The closest I’ve come to committing a crime was stealing my dad’s moonshine. I learned my lesson all too fast. The punishment was too severe to do anything like that again.
But sometimes the crime fits the punishment. What they did to me has stayed with me while they got to brush it off like it never happened. Tonight, I start to change that.
Pushing open the door, I climb out.
Dizzy is right behind me. Crawling through the driver’s side on my heels. Kelsey and Ivy climb out too, their doors shutting loudly in the quiet.
“Shh,” I whisper.
“It’s loud because you’re heightened.” Dizzy twirls like a ballerina. “Can you feel it? All the adrenaline pumping through your blood?”
It must be nice not to be scared.
“So we go in, tie this guy up, and get him to confess?” Ivy rubs at her arms.
“Something like that.” I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing. I’m working backwards from the outcome I want and hopingeverything goes without a hitch. It’s impulsive, but I couldn’t let it go anymore.
“Let’s get in and out as quickly as possible.” Kelsey darts a glance over her shoulder.
“You’re no fun,” Dizzy tells her as she skips ahead.
“This isn’t meant to be fun,” Ivy whispers as we make our way around the building single file to where Dizzy holds a door open for us.
“I didn’t have to pick the lock. It was open.” Dizzy beams as we pass her. “I love small towns. Everyone is so trusting.”
I used to believe that too.
It reeks of oil and metal inside the garage. A couple of cars with their hoods taken off are parked in the back bays. A tractor is in pieces, its huge tires stacked one on top of the other. Tools and machinery line every horizontal and vertical surface.
“Someone should keep lookout,” Dizzy says.
Ivy puts a finger up. “I can do that.”
“Kelsey, you do it,” Dizzy orders as she wraps an arm around Ivy’s waist. “You, I’m keeping in my sights the whole time. You’re my sister and the bride-to-be. If I don’t get you back for the wedding in one piece, I’m going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble. Rogue will want to kill me. West will murder him. It’ll be a bloodbath.”
“How can you be blamed for something that wasn’t your idea, Dizzy?” I don’t believe it would go that far, but it’s true that I’m putting the bride at risk. “If anyone gets blamed for anything, it’ll be me.”
“Maybe we should go,” Kelsey says.
“We definitely should.” Forget we came into town. Get some sleep so we’re fresh for tomorrow.
I’ll be leaving once the wedding is over anyway.
It’s just… I am done with being shamed and scared because of these assholes. “I can’t. I need to do this.”
A light switches on at the top of the stairs.
“Shit.” This is already not going according to plan.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Dizzy snatches the plastic bag from my hand and charges up the steps. A series of thumps come from up above.
“What the fuck?” The voice—which I recognize from this afternoon’s run in—is thick with sleep and surprise. Kurt.
There’s a thud. A giggle.
“Who are you?” he demands. The sleep has evaporated from his voice.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Kelsey stares at the ceiling above us. We all wince when something crashes.
