Callum laughs, kicks dirt at them, and then we pile back into his car and drive off.
Callum’s still driving like a maniac when we get back to Tigerlily’s street. We pull up next to Jax’s car and see a figure standing in her yard. Her dad is standing out front, watching us.
Jax and I get into his car while Callum flips him off.
The dad doesn’t move. Doesn’t react. Just stands there staring as we drive away.
I throw my middle finger up as Jax just stares at the man.
He watches, unamused.
But we got the message across.
We’re not backing down.
“I’m coming back,” Jax says.
“Me too.”
Jax shakes his head. “No, keep Brixton in check. I need to make sure Tiger’s okay tonight.”
I shake my head. “Fuck that, we do this together.”
Jax presses the gas firmly. “I go alone. I’ll remain unseen. She trusts me.”
I stare at him, hating that I know he’s right. She trusts me, but not in the same way she does Jax. Callum too.
I grind my teeth.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tigerlily
My dad finishes the Crunch wrap Supreme and stands, leaving his trash on the table.
“I need to go out and finish what I was doing,” he says. “There’s a cold front tonight.”
I nod, watching him walk toward the door. I look at my phone and Googlecold front Los Angeles.
Nothing.
He’s lying.
Zinnia launches into another story about Alfie, but I’m not listening. I’m watching my dad through the window as he steps outside.
The curtains are half-closed. I can’t see much. Just his silhouette moving across the driveway.
My dad isn’t a yard person. He’ll pay Zinnia ten dollars to mow the lawn. If he says he’s fixing the hose, I know he’s full of shit. There’s no broken hose. And even if there was, there’s no reason it would need to be fixed right now. He’s lying about a cold front, and I don’t know why.
I finish eating, clean the table, stack the plates, and wipe down the counter.
Then I walk to the front window and look out.
He’s not by the hose.
The garage door opens from behind me, scaring me.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Did you fix it?” I ask.
