Chapter 31 Kaylor
KAYLOR
The BMW hummed down the dark backroad steadily as the forest swallowed us in shadows and streaks of moonlight cutting through the canopy in silvery slashes.
My pulse still hadn’t decided whether it wanted to calm down or sprint a marathon through my veins, hammering against my ribs in an erratic rhythm that made my chest feel too tight.
Holy shit.
Did that just happen?
Is Rusty really dead?
I had no idea how I would feel once Rusty was gone. Relieved, I guessed, but I wasn’t sure if that was what was going on inside me. It didn’t feel like it. My apprehension probably had to do with Donovan killing Rusty on my behalf, and now…
Fuck.
Now I owed him a debt.
Which was bad. Really bad, but…it would have to be a problem for another day because I needed a freaking minute to just breathe.
I sat in the passenger seat next to Carson, my fingers fumbling as I struggled to figure out what to say to Kreed.
I had a lot of explaining to do, a theme that was developing in our relationship.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since we pulled away from the cabin, his gaze burning into the side of my face.
“Care to explain what the hell you’re doing with him?” Kreed finally asked from the back seat.
Here we go.
Twisting so I could see Kreed’s gorgeous but furious face, my gaze glanced over the scar below his right eye. “I asked Carson to backstab me this time. It was my idea for him to reach out to Rusty.”
“You what?” Kreed’s eyes were wide, silver blazing in the dim light filtering through the windows.
I lifted a shoulder in a tiny shrug, trying for nonchalant even though internally my emotions were still a tangled mess. “I figured I could use his betrayal in my favor by letting Rusty believe Carson still hated you.”
From the driver’s seat, Carson’s reflection appeared in the rearview mirror. “I still do, by the way. That part wasn’t a lie.”
I rolled my eyes.
Kreed snorted harshly. “Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” he replied to Carson.
Having my best friend and my boyfriend at odds wasn’t new, but it was exhausting, especially after a night like tonight.
I really needed them to chill. “Carson relayed his conversations with Rusty to me,” I continued, needing him to understand.
“So we could come up with a plan and keep track of his whereabouts.”
Kreed’s glare softened but barely. The hard edges didn’t disappear, but they dulled fractionally. “If you weren’t the girl I love, I’d be impressed.”
My stomach did a stupid flip at the word love. Heat bloomed in my chest, spreading outward. I twisted farther in my seat to look at him fully, unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips. “You’re proud of me. Admit it.”
“No,” he said instantly and then sighed. His hand dragged down his face, pulling at his features. “Maybe. A little. But you could’ve died. Both of you taking off like that… Things could’ve ended so differently if Evan hadn’t been following you.”
“Give me a little credit. You don’t think I knew Evan was behind me the entire time tonight?” I asked, tilting my head. “I was counting on him trailing me. How else were you going to know to come?”
Kreed’s hand fell from his face, slapping against his thigh. “I swear you’re going to drive me insane, little raven.”
From the front seat, Carson muttered, “The fact that you two are together is scary, but the idea of what your minds could come up with together? That’s fucking frightening. I didn’t understand before what you saw in him, but I see it now.”
Kreed leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “This doesn’t mean we’re friends.”
“Far from it,” Carson agreed.
Kreed’s voice dropped. “She might be able to forgive you so easily, but I can’t. I won’t forget what you did.”
Carson’s foot stepped a little harder on the gas. “It’s a good thing I don’t give a shit about your forgiveness.”
“But you do care that she is in love with me,” Kreed said, eyes narrowing. “I need to make sure that isn’t going to become a problem.”
Carson swallowed, the corner of his eyes twitching as his gaze remained straight ahead on the dark road. “She chose you, but I won’t stop being her friend either.”
We weren’t far from the highway where civilization would finally be visible, but I wanted to make it home in one piece, and if these two started going at it, I wasn’t sure that would be the case. “You guys realize I’m sitting right here.”
“As long as you don’t cross a line. If you do…I think you’ll know what I’ll do to you.” Kreed’s threat hung in the air.
“Kreed,” I said, exasperated.
Carson scoffed under his breath. “Were you really going to kill him?” he asked, eyes flickering to me before returning to the road. We were almost on the highway.
I couldn’t tell if he wanted the truth or if he wanted to keep pretending that I was the na?ve girl next door. I went with the truth. I didn’t want our friendship to continue on lies, assuming we could get back there. “Yeah. I was.”
Carson’s brows knitted together.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I shot back. “What did you think I was going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he said, throwing a hand up. “Come to your senses? Let the police handle it? Let your boyfriend pull the trigger?”
“I would have if she hadn’t stolen my gun,” Kreed grumbled from the back.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, flooding my face with warmth. Okay, that part was fair. I scrunched my nose. “Sorry about that.”
Carson’s movements were jerky as he took the ramp onto the highway. “That’s where you got the gun?”
I lifted my chin, unapologetic. “Yes. And it doesn’t matter. I missed. And Donovan shot him.”
“Wait until Kenny hears about this,” Carson grumbled.
Kreed’s hand slid to my shoulder and squeezed gently, the pressure anchoring me. “Look at me,” he murmured.
I did, turning back to meet his gaze.
“Next time you get the urge to run into danger and steal my gun, tell me so we can make sure you don’t miss your shot,” he said, not an ounce of judgment in his features.
“Wonderful. Excellent advice,” Carson snapped sarcastically. “I’d expect nothing less from a criminal.”
Kreed smirked. “It’s better than being an insufferable prick who snitches to get other people to do his dirty work.”
Carson’s nostrils flared, his chest expanding with a deep breath.
This was deteriorating fast.
“Can we not fight?” I cut in. “At least not until we get out of this car. I want to make it home in one piece.”
Kreed didn’t take his eyes off Carson, his gaze burning holes into the back of the driver’s seat. “There’s only one way that’s going to happen.”
“Kreed,” I warned softly, letting his name slip out, thick with the fatigue clinging to me.
A rough breath flared from his nose, and I raised my brows at him, waiting. “Fine. But I need you back here with me.”
I blinked, confusion furrowing my brow. “Why?”
“Because the only way I’m not going to rearrange his face right now is if I’ve got my hands on you,” he said, voice rough. “You’re going to need to crawl back here to keep me from strangling him.”
“Oh my fucking god,” Carson groaned from the front seat
He wasn’t the only one who wanted to be closer. The space between us, however small, was too much.
Our gazes were locked. “Come here, little raven.”
My fingers found my seat belt buckle, pressing the release. It retracted, and I began to crawl between the seats, the space impossibly narrow, my knee catching on the center console.
Carson swore under his breath the entire time, a steady stream of muttered curses. “This is ridiculous. This is—you’re going to break something. Not the car, I mean you. You’re going to—Jesus Christ, watch your elbow.”
I barely had one knee on the back cushion before Kreed hooked an arm around my waist. His hand splayed wide across my ribs, fingers digging in with reliable strength. He pulled me fully into his lap in one smooth motion, guiding me until I was settled across his thighs, legs draped over his.
His hands splayed over my hips as he buried his face in the curve of my neck, nose pressing against my pulse point. His breath was hot against my skin, coming in uneven bursts. “I need to hold you,” he murmured against my skin, the words vibrating through me. “Just for a bit.”
My chest went tight, constricting around something that felt too big to name.
I curled my arms around his shoulders, hands sliding up to cradle the back of his head.
I let myself sink into him, melting against the solid warmth of his body.
After everything, the gunshots that still echoed in my ears, the blood that still stained our clothes, the betrayal and chaos and violence, after nearly losing him, and him nearly losing me…
Safety be damned.
Breaking a few road rules felt insignificant compared to breathing the same air as him again.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Carson groaned.
“Just keep your eyes on the road, pretty boy,” Kreed said, voice muffled against my throat. His lips moved against my skin with each word.
“I swear to God, if you two start making out in my back seat, I’ll—I’ll—” Carson sputtered, searching for words.
“You’ll what?” Kreed challenged, lifting his head just enough to glare at him through the gap between the seats.
Carson’s hands flailed slightly on the steering wheel before he caught himself. “I—I don’t know! Throw up.”
Kreed ignored him completely, his gaze locked on mine with an intensity that made my skin feel too hot.
“You’re not mad?” I whispered, searching his face for answers.
“I am. I’m furious,” he said, brushing his lips across mine.
He slid a hand up my spine, fingers tracing the line of my vertebrae through my shirt.
His chest expanded with a deep inhale, breathing me in.
“But you’re alive. You’re here. You’re—” His voice caught, snagging on emotion.
“You’re in my arms, and that’s the only thing keeping me from ripping the steering wheel out of Carson’s hands. ”
Carson slapped the wheel with his palm. “Hey!”