Bennett says nothing, but I hear the small gasp from Shane. He obviously didn’t know. Glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that information. “Bennett?” I shout.
Lifting his head, his eyes finally meet mine. “I had my suspicions. But no, I didn’t know for sure. And when I confronted Eli earlier that week, he denied it.” He looks over at Cole, who stands leaning perfectly still against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “I saw her that night … of the accident.” He swallows nervously. “The girl I was hooking up with was hanging with Becky. I drove them to the party and she had me drop her off next to Cole’s car. I thought she was sleeping with him.” I run a hand through my hair. “But then I realized Cole was with Eli, and I knew. I just knew she was there for him.” His eyes meet mine, and they soften. “Thirty minutes later, you called me.”
I sit in my parents’ living room. My father stands, glaring at me in his ten-thousand-dollar suit. His graying hair slicked back and hands in the pockets of his black dress pants. He stands at six foot four, two inches taller than me, but I’d take him in a fight any day. He’s strong but slow. Sitting in an office with a girl on her knees sucking you off will do that to you.
I lean back, placing my arms along the back of the couch, and ask. “Are we done here? I have plans tonight.” Being the smartass kid he raised me to be.
His jaw clenches, and I bite back my smile. “No, we are not done! And no, you are not going anywhere tonight.”
The guys and I had a swim meet earlier, and of course, he missed it. He was too busy to attend were his exact words, but the second I walked in the door, he decided he had time to spare for a chat.
Just then my phone rings, and I reach into my pocket to get it.
“Deke, don’t you fucking …”
“Hey, sis.” I answer, looking up at him, and he shuts his mouth once he knows it’s Shelby and not one of the guys wanting to know why I’m not at the party yet. “What’s up?”
“Deke …” She sniffs.
I lean forward. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“It’s Cole …” She begins to sob.
I jump to my feet. “What is it?” I demand. He and some of our friends went to a party tonight. I was supposed to meet them there, but my dad cornered me on the way out and said we needed to talk about my future. “Shelby?” I snap.
“He’s here, Deke. At the hospital. They were in a wreck …” She pauses. “Maddox, Eli, and Landen …” She sobs. “Didn’t make it.”
I run out of my parents’ house while my father yells my name. Jumping in my SUV, I fly to the hospital. But on my way, I call Bennett.
“Kinda busy, Deke,” he answers breathlessly, on the third ring.
Tears burn my eyes, and I try to take a calming breath while I drive twenty over the speed limit. “I’m headed to the hospital.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Shelby called me … Cole and the guys were in a wreck.”
“What? A wreck? What are you talking about?” he asks in a rush, and then I hear movement from his end. Sounds like he’s getting dressed. “Is he? Are they …?”
“Cole is the only one …” I blink, and a tear runs down my face. Fuck, I can’t catch my breath. “They’re dead, Bennett,” I say and choke on the words. “They’re all dead. And she didn’t say Cole was in the clear.”
He’s silent for a long moment. When he finally speaks, I can hear that he, too, is having problems getting his emotions under control. “What about her … is she …?” He pauses.
“Who?” I ask, and he doesn’t answer. I pull into the hospital parking lot. “Shelby called me and said that Cole was brought in. But Eli, Landen, and Maddox didn’t make it. She didn’t mention a she.” Cole didn’t say anything about going out with a girl tonight, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t pick one up along the way.
“Deke …”
“She didn’t mention a girl,” I shout, interrupting him. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, Bennett. But I just got to the hospital.” I pull into a parking spot and shut off my Range Rover. “I’ll see you when you get here.” Then I hang up before he can go on about some fucking chick.
I rub the bridge of my nose. “The girl was Becky.” I nod to myself. “Everyone seemed to know except me.”
“I didn’t know shit!” Shane snaps.
“I’m gonna tell you both what I told Deke, and that is none of it fucking matters.” Cole finally speaks. He points at the paper in Shane’s hand. “Someone is trying to fuck with us.”