He doesn’t reply, taking a very tight and abrupt turn.
“Slow down, please.”
“Not until we get you somewhere safe.”
“What the hel
l does that mean? I’m not in danger. Dangerously close to smacking you in the head maybe, but that’s all. Please drive me home.”
“Love is weakness. Kendrick loves you. Yes, you’re in danger.”
I freeze, my thoughts racing each other.
“So these people…”
“They were after you.”
A million memories start spinning around in my head as I remember Kendrick’s words. If word gets out that I have someone to protect, horrible things could happen. Fear slams against my chest.
“It was a gang, wasn’t it?”
He doesn’t reply. I know his silence means yes.
“Is everybody going to be okay? The kids from school?”
He sighs. “They’ll be fine. That’s not how they work. They only wanted you. They’re probably already out of there, looking for you.”
“But there was a gunshot? And how did they even know who I am? I thought that if we agreed to the deal, your guys wouldn’t tell anyone about me. I—”
He interrupts me. “We didn’t.”
“Then how?”
“I don’t know, Winter. One of my guys must’ve disobeyed. I’ll have to take care of them.”
I don’t answer, terrified to even think about what “taking care of them” means.
“Why did you help me?”
“Because your idiot of a cousin left you all alone,” he hisses.
“Yeah, but what’s in it for you?”
“For God’s sake, do you ever stop asking questions?”
“Do you ever answer them?”
His jaw is clenched, and his fists are tightly wrapped around the steering wheel. Call me crazy but…
It almost looks like he doesn’t know the answer to that question himself.
AFTER A LONG AND HORRIBLY AWKWARD ride, Haze pulls up into the driveway of a house that’s—for the second time tonight—so big it looks like it came right out of movie.
“Where are we?” I frown, glancing at the brick-built house.
“Somewhere safe.”
I roll my eyes. “Thank you. I feel much better.”