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I tip my head up.
Joey brushes a strand of hair from my cheek. "There's nothing you can do if we go back. Parker said they were taking her to the hospital. Let's wait and find out if she's okay before we decide what to do, alright?"
I nod, convinced leaving is the best option. He wraps his arms around me one more time, giving me the strength I need to stand on my own before he lets go.
"Ready to get out of here?"
"Yeah," I breathe out, feeling calmer.
Joey pushes the button to lower the elevator, and when he opens it, we step out into a kind of parking lot on the ground floor, presumably for everyone working here. Joey's red Jeep is at the far end, parked in front of the large sliding doors. Holding my hand, he weaves through the maze of cars until we reach it. Joey's cell phone is on the driver's seat. Mine isn't here. I hope Parker will know to bring it with him. I can't afford to lose it.
Two guys in black slide the giant barnlike metal doors open. Joey starts up the Jeep. I half-expect to see red and blue strobes flashing from an ambulance or a police car, but I'm not really surprised when I don't.
Just before Joey pulls forward, a black van flies by the entrance. Joey and I exchange a silent glance, knowing that Allie must be in that van.
Just like the door we entered in the corner of the club, the private garage entrance slides shut behind us as soon as we pull out. We drive through The Point in the dark. Joey doesn't turn on the headlights until we pass the gates and reach the road.
We don't say anything as we drive along the deserted, winding road. I stare out at nothing. The Jeep's top is off and the wind whips loose strands of hair around my head. Joey hands me a sweatshirt when I shiver. I take it from him and slip it on, inhaling the detergent combined with his distinct scent--a mixture of grass and rain.
I lean my forehead against the window, my thoughts continuing to jump around. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. This day should never have happened.
I can sit here and dissect everything I could have done differently from the moment I woke up. But I know everything that's gone wrong tonight is because of Vic.
I clench my jaw so tight, my teeth feel like they might shatter. If I ever see him again, I'm going to kill him.
"Why was Vic with you tonight?"
Joey glances at me quickly before looking back to the road. "You don't have to worry. Parker won't bring him to the country club."
"That's not why I'm asking."
Joey shifts uncomfortably. "We're not friends, like I said. We go to the same boarding school. His mother died of cancer a few months ago, and my father asked me to ... I don't know, make sure he's okay. My family knows his family. Our fathers went to college together."
"Did you know he was a psychopath?"
"No!" Joey answers adamantly, turning his head to me. "He's not the nicest guy, but I never would've believed he'd push a girl down the stairs. Or that he'd bring a gun. I'm really sorry, Lana, for everything he's done."
"It's not your fault," I reply quietly, sinking into the seat. "His father ... is he ... powerful?" I have to know what I'm up against since I seem to be the only witness to the truth.
"Vic lives with his grandfather," Joey responds carefully.
When he doesn't say more, I silently urge him to answer the question.
Joey nods regretfully. "He has a lot of connections. He'll cover this up before Vic is accused of anything. That's why I said we should wait to see what happens with Allie before we decide what to do. If it comes down to his word against yours, it won't be good."
I laugh humorlessly. "Of course, because the truth never wins." I say this more to myself than to Joey. I turn away from him
, the muscles in my jaw knotting up again.
The engine whirring and the tires crunching along the dirt road fill the silence. Staring out the side window, I attempt to focus on our surroundings for the first time since we veered off Sherling's paved roads. I have no idea where we are. It's dark. There aren't any streetlights ... or houses. Just woods. The forest appears endless. The tall silhouettes feel like they're closing in around us.
I've never been outside of Sherling before tonight. That town has a way of trapping people within its borders. They're deceived into believing their miserable existence is an inescapable sentence of minimum wage jobs and child support payments.
I can't say I'm convinced there's something better waiting for me outside Sherling, but I refuse to be another one of its stories--predictable and meaningless, doomed to repeat itself. Always the same ending. But, after tonight, I don't think I'll have a say in what happens to me. Maybe I never did.
Parker's words find their way back to me in the quiet. "Say nothing."
I know he didn't tell me this to protect me. If Parker really believes I pushed Allie, then he knows I'd never admit to it. And Vic isn't the reason either. He didn't even know Vic was with us. And then I remember how he took charge of everything. Insisting Joey leave with me. Confident Allie would be taken to the hospital. Securing our quick exit with just a few words spoken into his cuff.
