AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is it him?”
“This isn’t about Judas, and while on that topic, I’d never give you up for him. I need you to always remember that.”
“No shit you wouldn’t. I’d kick his ass and yours. That wasn’t who I was referring to but go on.”
Slightly confused, I continued. “I’m…having issues at home.”
She gave me a fleeting glance, taking her attention off the road just long enough to show her concern. “What kind of issues? Does it have anything to do with your mom going to the store a hundred times the other night?”
It took me a minute to remember what she was talking about. With everything that’d happened over the weekend, I’d forgotten all about that. Mom had behaved like a junkie needing to rush out for her next hit. Talk about embarrassing.
“I don’t know what the deal is, but her behavior has been strange.”
“Do you think it has something to do with your dad?”
“I’m sure it does.”
There was no faking the bitterness in my tone. My parents were my world. Being told they were imposters was one of the hardest things about all of this. I didn’t love them any less, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt, angry, and more than a little confused.
If what Judas and his friends told me turned out to be true, well, I didn’t know what I was going to do. That would change everything.
Audrey sighed loudly, her shoulders relaxing as the breath left her lungs. “You could have told me this, Rhia. You can tell me anything. I thought this was because of Erin Moore.”
“Who is Erin Moore?”
“Uh, the missing jock everyone has been whispering about. Where’ve you been, girl?”
“Do I know him?”
“Rhia.” She laughed and shook her head. “He ran into you in the lunchroom, remember? I barely avoided in-school suspension for slapping the shit out of him. Fortunately, our headmaster likes blondes.”
Now that she explained I could remember that incident vividly. Putting the thought on pause for a second, I turned my head and looked at her. “What do you mean the headmaster likes blondes?”
“Oh, I didn’t fuck him,” she hurriedly reassured me with another laugh.
“My mom does. That’s how I got out of trouble scotch-free. I thought I told you about this.”
“You didn’t.”
Her mom and our headmaster? Ew, the dude had to be pushing sixty and I’m certain he’d been married for almost as long. I wasn’t going near that conversation with a twelve-foot pole. There wasn’t enough bleach in the world to rid my brain of the images it would conjure.
“I’m guessing you don’t know that people are saying your boyfriend is the reason he vanished into thin air then.”
I popped my lips and shook my head, forcing out what I hoped sounded like a genuine laugh. “Do you seriously think Judas is that well connected?”
“Do you?”
I knew he was. I hoped he hadn’t hurt some dumbass jock because the guy threw around too much little dick energy.
This wasn’t something I could share with Audrey. I should’ve been more aware of my surroundings today. If I had been I wouldn’t be blindsided by this revelation. I should have figured out how to navigate this conversation long before it happened.
“Rhia?” Audrey probed when I took too long to answer.
“Is that an actual question? Judas is just a boy. He isn’t part of some powerfully secret organization that can make people disappear.”
Lies. Lies. Lies.
Judas was a lot of things. Just a boy was not one of them.
“You think that’s all he is, Rhia?”
“Wow, Auds. You’re serious?”
“I’m just saying. Judas and his friends come from money. That’s not a secret.”
“So does half the population of Crudele. So do you,” I pointed out, “Why would he go that far for me?”
Her head whipped to the side, an incredulous expression distorting her features. “Judas is Every Breath You Take fucking crazy about you, Rhiannon.”
“What?” I sputtered around a fit of inappropriate laughter.
“I’m being serious.”
“Audrey…”
I rolled my lower lip between my teeth and sighed. I’d always known she was perceptive. It was admirable, but now I was beginning to worry about that. How could I keep her away from all this and safe if she went looking for the trouble on her own?
It left me torn on how to handle this dilemma. When I first got in the car with her I intended to make her believe anything but the truth.
That was looking like a catch twenty-two. What if the deviation caused more harm than good? Most often lies always did.
I propped an arm on the passenger door’s windowsill and looked out the window. Catching sight of the car behind hers in the side mirror, I jerked from the slouch I’d settled in. How long had he been following us?
“What’s wrong?” Audrey questioned, peering into her rearview. She let out a sound of disbelief when she spotted the SUV. “Isn’t that Gavin’s car?”
