I blush at the attention now on us but return his affections with my own, pecking him on the lips. “Congratulations,” I say softly.
“Save some accolades and loving for the rest of us, Washington,” August grumbles, pushing Liam out of the way for his own hug.
I laugh at their banter, hugging Karl next. When Rowan steps up, he hesitates, looking unsure. I’m tempted to snub him, especially after the hallway incident, but it is his Senior Night. I reach up and hug him, catching him off guard. A shrill noise makes me step back as I watch Sam stomp from the field. “I don’t think you’re g-.”
Rowan’s finger presses to my lips. “I’m going to stop you right there. She’s nothing to me, and I wouldn’t let her ruin this moment even if my life depended on it.” Then he envelops me in his arms, squishing me into his padded body.
“Bring it in, you fools,” I hear their coach shout, and Rowan reluctantly lets me go. Then he steps back, staring down into my eyes before turning and running down the stairs and off the platform.
August leans in beside me. “You just made his night, Riri. Thank you!”
I follow the rest of the people down and off the field to a smug-looking Shay.
“I should’ve made you bet me,” she teases.
“Fuck off,” I quip, pushing her toward the stairs and back to the skybox, so I don’t miss the guys’ second half.
AUGUST
I drop my duffel bag to the floor, lean back, and bend my knee to rest my foot against the wall. We won the game seventeen to three. Now I’m waiting for the rest of these idiots so we can leave.
The rowdiness of the locker room isn’t loud enough to drown out my thoughts. It’s been weeks since Emma was rescued, and outside of Summer being killed, there’s been radio silence. After Liam and Karl shared what came of their interrogation of Aleksi, I was hopeful the lead they’d gotten would lead to finding Madeline or Elise.
Elise. Even the non-verbal sound of her name makes me want to wash my brain with bleach. The rage I feel for that vile bitch can’t be quantified.
After Karl finally shared what happened to him during his time in captivity, we all agreed never to tell Emma-she doesn’t deserve to carry that guilt.
“Are you going to the after party?” Coleman, one of our teammates, asks, pulling me from my rambling mind.
“Later,” is my only response, and he nods as he walks out of the locker room.
Looking up, I watch Rowan, Karl, and Liam grab their shit and head my way.
“You primadonnas finally ready?” I jest.
“Shut up, asshole,” Rowan grumbles, pushing past me to the hallway.
Karl snorts, “One would think you’d be in a better mood since Emma actually hugged you.”
“The big baby’s upset because he’s still on the outs.”
We’re halfway down the corridor when we hear Sam’s screeching voice.
“Do something about this. You promised me- you fucking promised!”
We all slow our steps, hoping to hear who she’s talking to, but nothing’s heard until she speaks again.
“No! I want what I was promised, and I’ll accept nothing less than that, or you’ll fucking pay,” Sam snaps.
It’s quiet again.
She’s on the phone.
The loud thud of the door makes us walk faster to the duck down a hallway.
Who the hell is she talking to, and what the hell was she promised?
“Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Let me just get the fuck out of this cheerleading uniform,” Sam mutters.
We duck into the trainer’s wing, keeping quiet and waiting a few minutes to be sure she’s left.
“Who do you think she was talking to?” I ask.
Liam already has his phone out, tapping away at the screen. “Whoever it was, she wasn’t talking to them through her carrier. I’d need more time to see if she’s using some third-party app.”
“Why don’t we just follow her? She’s still wearing the Selection pin with the tracker,” Rowan suggests.
“Okay, someone call Sebastian and tell him to meet us at Karl’s Jeep. We’ll stay far enough behind and only observe who she’s meeting with. Then, if there’s something suspicious going on, we’ll make a better plan from there,” Liam instructs.
Rowan is already on his phone telling Seb where to meet us, and I’m texting Emma, letting her know we’ll meet her and Shay at the party later- hoping my statement is true.
By the time we all make it to Karl’s car, Samantha’s already gone, so Liam’s brought up her chip for us to follow through GPS. “Do we all understand the plan for tonight? We’re only following her until we know more,” Liam states.
“You’ve only said it fifty times since we got in the car,” I mumble.
“That’s probably because you and slice and dice over there can be somewhat impulsive,” Sebastian deadpans.
Karl and I look at each other and smirk, lifting our hands to our chests in mock horror. “We would never do anything rash,” I state.
“I even left Lizzie at home.” He pouts in the rearview mirror from the driver seat like a scolded child.
Sebastian meets his gaze, “Do I even want to know who Lizzie is?”
“Why, she’s my new Spyderco Paramilitary 2 knife. She isn’t Lola, but she’ll gut you more efficiently,” Karl answers, pulling the car to a stop. “We have to park here. Sam’s tracker stopped right at the entrance to town. If we go any further, we risk her seeing our headlights.”
Liam pulls out his phone and messes around with things on his screen again. Then he pulls out his laptop, and I see him bring up the controls for his drone.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.