Alex appears beside us in the other lane. He meets my wide-eyed gaze with one that promises to scorch the earth, then speeds up. Passes ahead of us, sliding in front.
“Oh my,” I say faintly.
Trevor’s phone begins to ring in the car. He answers it, hands-free. “What up.”
A familiar voice pours through the speakers. “Pull over.”
Alex disconnects the call.
“Don’t pull over.” I’m sweating through my clothes. “How much gas is in this tank?” I lean forward from my spot in the backseat, up between them, to scope out his gauge.
“Got me in a car chase while I’m trying to digest a skillet cookie!” Trevor bounces up and down, checking his mirrors. “Iknewyou two were doing it.”
“This isn’t a sex thing!”
Trevor narrows his eyes at me in the rearview mirror.
Ahead of us, Alex gradually drops off in speed, slowing to fifty miles per hour, then forty-five, then forty. Thirty. At this point, I can count every fence post that streaks by, trees no longer blurring together. Thanks to all the hills, we’re stuck in a no-passing zone.
Twenty miles per hour. Fifteen. Ten. Trevor honks. Hangs out the window. “Move your ass, son!”
Then we stop. Alex switches on his emergency flashers.
“Oh my lord.” I clutch my seatbelt, nervous system blowing up with adrenaline.
Teyonna’s phone rings. “Hello?” She cranks around to look at me. “Mm hm. Mm hm.” Nods. “Got it.” Calmly returns her phone to her pocket.
“He says he isn’t going anywhere till he’s got Romina.”
“Couple of perverts,” Trevor’s complaining now.
I grip Teyonna’s arm. “Never let your consequences catch up with you, Teyonna.”
A knock at my window makes us both shriek.
I turn slowly to see Alex, leaning on the door all casually, like he could wait around all day for me to give up, face angled toward the violet sky.
Trevor rolls my window down. “You’re insane,” he tells him. “Maybe we’ll get along better than I thought.”
Alex’s eyes cut to mine. His hand makes a quick dart inside my window, unlocks my door, and opens it. “After you,” he says amiably.
I glare up at him. “This is extremely questionable behavior. I will get out of this car, but only because I want to, and it is my idea.” I purse my lips. “Trevor drives too fast.”
Some colorful language booms from the driver’s seat.
“Come with me, we’re going somewhere to be alone.”
I grumble, stalking after him to his truck. “You’re an overbearing asshole,” I mutter. Alex slides behind the wheel.
“And you’re a damn liar.”
I press back into the seat to ground myself, stare locked on the road. I feel his loud inner dialogue hitting off every surface of the car.
He swings down a gravel exit, rumbling slowly under an overpass of laced treetops. Cuts the engine in a grove that faces the narrowest section of Foxglove Creek, our backs to the field and a narrow strip of woods.
I jump out, sprinting through the field before Alex can blink.
“Get over here,” he growls.
