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Knight emerged from the house with rubber cleaning gloves and a few dish towels. “This is all we’ve got to work with. It will have to do.”
Together they lifted Jenna’s body onto the tarp and wrapped it. Knight made a face, like he was trying not to throw up. I stood several feet away. Even that felt too close.
Once she was thoroughly wrapped, they took her into the garage. I went back into the house, thinking about going for the vodka again. I needed to not be coherent right now.
For a moment, the emotions swelled wildly within me. They threatened to become too much. Tears filled my eyes as I rubbed my forehead and swore. I wished that I’d never gotten my dumb ass kicked out of Hillside Prep. None of this would have happened.
With a hand on the counter to steady myself, I sucked in a shaky breath. I would not cry. Not here. Not now. I willed the storm of emotion back, trying desperately to stuff it deep inside me.
“Fuck me, are you crying, Cherry Pie?” Gage’s voice cut through the silence. “Tell me you’re not crying. Knight will cream his panties.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that, and I didn’t care. Turning my back toward him, I leaned heavily on the counter, shoulders shaking with the need to unleash everything. The urge to scream it out racked me.
“You and me will stay home to keep an eye on things,” Havoc said to Knight as they reentered the kitchen. “Gage and Raina will go to class. We can’t all be missing from campus today.”
“Careful, Knight,” Gage snickered. “Raina’s crying. Think you can handle that?”
I whirled around as Knight skidded to a halt. “I’m not crying, you jackass. Just trying not to lose my shit and have a mental breakdown. Is that okay with you?”
Knight took one look at the unshed tears glittering in my eyes and spun on a heel. Then he was gone, up the stairs to the second floor. I stared after him in confusion.
“Anyone going to tell me?” I asked. “Never mind. I like to be surprised. What’s this about going to class? I’m really not up for that today.”
“You and Gage need to go. You both have connections to Jenna that incriminate you. Showing up and going about the day like normal is the safest plan. Knight and I will stay here to make sure nobody gets near the garage. Tonight we’ll get rid of the body.”
I gnawed my bottom lip. He had a point about Gage and me. He’d been messing around with Jenna. I’d punched her in the face in public. We would naturally be suspects if her body was found, especially if it was found here. Although Gage was more likely to be blamed regardless. As much as I wanted to knock his teeth out, I didn’t want him to be falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
I believed with every part of me that Gage was more than capable of killing a person and feeling no remorse. And yet, I didn’t really believe he’d killed Jenna. Someone else was at work here.
“Fine, I’ll grab my things.” Since most of my stuff had been deposited in Havoc’s room, I went up there to get what I needed for the day.
I noticed that Knight’s door was closed. What was his deal? Big baby.
After stuffing my phone and wallet into my laptop bag, I met Gage at the front door. Havoc handed him keys to his car. Gage still hadn’t replaced the car that I’d ruined. Oops.
“Are you going to be able to keep your shit together?” Gage asked when we were in the car. “This can’t be your first dead body.”
The first dead body I’d ever seen flashed through my mind. A man that had threatened to hurt my mom and me to get back at my dad. He’d come to the house. He’d left wrapped in plastic.
“Of course not. It’s the first one that could land my ass in trouble though.” I dug through my bag for some lip balm, glancing over at Gage. “You’re not worried at all?”
He shrugged. “What’s the point? There will be nothing left of her to find after tonight. Why would you be concerned? Pretty sure your daddy can clean up your messes. He cleaned up Nikki, didn’t he?”
My jaw dropped. “You’re a real fucking peach, aren’t you? What a shitty fucking thing to say.”
I stared out the window, refusing to acknowledge him for the rest of the drive. Once we parked on campus, I got out of the car and stormed off toward the building. Gage easily caught up with me. He grabbed my bag, using it to slow me down.
“What’s your problem? Slow down, goddammit.” Gage forced me to walk at his pace. Letting go of my bag, he possessively held my arm instead.
“Are you sure you don’t want to just get a leash for this thing?” I angrily gestured to the collar locked around my neck. “Maybe that will make it easier for you to control me.”
Gage pretended to consider, nodding his head. “Yeah, that’s actually not a bad idea. Can you calm down a bit? No need to be so pissy. Is it shark week or something?”
It took me a second to realize what he was asking. I scowled. “No, I’m not having my period at the moment. Not that it’s any of your business. Do you really have to manhandle me?”
We passed a group of people standing around outside talking. I didn’t want anyone to see Gage holding onto me like a dog that kept running away. I tried unsuccessfully to discreetly pull free of him.
Gage moved his grip from my arm down to my hand, sliding his fingers between mine. He held tight, squeezing a little, exerting his will.
