I fuck up everything.
I’m lethal.
Tyler pushes his lips to the top of my head and says so quietly, so pointedly, it has goosebumps erupting painfully over my scalp, “Do what you have to do, B.”
So, I run, with hope in every step, praying I’m not too late, that I can save Harlen from drowning,the same way he had saved me.
I race through the tunnel, curling myself around solid door frames in search of Harlen, and at every corner, I’m left disappointed.I can’t find him anywhere.
Hope was fickle, but I hold on, my feet pounding down the mouth of darkness, in search of him. When I hit the final room, seeing Trav and Harmony, I almost skid to my ass, their gazes cutting to the opening as I grab onto the wall, steadying my weight.
“Have you seenhim?” I ask frantically.
Harms knows exactly who I’m talking about when she pushes her platinum money piece behind her ear and flicks her eyes to Trav, then back to me. She sucks on her bottom lip, saying, “He left.” There’s sorrow in each word, though all I hear is our last speck of hope dissipating.
Asher slips into the room, Tyler pinching my hip. I hadn’t realized they had followed me. Chase isn’t far behind them, and he stops, grabbing my shoulders. His mouth comes down near my ear, his long hair brushing over the bare skin at the back of my neck as he whispers, “Come with me.”
I turn to look at him, and he jerks his head, stepping back into the tunnel.
I seek out Cam, who is standing next to him, and she smirks slightly, then I snap my head in Ty’s direction, and he nods.
I can trust Chase.
“Fuck me, I’m not going to eat you. I mean, unless you–” Chase starts to say, but is cut off by Ty.
Tyler points at him. “Seriously, dude, my fucking fist is sore enough.”
Chase snorts and shoves his tattooed hands through his hair, the chrome rings getting stuck between his dark long locks when he pulls it back and ties it into a low bun.
“So, are you coming?” He wiggles his eyebrows in question, his arms out to his sides as he begins to walk backward.
I follow him, and when I catch up, he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. He smells of tobacco and musk, the notes tangling with my memories when we all spent time together back at the lake house.
His words are gruff when he says, “He never once blamed you for how you felt toward him, you have to know that, Cherry.” He stops, and I tilt my eyes up to his brown ones. “He respects you, because you respect yourself.”
I shiver, distortion filling my ears. It’s the same crackling I hear every time a message finds a way through my subconscious. My eyebrows furrow as I listen carefully.Please, give me a sign.
“You can trust them, My Cherry.They’re the good ones.”
Mom.
I need to find Harlen,now.
When we emerge, the outside darkness quickly encroaches upon us. A cool breeze curls its tendrils around my spine, only adding to my nerves.
I wrap my arms over my chest, feeling the pearling goosebumps erupt along my triceps before dropping my bag to the ground and pulling out the hoodie I had taken off earlier, slipping it over my head.
My chest draws tight, and I turn to Chase, who is standing at the curb, his phone pressed to his ear.
“Yeah, around the back. Thanks.”
I suck in a sharp breath of air, about to speak, when a big black SUV pulls up in front of us. Chase jumps off the curb, his tattooed arm extending when he rips open the back door and jerks his head to the inside. “Jump in.”
Swallowing hard, I maneuver myself toward the car, lifting my weight and sliding across the red leather seat. Chase isn’t far behind me, the door closing and the wheels crunching as we start to move.
“Keller, where are we headed tonight?” The man, who I’m guessing is Chase’s driver, queries.
Chase’s hand wraps around a clear bottle of vodka.
