“I turned right.”
“It’ll take me around ten minutes to get there. Is there a store or something nearby where you can wait?”
There was nothing nearby. “No, but I can sit in the car until you get here.”
“Lock the doors and put your papa’s knife where you can easily reach it. I’m walking out the door now.”
“Thank you,” I breathed. Then I got back in my car, locked the doors, and moved Papa’s knife to the passenger seat.
I alternated between staring at the clock and playing Jake’s video in my head, making the time pass torturously slow. When my phone rang, I unlocked the doors and answered, assuming it was Ink.
It wasn’t.
24
INK
When my phone rang with Ariel’s number on the screen, I immediately thought something was wrong.
“Hey, Ink,” she said when I answered. “I’m on my way home from school, and I have a flat tire. I tried to call Mom, but she didn’t answer. Anyway, I know how to change a flat, but I can’t get two lug nuts off.”
“Where’s Jake?” I asked.
“He’s … I … Can you come? Please. Just you?” she asked quietly, followed by a sniffle.
Fuck. She was crying. If it was because of Jake, I was going to kick his rich little ass, legacy patch or not.
“I’ll be right there. Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m on Union Street, about two miles from school.”
“Did you turn left or right when you left the parking lot?” I asked, knowing either way would take her home.
“I turned right.”
“It’ll take me around ten minutes to get there. Is there a store or something nearby where you can wait?” I asked. I didn’t want her to be alone until I could get there.
“No, but I can sit in the car until you get here.”
“Lock the doors and put your Papa’s knife where you can easily reach it. I’m walking out the door now.”
“Thank you,” she said, sounding relieved.
“What’s going on?” Dice asked, following me out to my truck.
“Ariel has a flat tire and can’t get two lug nuts off. I’m going to go help her.”
“You want me to come with you?”
Normally, I would’ve said yes, but the garage was backed up with vehicles needing work since we’d both been on an unexpected vacation the week before. “Nah. I got it. I shouldn’t be more than thirty minutes.”
Nothing could have prepared me for what I found when I arrived. I saw Ariel first, backing away from something on the ground. The look on her face had me jumping out of my truck without surveying my surroundings. I barely had time to register the body on the ground with Eugene’s knife sticking out of its torso before something slammed into the side of my head, causing me to fall to my knees as Ariel screamed in horror.
“Run!” I yelled before another blow to my head sent me into blackness.
25
PRESLEY
