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I had a feeling he did, but I didn’t ask again.
We drove in silence for a while, stopping for gas before leaving the city. Once we were back on the interstate, he broke it first. “Before that shit happened, I had fun.” He glanced my way. “With you. I had fun with you.”
I would’ve responded, but my stomach fluttered.
Then it sank.
This wasn’t good.
By the time we got to Pine River, I had convinced myself that the stomach flutters weren’t flutters. They didn’t mean anything. I’d also made up my mind that I was going to focus on the first part of the night.
Not the parts that involved Kunz, Rice, or anyone else Scout didn’t want to talk about. So barring all of that, it was a good trip.
I was glad we’d gone.
Then I realized my phone had been silent all night. I’d accidentally muted it. I didn’t know when that happened or how, but the notifications stopped me from wondering anything else.
Missed calls (23)
Text alerts (64)
I clicked on the first one.
Alex: You knew our dad was having an affair? NOT COOL, RAMS
Trenton: Wtf?
My mom had left messages. My aunt. My cousins.
My heart sank.
Our night went from good to bad, and it was about to get worse.
67
SCOUT
“What’s wrong?”
Once Ramsay opened her phone, she made a guttural whimper and hadn’t moved a muscle since. She was frozen in her seat, holding that phone in her lap, her chin resting on her chest.
“Ramsay.”
She still didn’t move.
“If you don’t say a word in the next five seconds, I’m pulling over. What is going on?”
She whispered, “I messed up.” She raised stricken eyes to me, and damn. Damn. I never wanted to see that look in her eyes again. Ever. Felt like a hole just punctured my chest. She kept whispering, “I knew about something, but I never told them, and I should’ve told. They found out, and they know that I knew before them.”
“You’re talking about the affair?”
“I forgot I told you.”
We were pulling up to her house, and after seeing every light on and three vehicles parked in front, I said, “Looks like everyone knows now.” I knew those cars. One was her aunt’s. Another was Alex’s. The third was Trenton’s.
Clint’s was missing.
Ramsay had paled, but she jerked forward, seeing what I was seeing.
As soon as I pulled over to the curb, she was scrambling for the door at the same time the front door of her house opened. Out ran her mom. Trenton and Alex were next. Her aunt was last, staying on the front step, holding her phone clutched to her chest.
This was not good, so very not good.
“Oh God! You’re okay! You’re okay.” Ramsay’s mom had her in her arms, her hands smoothing down Ramsay’s hair and back. “Oh thank goodness. We couldn’t find you or get in touch, and I had no idea.”
Another two vehicles were coming up the street. My uncle’s and Cohen’s uncle. Angel Reyes.
Trenton and Alex stayed on the other side of my truck by Ramsay, and both were scorching me with looks. I got out and closed my door as my uncle’s truck pulled over to the other side of the street. Angel pulled up behind, but as I crossed to my uncle, Angel got out of his and was meeting me.
My uncle got out, shutting his door and leaning back against it, his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking past me. “You know what’s going on?”
I shook my head. “We just got back.”
“You took her to the fight with you?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes were knowing. “Learn a lot about your opponent, huh?”
“Come on.”
Angel moved in. “Glad to see you’re okay.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
He nodded toward everyone on the other side of the road. “Cohen got a call from Alex, who couldn’t find his cousin, who also couldn’t get ahold of you. So, my nephew called me to see what I could do.”
My uncle added, “Ten minutes ago, that call changed to them now not being able to find one of the triplets.”
“Clint’s not here.” I indicated the vehicles. “That’s Alex’s, Trenton’s, and their aunt’s.”
“Why weren’t you in communication?” my uncle asked me.
“I had my phone on, but I didn’t check it. Ramsay pulled out her phone when we were coming into town. That was when she saw all her notifications. Clint is missing?”
“She say anything to you?” That was from Angel, who was studying me intently.
My gut twisted, remembering the look on her face. “Nothing about Clint missing.”
“Okay.” My uncle sighed. “Let’s go over and see what we can do to help.”
Ramsay was off to the side, her head bent close to Alex and Trenton’s.
My uncle approached her mom, and now Mama Maroney was coming down the walkway. Her face was just as tear-stained as Ramsay’s mom’s.
“Ma’am.”
“God, no. I’m Christina, Ramsay’s mother. Call me Chris.”
