AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m tellingyou I didn’t leave my keys in your car,” I told Eli as we walked out of Saturday morning practice. “I had to go to my dad’s just to get the keys to the Blue Lounge when I came looking for you last week. And I was driving your car with your spare key. They weren’t in there.”
Eli glanced at me, looking troubled. “Maybe you didn’t see them.”
I scoffed. “Come on, man. They were on the floor for all to see. I couldn’t have missed them.”
He blew out a breath as we walked to his car, throwing his bag in the back seat. I stared at his back. “Spit it out, Eli.”
“Your keys disappeared right around the time I caught Kat at the Blue Lounge. Where she was in the back doing who knows what for twenty minutes.” He turned to look at me. “You think that’s a coincidence?”
I leaned against the car. “You think she took them?”
“Unless you just didn’t see them. That’s the only other logical reason.”
“Why would she need them?” I muttered.
“Why would she need what?” River asked, stepping up beside Eli.
I glared at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were part of this conversation.”
River was the sneakiest person I’d ever met. Quiet, stealthy. No one would know he was in a room until he was ready to be seen. He popped up everywhere, and it was working my last nerve.
“What is Kat up to?” River asked, looking between Eli and me.
“Who says we’re talking about her?” Eli drawled, crossing his arms.
“It’s been nearly three months since school started, and I haven’t seen the two of you even talk to another girl.”
I frowned. “We’ve been busy.”
“Sure you have.” River shook his head. “Either of you know why they want us at the Estate today?”
I shared a look with Eli. We’d been talking about it all day and had no idea what they wanted. But I was sure it wasn’t something we wanted to hear. It never was. Eli pulled his phone out and glanced at the screen, his frown deepening. He put the call on speaker while I stepped closer.
“…from the corrections facility. Do you accept this call?”
“Yes,” Eli answered as River moved next to him.
“You son of a bitch,” Noah snarled through the phone. “You need to stop trying to turn my sister against me.”
My heart raced as shock coursed through me. We hadn’t spoken to Noah since the night everything went down. It was our word against his, and our families had chosen us.
“I only told her what really happened,” Eli replied coolly. “You probably should have come clean sooner. You knew we’d see her again.”
“You had no right—”
“We had every right,” I growled, my temper rising. “You fucking lied. Almost got Eli killed.”
“Why?” Noah asked, rage controlling his voice. “Why did you tell her?”
“Because we’re going to be spending the rest of our lives in the same town. Living on the same street as her,” Eli told him. “She was hell-bent on fucking us over every chance she got. Because of the bullshit you whispered in her ear.”
“You and West never wanted me there. Even River hated me before he left,” Noah spat out. “Just admit you’re glad I’m out of your way.”
“Maybe if you weren’t such a dick, we wouldn’t feel that way,” River muttered.
Both Eli and I glared at him while Noah paused before huffing out a cold laugh. “I should have known you three would get back on good terms. Even after River screwed you over.”
We were nowhere near close to being on good terms, but I didn’t argue that fact with Noah. It was none of his concern what happened with us or in Braidwood anymore.
