Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Another slow step whines across the floor upstairs.
Oh, shit.
The rocking chair? No, that’s in the attic, on the third floor. The sounds are coming from my room directly above.
I hurry into the kitchen and grab a blue plastic broom just as footfalls descend closer to me. I face the living room and entryway again, rearing the broom back behind my head, but then the pantry door to my right suddenly opens, and an arm appears. I whip around and swing, but he shoots his hand out, catching the broom and glaring down at me.
“Whoa!” Hawke chides.
I expel the air in my lungs, gazing up at my cousin. His father’s azure blue eyes regard me like I’m crazy.
“Hawke?” I growl. “What the hell?”
He yanks the broom out of my hands. “Give me that.”
He reaches over, still dressed from his own school day in jeans and a brown Oxford, shirttails out. He sets the broom aside.
Of course, he’s here. I should’ve known he’d show up to check on me. His college is close.
I pull open the door to the pantry—or to what I thought was a pantry. “There are stairs here?”
Lifting my eyes, I take in the narrow wooden spiral steps until they disappear around a curve above me.
“Yeah, they go up to the second floor.”
I look over at him, annoyance setting in. “What were you doing?”
“Investigating.”
I’m not shocked he’s here. Like his dad, Hawke has a penchant for sticking his nose into his family’s business. He wants to see all, hear all, and know all, and Hawke does not like surprises. He wants to be there if we need help, even before we ask for it.
“Did Aro tell you where I was?” I ask him. “Or are you tracking my phone too?”
The Trent men are all the same.
“I’m not tracking you,” he retorts. “I mean, I could. Easily.” He walks toward the living room. “When Aro and I pieced together the clues on those old cell phones and realized our Carnival Tower story in the Falls is related to Weston’s urban legend of Rivalry Week—and that you were the first female student they’ve taken since Winslet—she knew where you’d be.”
“Where is she?” I question. “She was bringing me stuff.”
He picks up a duffel that I didn’t see on the floor and tosses it at me. I smile, catching it. Yes. Clean clothes. My clean clothes.
“She packed it. I didn’t look,” he spits out. “Your dad needed her at the shop today.”
I’m not sure that’s true because my dad would’ve let her bring me things I needed. I don’t think Hawke wants her here. Green Street wants her back.
He gestures to the counter. “Brought you some tacos too.”
I suck in a breath, rushing to the brown bag and ripping it open. The scent immediately makes my mouth water. “Thanks,” I groan a little, pulling out a tortilla chip. “I’m starving. There’s no food here.”
I stuff the chip into my mouth as he pulls open the refrigerator. “There’s food now,” he says.
I arch my neck, peering into the fridge. Bread, deli meat, juice, milk, a little produce… I walk to the pantry, opening the door. There’s an unopened box of cereal, some microwave popcorn, canned soups....
“Did you put all this in here?” I ask him.
He shakes his head.
Hmm. Maybe Farrow and the guys brought it this morning before I came downstairs.
He picks up a cheese stick and tosses it back in. “It’s not much, but it’s only two weeks.” He closes the door and faces me. “I could place an order on Instacart, but I don’t think they deliver here.”
“It’s fine.” I wave him off, pulling out the foil-wrapped tacos and opening them up. “I’ll get to the store if I need anything.”
I pick one of the three grilled chicken tacos up and take a bite, my stomach growling. “That’s good,” I sigh, grateful. “Thank you.”
Seriously. Other than the bite of hamburger at lunch, I haven’t eaten anything in eighteen hours. Mace took my apple when she took my coat.
I take another bite. “You shouldn’t stay too long.”
There’s no telling how long the Rebels’ football practice will last.
But he rushes to add, “No one saw me.”
“Someone saw you,” I fire back. “Did your investigation reveal anything?”
“Maybe.” He looks around, and I can tell he’d like to have more time here. “There’s no way in hell I’m taking a blacklight to this house, though. It’ll give me nightmares.”
I snort. “If you were that worried, you wouldn’t let me stay.”
“I’m still deciding.”
Hawke’s only slightly older than Kade, Hunter, and me, but he knows more, and we never forget it.
He takes something out of his back pocket. “Spare phone.” He hands it to me. “Keep it charged. Keep it hidden. Keep it silent.”
I take it, pressing the button to see the screen light up.
“You know the code if you’re in danger,” he tells me.