I run my fingers through my hair and tug. “Just get in the goddamn car, Knox.”
Muttering something under his breath, he does as I say, and I walk around the driver's side. As I'm getting in, I notice Blade still at the corner, watching me intently.
Yeah, I know. Prick.
WE'RE A HALF HOUR down the interstate with a destination of nowhere by the time I say anything at all. The whole time, Knox has been looking at me expectantly, but thankfully didn't ask again. The look on my face and my grip on the steering wheel must be enough to show how much I'm struggling with this.
“Turn off your phone,” I tell him, doing the same.
“What? Why?”
I roll my eyes. “Since when are you this difficult?”
He raises his hands defensively before grabbing his phone from the cup holder. “Okay, okay.”
Once it's off, I glance at all the mirrors and make sure no one is around us. When I don't see anything suspicious, I sigh.
“That guy is Blade Jones.”
His brows furrow. “Why does that name sound so familiar?”
I know my next words are going to cause him to flip. “Because he's the same scumbag drug dealer that Easton was wrapped up with.”
Knox's eyes double in size as he turns and punches me in the arm, causing the car to swerve. “The fuck is your problem? Do you have a fucking death wish?”
“I might,” I answer. “But you definitely do. If you do that shit again, we're both dead. I almost crashed the damn car.”
“Don't change the subject, douchebag,” he growls. “What the hell would you get involved with him for? Are you doing drugs, too? For fuck’s sake. That's it. I'm staying here until further notice.”
Chuckling, even though it's not funny, I look over at Knox. “Will you stop being such fucking twat? I'm not doing drugs.”
“Then what the hell were you there for? What does he want from you?”
I rub the back of my neck in a failed attempt to ease some of the tension. “I wasn't exactly honest when I told you and Easton how I got Blade to leave him alone.”
It doesn't take me saying anything else. A couple beats of silence pass before Knox exhales slowly.
“You took his place.”
I shrug dejectedly. “I had no other choice. That prick had no intention of letting him go, and if Easton tried, I don't doubt for a second that Blade would have killed him. He's fucking psychotic.”
“Yeah, but now you're the one who's stuck,” he argues.
“And he's done a damn good job at reminding me of that.”
Knox cracks his knuckles. “Well, we could just kill him before he can kill you.”
I snort. “You avoided jail-time by the skin of your teeth. Delaney would kill us both if we let you risk that shit again.”
“Okay, fine.” He thinks for a second and comes up with another idea. “What about paying your way out? I've got money saved up from the shop.”
Shaking my head, I pull back onto the highway, but this time, it's in the direction of home. “That won't work either, and who knows what he would do with Amelia then.”
His jaw drops. “What the fuck does Amelia have to do with any of this?”
“Okay, maybe I should start at the beginning.”
IT TAKES THE WHOLE rest of the drive back for me to explain everything. How Easton doesn't know anything about me working for Blade. How Amelia and I hooked up, and how I put a stop to it the next morning. How she wouldn't talk to me after, only to throw herself at me. And finally, how she got wrapped up with Blade and dragged into my mess, despite how much I tried to keep her out of it.