My friend hangs her head, clearly disappointed. “I suspected you would say that, but I had to ask.”
“I get it.”
“If whoever hit Atlas is back,” Heather says. “And after what happened last night, it’s clear that my boyfriend wasn’t their intended target. They wanted to hurt you, Zara. Who knew that you were JJ Smith?”
I shake my head. “No one knew, except my friends who helped with the logistics of bringing my bike to the races. Ares asked me the same thing, and before you say anything, I’m one hundred percent sure that DJ and Wren would never try to hurt me. I trust them both with my life. Besides, they couldn’t havedone it. On both occasions, they were surrounded by people and caught on camera.”
“But maybe they told someone?” Heather asks. “Is there anyone who would want to hurt you?”
That’s the million dollar question. “Not that I know of. The only person I can think about is Cal. He was mad about the way things ended between us. You were at the party after the qualifying race two years ago. Remember? He was furious when I was dancing with Chance and Lev.”
Heather considers my words. “True. But it can’t be him. Both times that bike appeared, he was on the racetrack on his own bike.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “The only thing that makes sense would be if he put someone else up to it.”
“Do you really think your ex hates you that much?” she asks.
I answer honestly. “I don’t know. It’s not like I think that Cal was in love with me or anything. But he hated the guys even before they got between me and him that day after the qualifying race. It’s possible that seeing me with them could have tipped him over the edge.”
“Even so,” Heather muses. “It has been two years since then.”
“Yeah, I know. Whoever wants to hurt me obviously bears one hell of a grudge. And aside from Cal, I don’t think there’s anyone else who could have any beef with me.”
Heather turns to take one last look at her reflection in the mirror. “As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking about this a lot for the last two years. The person on that bike destroyed my life and hurt our families. If it’s Cal, maybe Dave knows something.”
I don’t like where this is going. “No.” I grab her wrist to stop her from walking toward the door. “Heather, whatever you’re thinking, it’s a terrible idea.”
“And what do you think I’m thinking?”
Her smirk tells me I’m right. “You’re thinking about using Dave to find out if Cal is behind the attacks on JJ Smith.”
“Of course I am. It’s genius, don’t you think? If Cal paid someone to take one of his bikes and hit JJ Smith, maybe his brother knows. Especially since he’s the one who helped him set up the races on campus. It makes perfect sense.”
She isn’t wrong, but I don’t like the sound of this.
“Heather, if we’re right and Cal wants to hurt me, it’s even more reason to stay away from Dave.”
“Why?” She looks genuinely confused.
I tighten my hold on her wrist. “If Cal paid someone to try to kill me, he’s a murderer. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t physically on the bike that hit Atlas. If he thinks that you’re onto him, there’s no telling what he could do. Especially now that he’s involved with Mason Morelli.”
Heather looks offended. “Do you think I would be so stupid to tip him off that we think Cal is the man behind the attempts on your life? We haven’t known each other for that long, but I thought you would give me a little more credit. I can be subtle if I want to be.”
I bite my tongue, but Heather doesn’t miss the doubt in my expression.
“Oh my God.” She gasps. “You really think that I’m stupid.”
“No, Heather. Not stupid. But you have got to admit that you wear your heart on your sleeve. Every time the guys piss you off, it’s crystal clear that you’re upset even before you say anything.”
She argues with that assessment. “That’s because you guys are my best friends, my family. You can ask Angela if you don’t believe me. She’s seen me handle an entire squad of cheerleaders for the three years I was captain in high school. She can tell you how many times someone tried to take my spot by turning the others against me. There’s no one more cut-throat than a group of high school cheerleaders. And yet, I maintained my positionuntil graduation, and I’m still friends with all the girls. Even the ones I kicked out of the team for being backstabbing bitches.”
“Heather,” I insist. “You have to promise me you’re not going to do anything risky. If Cal is the one who tried to hurt me twice, he’s dangerous. Way more dangerous than I thought. If something happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”
She rolls her eyes but then pulls me into a hug. “I should be offended that you don’t think I can go behind enemy lines and make it out in one piece, but I know you worry because you care. I promise I’ll be careful. When I hang out with Dave, I won’t ask any questions. But I’ll pay attention. You learn a lot more by listening to others than by talking.”
“I guess that’s progress, even though I’d feel better if you stayed away from Cal’s brother.”
Heather pulls away from me. “I promise I’m going to be careful. I’m just gonna sleep with him; I’m not going to marry him. But I haven’t been attracted to anyone in a long time, and a bad boy is exactly what I need. Let’s go back to the dining room. All this talking about dick has made me hungry. I’ll eat some cake and get Dave to ask me on a date, and I would love it if you wanted to be my wingwoman.”
