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Shit. she must’ve been saying my name about ten times.
“Sorry, what?” I briefly glanced over at my older sister as traffic passed in front of us.
“Where are we going!?” she asked frantically with wide, stressed-out eyes.
I lifted my chin. “It’s your fault you got into this car, now you’re going wherever I choose. I did not ask you to come along, Addie,” I said in a warning tone.
She shook her head and looked at me completely exasperated. “You looked ready to murder or ready to cry, and I’ve never seen you so upset, so yes, as your older sister, I definitely did have to come.”
I turned up Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” and when the light turned green, I slammed on the gas. Forward was the only way to go; it was the only way to feel better.
His subdivision came into sight then and I made a sharp left turn, causing Addie to let out a screech and grab the side handles of my car.
I whipped through the subdivision and grinded to a stop in front of their stupidly huge house at the end of their cul-de-sac.
Addie let out a sigh of relief but tensed again when she realized where I stopped. “What the hell are we doing here?” she asked in a low voice.
I promptly unbuckled my seatbelt and shoved my car door open. “Stealing Beau,” I returned matter-of-factly while jumping down from my dad’s truck.
I watched her face turn to panic as she tried to scramble out of her seatbelt. “Claire, are you out of your ever-loving mind? You cannot steal someone’s dog!”
I ignored her voice and threw the car door shut. I had to get in and out and finish the job quickly.
I heard the passenger’s side window roll down. “Claire, you can’t–”
I whirled on her and gave her a hard stare to cut her off. “Yes, I can. He hurt me, Addie.” I felt my voice almost crack, and my throat burned painfully. I forced myself to close my eyes. “Yes, I can,” I repeated firmly, “because he crushed my heart, so I’m going to crush his.”
She still looked worried, but my voice made her back down.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said as I turned on my heel.
I sneakily ran across their front yard, kinda hunching over in hopes that no one would see me.
Their backyard was guarded by a stupidly large brick fence, but eyeing it, I knew I’d be able to scale it.
I hoisted myself up and lifted my legs so that I was lying flat on top of the fence. The only problem was that because it was brick, there were no good spots for foot placements on the way down. I peeked over, then sucked in a resigned breath. I’d have to just throw myself over feet first.
I pushed off the wall as I jumped so I wouldn’t risk slamming into it and making noise, but that made me tip too far backwards, and I landed on my back.
Oof. I laid in the grass and felt a sharp stab of pain in my lower stomach. I must’ve gotten the wind knocked out of me for a second. My stomach always dropped when I fell hard on the ice.
I was about to get up, but instead, found myself staring up at Sav’s husband…
Shit.
I attempted to smile, but failed, and probably had some sort of grimace on my face.
He was a great looking guy if you liked the whole rugged look that she dug. He had messy fohawk hair, which he was maybe a little too old for now, and short beard that he kept nice and tidy. He was also ripped beyond belief. Overall, he was a hot dad.
I closed my eyes. “Pretend you don’t see me, please?” I asked warily.
When I cracked open one eye again, he was still standing over me, but with a smirk on his face. “I come in peace. I don’t want any part in your and Duke’s war,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m Griff.”
I knew who he was just like he knew who I was. Who needed proper introduction these days? I jumped right to the point. “You’re not gonna tell him I was here, are you?”
He looked down at me curiously and crossed his arms over his muscular chest. He was much thicker than Duke. “Whyareyou here?”
I eyed him warily. I did not think I’d have to explain myself here. But at least it was him and not Duke’s parents. He had a trustworthy air about him, not sure if it was his whole dad vibe or not. I cleared my throat. “Well, if you really want to know, I am stealing his beloved dog,” I said with determination in my voice.
