“I want tosee—”
“You’ve seen enough. Let’s go.” When I didn’t move, he added, “Now.”
Gritting my teeth, I turned around and headed back out of my stinkingkingdom.
How. Dare.They.
“I’ll follow you in my—” He froze by the truck’sbed.
Two eviscerated deer carcasses haloed by black flies had been heaped inside. A slew of words that would make his mother’s curse jar overflow spewed from his mouth. He unlatched the tailgate, then seized the hooves of one creature and yanked hard. The animal landed on the grass with an awful thud. As he wrenched the second one out, I peered through the windows of hiscar.
“August!” Igasped.
Something viscous oozed down the backrest and dripped on the seat that was covered in animalintestines.
His eyes turned a murderous shade of black. “Check your car,” he said, his voice as sharp as the knife blade Aidan had held against my throatyesterday.
I sprang toward my silver SUV. Thankfully the doors were all locked, and the vandals hadn’t shattered any windows, but they’d raked their claws through the silver paint, leaving grooveseverywhere.
“Those fucking Creeks,” August growled from behindme.
We stared at the destruction a moment longer, and then he snatched my palm tree keychain and opened the passenger door forme.
He didn’t say anything as he drove too quickly down the quiet Boulder streets toward my apartment. Fear that it, too, had been defaced made me wring the life out of the grabhandle.
The second I stepped over the threshold, I exhaled the breath I’d been holding since leaving my house. August walked to the sink and lathered his hands with dish detergent, scrubbing his skin until it turned pink. After almost a minute, he shut the water off and tore the dish cloth hanging on the ovenhandle.
“I’ll fix your house.” His eyes were animated with the same ferocity I’d spied last night when Aidan held mehostage.
I wanted to tell August he didn’t need to do that, that I’d do it myself, but nausea roiled in my stomach at the memory of the blood and piss, so I clamped my lips shut. As he lifted his cell phone to his ear, I went to change into shorts, a tank top, and my black hoodie. I took off my necklace and buried it in my underwear drawer, then stuffed my feet inside my scuffed boots. Even though we’d sprayed our shoes with air freshener last night to camouflage any lingering smells, I thought it safer to wear some that hadn’t been in contact with blood andsmoke.
Suddenly, a horrific thought speared my mind, and I sprinted out of my bedroom. “August!”
He dropped the phone, and it clattered against the floor but didn’t break. “What?”
“You need to get out ofBoulder!”
His eyes, which had widened with panic, now crimped withconfusion.
“They sabotaged your pickup, which means they know you were involved.” The words rushed out of mymouth.
His eyebrows pinched closer together, darkening his already murky gaze. “I don’tcare.”
“What if they try to hurt you during the duel? Or after the duel?Or—”
“Sweetheart”—he gripped the back of my neck—“I’m angry but I’m not scared. If anyone should be scared, it should be the people who did this, because, mark my words, I’ll find out who was involved.” His fingers were hot and unyielding. “Besides, how can you even think I’d run away withoutyou?”
I bit my lip. “Fine, but tonight, during the duel, you need to look out for yourself, or I’m not letting youcome.”
Smirking, he chucked me under thechin.
“What?” Iasked.
“Not letting me come . . .” Hetsked and shook his head. “I respect the hell out of you, Dimples, and I know you’re strong, but don’teverask me to stay away or flee. It’sinsulting.”
I crossed my arms. “I didn’t mean it as aninsult.”
He nodded, smirk gone. “Iknow.”
