“I’ll come with,” she says. “This is exciting.”
“You don’t have a license.”
“Okay,Mom,” she says, rolling her eyes. “But just a fair warning, if anyone touches me, I have a gun, a knife, pepper spray,anda taser on me. Oh, and I guess I don’t need these anymore.”
She pulls my brass knuckles off her hand and tosses them to me. I catch them through the open window and slide them on, the warm metal settling into place and calming me like a security blanket.
“Thanks,” I say, flexing my fingers.
“Oh, and Grandpa Darling left his cigar cutter in here, so if any of these boys tries anything, they gonna get their dicks cut.” She sings the last few words, looking ferocious with anticipation at the prospect.
“Let me drive,” King says as a few fat raindrops sprinkle onto the windshield.
“No way,” Duke says. “I’m not getting out right now. You heard that bitch. She’s crazy. Harper, tell her to go home and play with her dolls, or call her therapist or something. We don’t need her help.”
“Where else would he go?” I ask, turning to look at all his siblings around me.
“School, obviously,” Baron says. “Or…”
“The swamp,” I say, swallowing hard. Those are his remembering places, though I doubt he’s at the swamp, since that has nothing to do with Crystal. Still, I’ve made assumptions that led me down the wrong road one too many times.
“I want to go by one other place first,” King says. “Dad’s work.”
“Why?” Baron asks.
“Just a hunch,” King says.
I watch Crystal while Duke drives over the bridge to turn around. She’s clinging to Devlin’s hand, her face white and tense. Good. She should never have left Royal the way she did. I know I’m being a bitch, but I’m glad this is hard for her.
When we’re back on the road and heading out, I open theOnlyWordsapp.
BadApple: Hey I kno this is awkward but can u do me a favor? I need someone 2 check the school n c if my car is there. Royal took off in it. Think he might be at the Swans.
GideonD17: sure np
BadApple: txt me asap?
GideonD17: everything ok?
BadApple: idk tbh. Prob not. Plz check now?
GideonD17: heading there rn.
BadApple: thank u so much
I scroll through my contacts for a minute, searching for anyone else I can employ to help. I’m already so grateful I could cry after talking to Gideon. So this is what having friends in an emergency is like. I’m pissed at myself for cutting myself off from that for so long. Now, when I need people, they’re here for me. Even when I’m asking them to check up on their enemy or their competition, even when it’s a guy who asked me out and then got blown off at the last minute. He didn’t hesitate to help even though that must have hurt his pride, and even though I’m asking him to help find the guy who I showed up with after cancelling on him.
But I’m out of friends. The few other people I know—Quinn, Susanna, and Josie—are Dixie’s friends.
I do have someone else, though. People who swore an oath to have my back, and to have Royal’s back. I open the Midnight Swans group chat where we plan our meetings.
BadApple: Swans, I need ur help. Royal might need it 2. If I drop u a pin to a place north of town, b4 the quarry, can u go check for Royal?
BadApple: He’s in my car. Just need u 2 txt if he’s there.
TheBlackRose: I got u
BadApple: thx