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I know we searched the house, and the probability of the doctor being here is low, but I’m still unsettled. Because he either did track me down here somehow, or someone found out about my past and is tormenting me with it?
“So, I’m guessing you guys are coming to the party,” Benton says, sliding his gaze across Hunter and me. He gives me this smile. He did that a lot when I first met him, too, like he knew something I didn’t. Maybe he does. Who the hell knows? Perhaps he could even be in on the whole bridge incident. Or maybe he put the note in my pocket?
Oh my God, it suddenly dawns on me. I was wearing my jacket when we went to that bar/club. What if someone put it in my pocket then? It seems plausible. But I have no idea who it could be. I mean, I walked by a ton of people. It could have been a total stranger or maybe the guy who gave me that card? Or what if Benton did it somehow? I wasn’t super close to him, but I can’t eliminate him completely.
“Yeah, we figured we'd hang out and have fun since we have to host it.” Hunter shifts his weight, inching closer to me. “School got canceled, anyway, because of the storm, so why not celebrate that, right?”
“For sure.” Benton keeps glancing at me, and it’s driving me crazy, especially since scar guy won’t stop staring at me, either.
“You look familiar,” scar guy finally says.
Jax, who’s been super distracted with shuffling through the music, suddenly turns and looks at us. He frowns, his gaze straying to Hunter.
“She just moved here,” Hunter replies then slides his arm around me, almost territorial-like.
Benton smirks, while scar guy’s gaze continues to burrow into me.
“What’s your last name?” scar guy asks me.
I briefly hesitate before saying, “Willowwynter.”
His face shows a flicker of emotion, but I can’t quite decipher it. “Your dad is the new sheriff?”
My chest clenches. “No.”
Hunter’s arm around me stiffens. “Benton, call your boy off.”
Benton glances at me before turning to scar guy. “Hey, Ellis, let off her, okay? She’s not a narc.”
So, he’s acting weird because he thinks, since I’m related to the sheriff, I’m going to tell on them? But, what does he think I’m going to tell him? And, why does it feel like there’s more to this than that?
Scar guy—aka Ellis—continues to stare at me. “Are you?” he questions.
“No.” I carry his gaze. Screw him and his intensity. It’s getting on my nerves. “The sheriff is my uncle, and I fucking hate him. So, no, I’m not going to narc on you. Plus, I’m high as hell, so I’d have to narc on myself, anyway.” My voice is trembling at the end.
And everyone is staring at me.
I’m not nearly stoned enough for this.
I want to bail so damn badly, but I doubt the guys will allow me. Thankfully, the doorbell rings and that distracts everyone. Hunter goes to open the door while Benton and scar guy starts talking in hushed voices to each other.
While they do, Jax moves toward me and whispers, “ Are you okay?”
I nod and force a smile, not wanting to be a huge downer. “I’m fine.”
He doesn’t appear to buy it, but then Hunter returns to the room with a group of people, and the focus completely shifts off me.
Well, except for Ellis. I keep feeling him looking at me, staring at me, as if he’s searching for something. Well, that or he’s trying to plan my murder. With the look he’s giving me, it could be either way.
* * *
About ten minutes later,the room is getting more and more crowded. I’ve been standing by Hunter mostly, but we’ve gotten separated, partly because I’ve been inching away on purpose. Now that I can’t see him at all, I take the opportunity to leave the room and duck into the kitchen.
I’m surprised I got away without him noticing, but I’m glad. I let out a huge breath. Apparently, stoned or not, I’m not a fan of parties. Too many people in one room makes me nervous.
I spend the next few moments hiding out in the kitchen, pretending I need to get a drink or something to eat when, really, I’m just being a scaredy cat.
Then my phone suddenly buzzes in my hand. I’ve been holding onto it for unknown reasons since almost all the people I know are here. But the last time I was without a phone was when I was thrown off the bridge, so …
