Page 161 of Bad Attitude
“And that, Snotnose, is not a denial that youarein trouble.”
Shit.
I shrug a shoulder, trying not to look like I care. “Busted. Busy life, what can I say?”
“How long did it take you to get here from LA?”
The non-sequitur catches me by surprise. “About eleven hours.”
“Sure you didn’t come from San Francisco?”
I stop breathing. Glance back at the house. Wonder why I didn’t anticipate this. Meet his searching gaze. “Why would I have come from San Francisco?”
“Oh, I don’t know. BASE jump off a building there this time last night, lots of commotion, and twenty-one hours later, my baby sister walks in looking…” He hisses through his teeth. “…frazzled.”
“Some coincidence, huh.”
“Yeah, some coincidence. Don’t get me wrong,” he begins, then rattles off, half performative, half sincere, “I’m glad to see you, you always have a place here,important to be safe, yadda yadda.” He crosses his arms. “But I’m going to ask you again. Are you bringing trouble?”
“And I’ll give you the same answer, Caleb. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
He nods slowly. “Good. How long are you staying?” That sounds like an invitation to leave, and he hears it too. He shakes his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Genuine question; no pressure. You told me we’re safe; I believe you.”
“I haven’t decided,” I reply. “A few days, if that’s all right.” Don’t know why I’m askinghispermission; it’s my parents’ house.
“Grand.” He gives me a wry smile. “KaeLynn and I aren’t staying for… obvious reasons. But we’ll be around, if you want to talk. I’ll text you the address.”
“Uh… broke my phone.”
“Did you drop it while jumping off a building?”
“No.”
“Well, fine. I’ll write it down. If you’re still here at the weekend, come for lunch?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
“Great.” He leans in for a fleeting one-armed hug, tousles my hair like I’m five again, grins at me, then walks back in.
I linger outside, no longer feeling the need for sleep. Adrenaline has pushed the fatigue away.
Will my mother and father make the same connection Caleb has? Will hetell them? Will KaeLynn?
Was I wrong to come here?
Maybe a hotel would’ve been a better idea. Maybe it still is; I don’t have to stay in one place, I could travel every day. Could they track my card fast enough if I’m gone by the following morning? Hell, I don’t know. I read romances, not thrillers. Maybe I could just pay cash.
All the things I could’ve done, but didn’t.
Morning is welcome when it comes. My dreams the night before were not.
I remind myself it’s just my brain processing events, but that doesn’t help un-see the images of Cole dying as he bleeds out, Kurt thrown into a deep dark hole, and Declan searching for me desperately.
They still disturb me, despite knowing none of them are true. Cammy picked Cole up. He’ll be alive, even if he’s in a hospital somewhere answering difficult questions about a gunshot wound. Kurt had nothing to incriminate him, even assuming it was law enforcement that picked him up. They’d have to know exactly who he is even to ask the right questions.
And Declan?
Last time I came to my parents’ house, he ingratiated himself with Dario and Cole. He’s probably with the crew right now, shooting pool withDario or annoying Tasha. Even if he’s curious why I’m not answering his calls, I can’t envisage a world where ‘desperate’ can be tagged onto his searching for me. Irritated, more like.
