Page 171 of Their Wicked Secrets: Untouched, Vol 5 of 6

Harper’s eyes turn to mine. Caden sighs in the driver’s seat. Luke and Eli are in the other car.

“Are we sure?” Caden runs a hand through his hair and glances in the rearview mirror at Harper. “No. But hopefully it will be worth it. You two stay in the car in case we need to get out fast, until we’re sure it’s okay. No arguments.”

Harper’s been quiet, but the assumption is we’re being listened to again. I can’t wait for this part to be over. To be able to have a conversation with the girl I love without worrying about our parents or whoever is listening in.

To be done with physical therapy and able to fuck my girl the way I want to. This whole thing is frustrating, but I do appreciate having Harper to myself after school. We need that time to reconnect. While our relationship, just the two of us, is important. It’s also important we all stay connected. That’s what weekends are for.

Caden stops his car and we wait until Luke and Eli pull up.

“Stay,” Caden orders before he steps out of the car and leans against Harper’s door, making sure she obeys him. She shakes her head as she looks at his back.

She releases a breath. “Are you doing okay?”

I nod and reach out my hand for hers. She smiles. Our fingers tangle together like they were meant for each other. There’s this whole future we’re trying to get to, but in the meantime, I need to start enjoying these moments.

To realize, I have the girl of my dreams. And I’ll do anything to keep her safe.

Luke opens my door. “Come on. He’s here.”

Harper’s brow furrows, but I want to be out there. I want this guy to see what he did to me. I just wish I’d been the one who got to beat him up for it.

Eli opens the front door and pulls out my crutches. Caden opens Harper’s door to help her out. I squeeze her hand before releasing it and letting Luke help me out of the car.

“We need to show a united front.” Luke’s voice is quiet. His eyes narrow on mine as he searches them for my strength. I straighten. “That includes you, no matter what.”

I look across the roof of Caden’s car to the other car parked with two people in it. A girl about our age gets out of the passenger side as Art, the asshole who took out my knee, gets out from the driver’s side. She crosses her arms like she’s cold as she looks over at us.

Art walks around to her side and puts his arm around her shoulder. He leans down so their heads almost touch. His lips move, but they’re too far away for us to hear anything. She presses against him ever so slightly.

Harper leans against the car next to Caden. “Who’s the girl?”

“Don’t know.” Eli walks around the car with me, and I take the spot on Harper’s other side.

Luke and Eli step in front of us. All of us provide a human shield around Harper.

Art and the girl close the distance between us, leaving about three feet between them and us. The shiner on his eye is fading, and he walks with a slight limp. Nowhere near the damage he did to me, but at least Caden got a few hits in. He clears his throat.

None of us speak. He called this meeting. He can tell us what he knows or run back to Zach. We’re not going to tell him shit.

“This is my girlfriend, Nina,” he says.

She has a hand on his chest but doesn’t say anything. She watches us warily, like we’re the problem.

“You asked us here.” Eli straightens. “We’re here.”

“We need a way out of this,” Nina says. Her voice is steady and strong.

“It’s okay, babe.” Art squeezes her shoulder. Their eyes meet and lock for a second. He lifts his gaze to us. This time around he’s a lot less cocky. He runs his free hand through his hair and huffs out a breath. “I know what went down tonight.”

“Okay?” Luke doesn’t sound impressed. The entire incident is probably common knowledge by now.

“I also know Zach is out already. Probably will get off with a slap on his wrist. And he’s making plans for tomorrow because he came to the house all fired up.” Art glances down at Nina, and she gives him an encouraging smile. “He doesn’t give two shits about the guys still in lock up.”

“He doesn’t give two shits about anyone but himself. Those guys are disposable to him.” Nina shakes her head and looks between Luke and Eli. “All he cares about is money and power. And he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. We’re on the wrong side of this.”

“What Nina’s saying is, I don’t want to do time for a guy like Zach. And the alternative is that he’s going to get one or all of us killed because of the shit he’s pulling. We’re all fucking disposable to him.”

“You’re just realizing this?” Eli scoffs.