“I … I think I killed them.” She begins to rock back and forth. “He told me to run.”
“Who told you to run?” My hands begin to shake.
“Cole.” She bends over, cradling her stomach. “I told him I was pregnant, and he told me to run.”
I know she’s not pregnant. She was in my bathroom just last weekend borrowing tampons. My eyes look over her body, and I see scratch marks on her thighs and arms. I blink, running a hand through my hair. “Who do you think you killed, Becky?”
“Landen.” She sobs. “Maddox and Eli.” My heart stops. “Cole kept hollering for them, but none of them answered.”
I fall back onto my ass, trying to comprehend what she just said.
“I went back.” She nods to herself. “Cole was sitting in the ditch with Eli in his arms … He wasn’t breathing.” Her shaking hands grip her cell. The screen is shattered. “I called the cops.” Dropping the phone to my floor, she buries her busted face in her hands.
It begins to ring, and I pick it up to see David light up the busted screen. “Why is David calling you …?”
She snatches it from my hands.
Present
I open my eyes and roll out of bed. I trip over a pair of shoes but manage to make it to the bathroom door. Turning on the light, I blink rapidly and then decide to just pee in the dark. Once done, I wash my hands and pick up the mouthwash to try to get rid of this god-awful taste in my mouth. And it’s not the vodka. It’s cinnamon. That damn Fireball Austin had me drinking.
I exit the bathroom and make my way back to Deke’s bed. It’s still dark out; the clock on his nightstand says a little after three a.m. He lies on the right side, closest to the door. The covers sit low on his hips, showing me his smooth chest and impressive six-pack. His right hand lies on his chest while his other is behind his head.
I come to a stop and just watch him sleep. I told him too much last night. I remember running my mouth while in his SUV on our way back here. A part of me wanted to get it out. To purge everything that is Collins, Oregon. There were so many lies and so much deceit in that town. No one was who they said they were. Not even Deke.
I blamed my sister for killing Eli. I still blame her. And I blame Eli for thinking of that stupid plan. If she hadn’t gone, maybe the timing would have been different. Maybe he would have survived.
Did I love him?
I thought I did. But I didn’t really know him. He said that I didn’t deserve to be someone’s secret, but that’s exactly what I was. No one knew about us. Or what I thought we were.
I went to his funeral, and I watched the town mourn a kid who was loved by some and hated by most. I saw him differently, but he was still a GWS to everyone else, and the town didn’t like the sharks. Parents and most of the city wanted Cole’s head on a fucking stake for what happened. His father threw a lot of money at the city to make sure the law didn’t touch his son, but he too was more than what the town thought. They thought Cole was driving a car drunk after leaving a party with his friends. He took the blame for the accident and covered for my sister. You know how many times I wanted to out her sorry ass? She had lied to him about being pregnant. What kind of woman does that? She begged me to stay quiet. I did, knowing I’d be able to use it against her, but then Deke came along and threatened her when he also realized she had lied to Cole. Cole might not have known that Becky lied about being pregnant, but Deke did. And he was far scarier than I was capable of being.
You know what they say—all secrets come out eventually.
Deke shifts and turns onto his side. I crawl into the bed and cuddle up against him. He reaches out and pulls me into him. I inhale his scent and close my eyes. His hand glides up my back, and I kiss his chest.
“You better stop that,” he mumbles.
I smile and do it again.
“Demi …”
“I don’t want to,” I whisper.
His hand comes up to my hair, and he grips it in his fingers. Then he dips his face to the crook of my neck. “How do you feel?”
“Horny,” I answer. And still a little drunk.
He lets out a growl that makes his chest vibrate against mine.
I shove the covers off us and push on his chest. He rolls onto his back, and I get up to straddle him. His hands go to my hips, and he tugs on the lace of my thong. “What are you doing, Demi?”