“I’m fucking done,” he snarled. “She knows, Catherine.”
My entire world fell out from under me then, and I must have stood there for many minutes just staring at him, trying to comprehend what I’d just heard.
He’d said Catherine. I was almost certain of it.
I had to be in shock, because I couldn’t move closer to him, even though I needed answers. Dylan was shouting now, and I wanted to listen to his words, but I couldn’t hear anything. There was a weird, echoing ring in my head, and I finally stumbled back before spinning and running. Straight into Dylan’s arms.
“What happened?” he said.
I shook my head, throat tight, eyes burning. There had to be another explanation. Catherine wasn’t an uncommon name; maybe he was talking to someone else. Someone in the gang or maybe an old friend.
She knows.That could mean anything too, right?Shecould be anyone.
“Riley!” Dylan gently shook me. “Snap out of it. We can’t help you if you don’t tell us.”
“Let’s just kill him now,” Jasper suggested, already heading toward Dante.
All of our phones buzzed at the same time, which stopped him in his tracks. I was in no frame of mind to read mine, so I let them all fill me in on whatever horrible shit had occurred in our world. Phones going off at the same time was never a good sign.
“Beck’s not coming here now. He wants us at the cemetery,” Dylan said, still keeping me somewhat propped up.
I hadn’t taken my eyes off Dante, who appeared to be off the phone now, but he was still staring out into the darkness around him. I couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or not that he hadn’t seen me yet.
Dylan’s words finally registered with me. “Cemetery? What? Why?”
“Guess we’ll find out when we get there,” Evan replied, tucking his own phone back into his pants pocket. “Let’s roll.”
“Wait, what about Eddy? We can’t just ditch her here,” I protested. I’d come to the party with Eddy and Dante but now that Dante seemed like a snake in the grass … I couldn’t run out on my only other friend.
The guys exchanged a look, doing their silent communication thing before Dylan nodded to Jasper and grabbed my hand. “You come with me and Evan, Riles. Jasper will grab Eddy and drop her home on his way to the cemetery.”
“Okay, that works,” I agreed, letting Dylan hurry me down the drive in the direction of his car.
Jasper turned and went back inside, searching for his sister, and the urgency of Beck’s message almost had me forgetting about the betrayal from my best friend.
“Riles!” Dante called out as we hurried past him. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
My breath sucked in with a harsh gasp, all that broken hearted betrayal I’d felt just moments ago slamming back into me.
“Evan,” Dylan snapped. “Deal with him. We’ll meet you there.”
We’d just reached Dylan’s car, and I gratefully slipped inside and slammed the door shut while Evan stepped in front of Dante and blocked him. I couldn’t deal with Dante. Not yet. Not when something was going down at Oscar’s grave and the pain was still so fresh.
She knows, Catherine.
His words echoed in my head, and I clenched my eyes tightly shut as Dylan gunned his engine and carried us away from thatawfulparty.
30
Beck was alone when we arrived. He waited beside the wrought iron gates of the Jefferson Cemetery with his strong arms folded across his chest and his face like a thunderstorm.
“Where are the guys?” he demanded when only Dylan and I got out of the car.
“Coming,” Dylan replied, succinct as ever. “Council gone?”
Beck nodded. “Yeah, they saw all they needed to see. I didn’t want you all hearing this over the phone or from one of them, though.”
A chill traveled through me and I rubbed my arms. “That sounds ominous,” I murmured, and Beck just looked a bit … disturbed.
