But I nod. “Meet your brother, Goldie. Because he’s alive.”
Her eyes try and meet mine, but I can’t even look at her. So I turn away to stare at Noah instead as he says, “Imma send this to myself.”
He does, motioning like he’s sliding my phone back to me, but Goldie nabs it. I’m watching her, two silent tears tipping over from the corners of her eyes, each at different times before they crookedly make their way down her face.
“I watched you die,” she whispers, holding my phone up, staring at the photo.
Goldie’s chin quivers before she rubs her lips together and brings the back of her hand to her face, wiping away the sadness.
“It’d be great if my relatives would stop coming back from the dead,” she says, finally looking at me.
And this time, I don’t avoid it.
I nod. And we both break, walking around the counter, hugging again, saying sorry for all the things we didn’t mean.
“I didn’t think you were crazy.”
“Yes you did . . .”
“Okay, maybe a little.”
“I’m sorry your brother’s potentially trying to kill us.”
“I’m sorry he kidnapped your boyfriend.”
That’s the thing about me and my sister. It doesn’t matter how many fucked-up relatives she has popping out of the woodwork or what life throws our way. I love her with my whole being. I’m her ride or die for life.
Nobody comes between us.
And if they did, we’d get grounded as adults, for life.
One loud clap next to us makes our heads whip to Noah, who’s standing in the middle of the room with my duffel over his shoulder.
“I sent everything to the cops. And I’m glad you made up. But we got another text.”
Goldie and I let go of each other and rush to our phones.
Unknown:No cops or he dies. *location ping*
My head lifts, Goldie and I looking at each other as Noah says, “Looks like we’re going on a road trip.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Evie
We’ve been driving for hours past the location I’ve been spending all my time lately. Hours through pitch black and into sunrise. But it’s hard to make out where we are, sitting in the back seat and looking out the window, because all the land in the middle of nowhere in California looks the same.
It’s just dirt, speckled with trees and cacti. I haven’t seen a landmark or building for miles. And a part of me is scared to death we’ve been sent on a wild goose chase.
But what was the alternative?
There is none. Because it feels like someone’s set a clock, and it’s ticking down, and we don’t know how much time is left.
“Where the fuck are we going?” Noah mutters to himself, checking the directions he has connected to the car again.
My eyes stay trained out the window, looking for something to make this drive make sense. But all I keep getting are flashes of memories with Chase—us in the kitchen, him dancing around ... that day at the farmers’ market when I think I knew somewhere in the back of my head that I was going to fall for him.
He shakes his head, so onto me, and raises his voice. “Hell has frozen over. She wants to talk about me, everyone.”
