Page 30 of Final Girl

“Pike, you aren’t telling me something.” She crosses her arms and glares at me.

Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I dial up Talia’s number. “What’s up, bro?” I roll my eyes.

“Hey. I need you to get to Delaney’s, quick. I’ve got a lead,” I tell her.

“A lead lead, or what?”

“You know what.”

“K, be over in like five minutes. I’ll bring my gun, just in case. Have you told Delaney anything yet?”

“No.”

“For fuck’s sake, Pike. You have to tell her. She’s not this innocent baby that needs protecting. I promise you she’s a lot fucking stronger and tougher than you think. If you won’t tell her, I will be.”

“Fine. I don’t have time right now. I’ll wait until you’re here and I’ll take off.” My sister is right, but I don’t like having Delaney upset and worried. Maybe I should loosen the bubble wrap I’ve woven around her. If she hears the truth from anyone else, I’m not sure she’ll forgive me.

Once I hang up, Delaney is still glaring at me.

“Am I in danger?”

Fuck me, she asked, and I can’t lie to her. Not anymore. I also don’t want her to know everything. There are some things that are better left buried.

I run a hand through my hair and nod. “I didn’t want you to freak you out. I was trying to protect you.”

Delaney’s face turns red as she stomps her foot like a child having a tantrum. The sight is damn adorable. “Stop smiling at me! I’m mad dammit.” I quickly wipe the smile off my face, but damn, this is hard not to chuckle at my beautiful little spitfire. “Who am I in danger from?”

“I can’t give you everything right now. Talia will fill you in on the rest when she gets here. What I can tell you is that Horace is out. Bastard escaped because he knew his parole would be denied.” Her face pales at that and she backs up, hitting her hip on the corner of the table. I deliver the final blow. “You need to watch out for Hope Forester, too.”

Her face scrunches in confusion. “Hope? How am I in danger from Hope? That doesn’t make any sense.”

I hear a car door slam and know I can’t keep this going right now. “I’m sorry, Delaney, baby, but I really need to go. Talia is here, and she will give you all the answers that she knows. I promise. She’s been pissed at me for not telling you in the first place.”

“Okay,” she mutters with tears glistening in the creases of her gorgeous eyes.

I hate hurting her and having to bail.

I pull her into my arms and kiss her forehead. “It’s not that I wanted to keep shit from you. It’s because I wanted to keep you safe and protected. But obviously I just failed at that since all you wanted was answers. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” I vow.

The front door opens and Talia walks in, giving me her evil eye glare. “You go, I’ll talk to her. Call or text me if there are any updates on the situation.”

Giving Delaney a rough, commanding kiss, I let her go and head out.

I gotta fucking kill this bastard and his bitch of a daughter. Then things can finally be over and I can start giving Delaney the life she deserves.

Chapter Twenty-five

“Well?” I snap impatiently at Talia. “Apparently, you know everything. Which I don’t get. You’re my best friend, my sister. Pike is my soon to be husband if I don’t kill you both first for keeping crap from me. Why are you two keeping things from me?” I feel a deep sense of betrayal, like a knife twisting in my heart. I know they’d never purposefully hurt me. I do. Yet I want to throw up at the thought of them keeping secrets from me. Especially ones about me.

Talia gives me a sad smile. “Because I knew you would get upset, and Pike gets very pissed off if he knows you’re distraught. He promised it would be handled quickly and without you knowing, but obviously that hasn’t worked out.”

“No shit.” I say to her, pure sarcasm oozing from my mouth. I rarely curse but I am so ticked off right now.

“Come into the living room, and I will fill you in on everything that I know. Hell, maybe you might know more than me, but who knows?” I hear her muttering something about her idiot brother.

Sitting on the couch, I turn to her, pull my legs up to wait for her to tell me whatever all this crap about Hope and Horace is. I see her all the time. She comes into the library all the time. I never took her weird behavior personally because she’s always been an odd duck. A bit rude. Not friendly with anyone really. I don’t know if she has ever really had any friends other than that time Talia and I were in a tiff and they hung out a time or two.

Talia gives me a grimace and I brace. “Okay. Let’s get right to it. What exactly do you know about Horace?”