how long I sat around that hospital trying to get information out of him, and he wouldn’t even answer my calls?” She wanted to punch the window. “He tried to arrest him? It wasn’t bad enough that the county took his brothers away?”
“Hannah.” He winced. “I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to come between you and your father—”
“You didn’t. He did.” She scowled and felt like a petulant teenager. “I’ve never wanted to move out as badly as I do right now.”
But she couldn’t. Because of James.
She’d never spent a second resenting her son, but sometimes she resented this situation, the way she was trapped by an obligation of her own making.
She thought of Michael’s brothers, holding it together in the hospital by barely more than a thread. She thought of Chris, the way he’d nearly broken down in the rain, or Gabriel, a hairbreadth away from picking a fight with hospital security to find out information about his brother. Even Nick and Hunter had seemed frayed at the seams, trying to maintain the peace while wanting answers just as badly.
