Laughter burst out of me. Even Liam’s lips quirked up. I pressed the back of my hand against my mouth to stifle the sound that was so incredibly inappropriate that even Cassandra’s bodyguards gave me a hard stare, and I doubted they had any love for Julian and hispack.
I elbowed Lucas as we exited. “They’re all going to think I’m heartlessnow.”
Lucas dragged his hand through his shaggy black hair, grinning. “You should always keep your enemiesguessing.”
“The Pines aren’t myenemies.”
“They’re no longer Pines,” Lucas said just as Sarah surged out of thebuilding.
She must not have heard him, because she didn’t react to his comment. She hooked her arm through mine and all but dragged me down the stairs. “I’ve changed my mind. I’d like you guys to take thestuff.”
It took me a second to compute whatthe stuffwas. When I did, I turned and exchanged a quick glance withLiam.
“Lucas”—he tossed him the car keys—“take Sarahhome.”
Lucas frowned at first, but Liam must’ve elaborated, because he nodded. “How’re you getting home?Running?”
“Ness has acar.”
I clutched my keys tight enough to leave an imprint. “I think it’s better if you go with them,Liam.”
A dark lock of hair fell into hiseyes.
“I’d feel better if Sarah had both of you with her,” Iadded.
A half-truth.
The other half of that truth was that the drive took a little more than a half hour, and I felt like Liam and I had spent enough time together for oneday.
And I might not have trusted his intentions concerning meyet.
It took a couple minutes—maybe seconds—for Liam to unglue the soles of his black boots from the flagstone path. Shoulders wrenched back, he strode to hiscar.
Lucas looked between us before going after ourAlpha.
Sarah bit her lip. “I’ll call you tomorrow, hun.” And then she was gonetoo.
And I was finallyalone.
The drive home took me straight past the Watts’ warehouse. Even though it wasn’t late, August’s apartment, which flanked the warehouse, was pitch-black.
I tried to feel him through the tether, but my stomach was a giant jumble of emotions. I parked on the side of the road, grabbed my phone, and typed out a text:Don’t leave Boulder,ok?
In the starlit darkness, under a moon that was almost full, I waited for August toreply.
No replycame.
3
At 6:15 a.m.the following day, I peeled my body out of my warm bedsheets and got ready for my early morning run with Matt. I was lacing my sneakers when he messaged me that he was downstairs. Stuffing my key and phone in the zippered pocket of my track jacket, I tiptoed past my sleeping uncle’s room, opened and shut our front door discreetly, then bounded down the porchstairs.
“Sorry you got saddled withme.”
He pushed away from his silver Dodge sedan, palming his cropped blond hair. “Don’t sweat it, Little Wolf. I oweyou.”
“What do you owe mefor?”
“Stopping Liam from dueling Morgan withoutbackup.”
