Page 107 of Swerve (Boosted Hearts 1)

He shook his head. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, bitch.”

I lifted my brows. “Shit, sorry, man.” I winced for effect. “I thought you knew.”

“She’d never do that, she’d never cheat on me,” he spat, literally.

I forced myself not to wipe it away. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Scott was one sicko perv, he had video footage . . .”

He shook me hard and I winced, but I saw the doubt in his eyes.

“You need money? Maybe I can help you out. Maybe you and me can work together? You don’t owe her anything, she was cheating on you, she was . . .”

He got in my face. “I said shut the fuck up.” Then his hands started patting me down, roughly, before he reached around me, yanked the door open and shoved me in.

At least I’d rattled him enough that he hadn’t searched me properly.

Van was pretty sure whoever she was working with, the drugged up douche sitting beside me, was there due to loyalty. She still had steroid boy at her disposal, and my job was to assess the situation and use it to my advantage if there was an opening. I’d seen the opening as soon as he got out of his truck. Big, blond, and young had always been Valery’s type.

This guy was obviously on drugs. I’d done what I could, offered him money and put doubt about my stepmother’s loyalty in his mind. All I could do now was hope some of what I said penetrated his drug-addled brain.

We started driving, and I glanced at the side mirror. No sign of Van, but I got a quick flash of a big black Harley, then it was gone. Jude was behind us.

“You know . . .” I said, keeping my tone light. “If anything happens to me or Neco, you will die, painfully.”

He glanced at me. “If someone’s following us, you’ll die painfully.”

“I said I’d come alone. I wouldn’t do anything to risk Neco.” I looked over at him again. “But when this is done, no matter where you go, no matter how long it takes, they will find you, and they will end you.” I could see sweat beading on his forehead and upper lip. “Is she really worth risking your life for?” I shrugged. “Just something to think about.”

He swiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand then gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip. “You keep talking, I’ll gag you.”

I stayed quiet after that, and the farther we drove out of the city, the more concerned I got. I had a feeling I knew where we were going, and my gut tightened with every mile we covered. I also hadn’t seen any sign of Jude on his bike or the burgundy people mover behind us for some time.

We pulled into my old street, the same street Neco’s mother still lived on, the same neighborhood Van and Hunter, Jude and, later, Zeke had all grown up on. The only time I came here anymore was to see Celeste, Neco’s mom, and I never even cast a glance at the house that remained the center of all my nightmares. It’d been empty a long time, but I’d assumed Valery still owned it since no one else had moved in.

She’d been hiding in plain sight.

Steroid boy climbed out, came around, and yanked me out of the passenger side then towed me toward the house. I’d been ready to take on anything. I’d locked it down. Now, walking back into this house, about to come face to face with my tormentor, my abuser—I didn’t feel so brave.

As he dragged me down the hall toward the living room, I momentarily reverted to that scared, deeply sad little girl all over again.

Then we rounded the corner and I saw Neco. He was tied to a chair in the middle of the living room, gagged, face bruised and busted. No doubt after steroid boy had at him while he wasn’t able to defend himself.

And just like that, the little girl evaporated.

Neco’s eyes locked with mine and I could see the panic in them, the fear, for me. Seeing him like that was killing me, so I forced myself to look away, to look at the smirking bitch behind him, gun in her hand, down at her side.

“If you shoot him, you don’t get out of here alive,” I said, voice deadly calm.

She chuckled. “You got funny. You never used to be funny. You were a whiny little bitch the way I remember it.” Her eyes were red and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a long time. She glanced at Neco. I refused to. “This piece of shit always was your weakness. You risked your life coming here for him. There has to be more, right? What’s your plan, little girl? Cause I know you ain’t this stupid.”

I tilted my head to the side, looking her over, her trashy clothes, her now bleach blond hair, making sure she knew I found her lacking in every way possible. “Wow, coming from you, that was almost a compliment.” I held her stare, kept mine hard, hate filled. “You know, I took a walk down memory lane myself today, after you called. I thought about the way you treated me. All the awful things you did and said, and I decided I’d blow your head off then spit on your worthless corpse. Pretty sure that was my plan coming here.”

Neco made a rough sound, but I still didn’t look at him. I kept my eyes locked with my stepmother, the way hers widened before she covered her surprise.

“I’m the one holding the gun, you little idiot,” she hissed.

I shrugged. “So how did you meet Scott?” I was trying to throw her off, keep her talking, hoping like hell the guys weren’t far behind me. “Turned out he was a shit roommate. Putting cameras in my room, well, it kinda put a strain on our relationship.”

“Scott was my stepson. I started seeing his father after you left.”