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“No,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “This is Hugh’s dare. Not a community dare.”
Hugh rolls his eyes and lets out a dramatic sigh, then steps forward. “Fine. I’ll be the spokesperson then. You’re not getting out of this, so quit fighting.”
“I don’t know what it is. How can I be fighting?”
“All right. Who brought the duct tape?” Cimmeron says, turning to face our friends. “Apparently we’ll need to shut him up to get him to listen.”
I snap my mouth shut. The jerks would probably do it.
“Whose got the envelope?” Hugh says, glancing around at everyone.
Lucy, Hugh's little sister, steps forward and puts the envelope in Hugh’s hand. “I verified the info this morning.”
“Thanks, Luce,” Hugh says, flashing a dazzling smile. His smile fades as soon as he turns to me. He slaps the envelope on the table. “Go to this address. Knock on the door. Give that person what we left in the back seat of your truck. You must bring whomever you meet at that address home, to prove to us that you’ve talked to them.”
I stare at the envelope and then up at Hugh. “You want me to do what?”
Cimmeron huffs. “This isn’t rocket science, man. Go. Get the person. Give them what’s in your back seat. Bring them back here. Then call us when you get back so we can verify you've completed your dare.”
“When I get back? Where am I going?” I reach for the envelope. “How long is this going to take?”
I rip open the envelope and find an address to a hotel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “Uhhh. Seriously? If I go now, I won’t be back in time for work.” I shake my head and slide the paper across the table to Hugh. “I agreed to a dare. You know, like moon the next person that drives down our street. Not a quest.”
A crooked grin slowly spreads across Livvie’s face. “Oooh. A quest. I like that.”
“Whose gonna watch Livvie? I can’t leave her home alone for twenty-four hours.” I shake my head. “I don’t think you planned this out as well as you think you did.”
Hutch steps forward, wearing a pair of jeans and a pressed blue button-up shirt. “Your truck has a full tank of gas, you have a room reserved for you next to the room on the paper, your crew has already been informed that you had to go out of town for the night, and Cimmeron will be here to open the shop for you. Livvie is doing a sleepover with Lucy. An overnight bag is already packed and in the back seat along with the package you need to deliver.”
Hutch folds his arms over his chest and raises a brow at me. “Have I forgotten anything?”
“Who put the professional organizer in charge?” I ask.
Hutch shoves a brown paper bag at me. “These are your snacks for the road. You might want to use the bathroom before you leave.”
I’d be laughing if I weren’t horrified. What sort of trap do they have lying in wait for me at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene?
I stand and gather the envelope and bag into my arms. “This is a PG dare, right? You’re not sending me to do anything I can’t talk about in front of Livvie, are you?”
“Don’t worry,” Cimmeron says, draping an arm over Livvie’s shoulders. “I’ll be happy to give her the birds and bees talk if it becomes R-rated.”
My eyes widen, and I'm preparing to threaten Cim within an inch of his life, but Livvie beats me to it when she shrieks and yanks Cimmeron’s arm off her shoulder.
“Eww! You will not!”
She grabs my free arm and tugs me toward the front of the building. “I know what the dare is, and you’ll be fine.” She purses her lips. “IF you do what you’re told and follow the instructions.”
Livvie starts shoving me toward the front of the house. “Hurry up! I want you to get there before midnight! I don’t want you falling asleep!”
“Fine. Fine. Fine,” I say, allowing her to nudge me forward. Obviously, there’s no getting out of this trap. Whatever it is.
“Text me when you get there so I know you’re safe!” Livvie calls from behind me.
“Me too!” Cimmeron says, in a falsetto voice. “Don’t make your mother worry!”
When I climb into my truck, I check the back seat. As promised, a bag sits on the floor. On the seat, there's long black box.
I reach back to open it, but before I can get the lid open, Cimmeron slams into my driver’s side window with his palms, making me jump.
