“Where the fuck was he when Trenton sliced you up, huh? How the fuck did he avenge you?”
“He would’ve lost his life.”
“A decent father should be willing to sacrifice himself for his child.” That’s the sort of father I had. That’s the sort of father she deserved. “But ultimately, Hayes, he should’ve gotten you out of Trenton’s prison, not stood by your cell door and kept you lockedin.” I flex my knuckles so hard I think I could yank the steering wheel clean off. “How’d you know where to find me?”
“The receipt in the bag.” She must be smiling, because her tone is suddenly breezy—and steady. “The one for a sports drink. It didn’t make sense at first, since there was no protein shake. I thought that maybe Hudson tossed it in there, but he’d never be caught dead in a public gym.”
“Clever girl.”
“Easy to be clever when your best friend is a mastermind.”
Hardly…
“Reeve, have you been living in that garage for the last two months?”
“No. I’ve been living in my camper.”
“That’s what I meant.”
“I don’t need blue skies to sleep. You can sit up now but stay in the rear”—I toss her my ballcap—“and put this on.” If only I’d grabbed snacks and drinks from the minibar instead of fancy soa— “Your insulin?” I glance into the rearview mirror at her shaded face. “Do you have your insulin with you?”
“I didn’t take the time to search the place for a dose.”
Even though the odds she’ll need it are slim, I still have too much PTSD from our childhood.
“What was Trenton having you do?” Quinn asks.
I knew the question was coming. “Nothing I didn’t sign up for.”
“You left the Holy Hunters, Reeve. You hate my ex. There’s no way you would’ve signed up to work for him, so how about a little honesty?”
“Iambeing honest. I volunteered to help stop the Atlanteans. I may not like the organization, but you know how I feel about our enemies.”
She takes a moment to sit with that. “How were you going to help stop them?”
I consider making something up since she’ll chew my head off if I confess the plan to cook up a bomb and drop it into the mine. But then I reconsider lying to her. Especially since my mission is dead in the water now.
I itch to locate a payphone and call Electra to explain myself before someone else, like Trenton, spills the truth. My stepbrothers will do everything in their power to betray me now that they’ve lost their bargaining chip.
I reassure myself that as long as the mine exists, Electra is more powerful than they are. Still, I picture them capturing her and torturing her, and I see red. If Trenton?—
“Reeve?” Quinn bites out my name. “How were you going to help stop them?”
“I was angling to pull a Polly and destroy the mine with a dirty bomb.” That’s how I’d gotten my Hunter codename. Not because I had any talent in the kitchen back then, but because I taught myself to wire an explosive using a science textbook and junkyard scraps Quinn and I scavenged.
My best friend remains so quiet that I glance into the rear footwell to check if she’s fallen asleep, only to find her glaring at me.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Rafferty? That would’ve been a suicide mission! Not only that, but what makes you think a dirty bomb would’ve damaged the mine? The fucking air over the island repels bombs!”
I lick my mouth, and although I’ve showered and brushed my teeth, I get a hit of Electra’s sweet skin. “Then I would’ve walked away with no one being the wiser.” I don’t doubt she realizes it’s a big fat lie.
Sure enough, Quinn scoffs. “Polly never made it back home.”
“Yeah, but she made it onto the island.”
Silence bleeds between us. And not the soothing kind.
“Who did you pick to score your invite?” she finally asks.
