Chapter 22 #3
He spins back around and charges deeper into the camp, his brow stern as he pursues me, disappearing between the cabins.
“Shit,” I murmur.
He looks pissed.
Luckily, this works for me, though. The farther into the camp he goes to search, the farther he gets from the cars.
I can get back on the road.
Stepping quietly, heel to toe, I head back to Dylan’s car, fisting the hem of my dress as rain cascades down my arms and legs.
The black car is out there somewhere. It’s looking for me, in any case, and my chest swells up as I traipse through the wet grass, my head filling with memories that aren’t mine.
The way the wind tickles my scalp. The pressure of every toe pressing through my shoe to the ground. The trees crowding in around me like walls, a pair of eyes—or two—peering at me from the dark forest.
It’s like I’m in her skin for a moment.
It’s her shoes walking across the soft earth.
Her ears pricking at the sound of fireworks whistling in the distance.
Her lungs drawing in the misty air on a night like this so many years ago, and maybe even here, long before it was a summer camp.
Voices curl into my ear from somewhere, and I jerk my head, finding no one there.
The flap of a bird’s wings sound like wind hitting a sail, and I shake my head.
I know it’s just the adrenaline. It makes me hear every bug buzzing and feel every hair on my arms rising from the skin. Is this what she felt?
Or what her victims felt?
Emerging from behind the main lodge, I check the vast lawn in front of me, my gaze tracing the path I ran with Dylan all those years ago, straight to the dock on the lake. Keeping my eyes peeled, I quicken my pace, coming up on the cars we ran from minutes ago.
Hunter’s ’67 Camaro sits behind Farrow’s motorcycle, and I halt, making sure I don’t see anyone through the windows. Aro talked to Hawke on the way here. He might’ve been with Hunter, both of them probably off hunting down their girlfriends.
I run to Dylan’s Mustang. They can take Dylan and Aro home. I’ll steal her car. Reaching for the handle, I yank open the door, but the empty space behind the Mustang finally registers. Lucas’s car is gone.
I pause, checking my memory. He pulled up behind me, Farrow behind him. Lucas got out and chased me.
He didn’t double back. I would’ve seen him.
Hugo Navarre could’ve taken it. Lucas probably left the keys inside when he ran after me. Without transportation, he could be in danger.
I start to get in the car. Lucas doesn’t want help. I’m not forcing myself on him anymore. Farrow is here. He’ll make sure he gets home.
But then, headlights break through the darkness down the road. Bouncing over uneven terrain, two cars race closer, and I remain still, not recognizing them until they hit fifty yards out.
Jared’s Dark Horse growls like a bear charging.
“Shit,” I hiss, slamming my door closed and backing away.
Fuck!
I could just face them. Make up something, jump in the car, and promise to get home right away. And I should warn Madoc that Lucas needs him. I wouldn’t have to tell him what I overheard on Frosted’s roof earlier—that’s Lucas’s job—but Madoc should know he’s being threatened.
The prospect of getting a clean getaway is short-lived, though. Jared won’t let me take Dylan’s car until he finds her, and even then, he or Madoc might insist on seeing me to my parents’ house themselves.
Every muscle in my legs tenses, and I ponder for only another second before I race away from the car. Dammit.
Bolting back toward the main lodge, I escape between buildings, covering myself in the darkness, under the trees. I’ll jump onto Arrowhead Trail and circle back around. By the time I make it to the cars again, they should be deep in the camp.
Horns honk behind me, my brothers probably trying to get our attention so they don’t have to interrupt something they don’t want to see.
I can imagine Aro and Hawke are oblivious in the Astronomy Tower, and where do Dylan and Hunter prefer to have their little meetups?
The barn? I’m sure, with all four of them spending their summers here, they know where they’ll be well-hidden.
Still, though. They won’t make Jared tear apart the summer camp looking for them. Because he would.
They’ll come to him, so I don’t have much time.
Digging in my heels, I fly past the canoes I just hid behind and take a left before the showers, dashing onto the dirt trail the campers use for nature walks or to connect to Hedge Trail, which takes hikers up to the top of the falls.
Pounding the thin mud, I lick the water off my lips, the rain almost a mist. Winding through the cabins and the field house, I keep my eyes moving, ready for anyone.
“Quinn!” Madoc shouts far off in the distance.
I whip my head around, but I’m alone. Dylan and Aro must still be hidden in a building, my brothers are back at the main lodge, and Lucas is gone.
I exhale, turning around.
But Farrow stands there, in my path, and I suck in a breath. Shit. I try to stop, but it’s too late. He sweeps me up. My feet leave the ground, I’m thrown over his shoulder, and in a second, I’m upside down.
“Farrow!” I cry.
I kick and try to push off his back, but he’s walking before I can get stabilized.
“Shhh.” He pats the back of my thigh. “You really want your brothers to find you? I’ve got the perfect hiding spot.”
Like hell.
He’s on Lucas’s side.
He stalks back up the small hill, taking us deeper into the forest as the rain finally stops. I twist my head side to side to see where we’re going, but my hair just sticks to my face.
“I didn’t know you were such a good friend of his,” I spit out.
I feel the laugh leave his chest before I hear it. “It may not seem like it, but I’m being your friend now too.”
Yeah, right.
Every male in my life thinks he knows what’s best for me. The bane of my existence.
Shooting upright, I plant a hand on the side of his face and shove, flailing so hard, he loses hold.
“Ah!” he growls.
I tumble out of his arms and to the ground, a small branch poking me in the ass. But I don’t wait. Flipping over, I scramble to my feet and jet off. Swinging my arms and pushing as hard as I can, I escape around trees, off-path, and between bushes.
“Oh, you better run!” he shouts after me.
I leap over a rock, whipping my head everywhere, because Lucas is somewhere, but I’m not even sure where I am exactly.
I’ve lost the trail, and I never spent much time here.
Where’s the damn lake? There will be people down the beach, outside the boundaries of the camp, to watch the fireworks show.
If it’s still happening after the rain. I can find my car then. It’s not parked far from the camp dock.
Springing up onto a log, I jump down, continuing to bolt, but someone moves ahead.
Noah walks toward me, holding his hands up to stop me. I grind my heels into the dirt. He cocks his head, a smile playing on his face.
He’s not helping Lucas, too, is he?
Spinning around, I try to escape another way, but Farrow is there. He followed.
I turn, seeing Noah inch closer, and back away, keeping them both in my eyesight as they close in.
“The summer camp is supposed to be empty,” Noah chides both of us like he’s speaking to children.
I can’t catch my breath, my chest rising and falling quickly.
He locks eyes with Farrow and vice versa, the rivalry evident. Noah’s not here to help him or Lucas. He’s here with my brothers.
“Come on,” he says, gesturing with his hand for me to come. “Jared is so pissed he’s forgotten his words.”
I almost laugh. Is he trying to wrangle me like a horse?
But Farrow speaks up before I do.
“Are you getting paid for this?” he teases Noah. “Maybe you should come work for me.”
Noah moves toward me, and I start to escape, but he takes my hand. “You don’t like me,” he reminds Farrow as he holds me.
Farrow grins, eyeing Noah like he’s found a new toy. “But I love that you always do what you’re told.” He thins his gaze, target acquired. “Such a good boy.”
I try to pry my hand out of Noah’s.
“For the right people,” Noah whispers.
I stop at Noah’s taunt. I feel like I’m missing something. Is Farrow going to hurt him? I thought it was friendly banter, but I don’t like their tones.
Glancing at Farrow, I watch his smile fall, and the moment of silence stretches.
Noah laughs, beaming, and I don’t want to be here for some showdown. I’m losing time.
“Dylan!” Jared bellows into the night followed quickly by Madoc, “Quinn!”
Noah’s hold tightens, and he pulls me, running. A gust of wind sweeps through my hair and dress, and I stumble over the uneven terrain as I twist my wrist, trying to free myself. “I don’t want to go home,” I tell him in a quiet but firm voice. I tug, fighting to stop him.
But a high-pitched whistle slices through the air, and Noah and I whip around just in time to see Farrow charge him.
He flies in, Noah releases my hand to catch him, and I jump back just as Farrow takes Noah to the ground.
Noah hits hard, the cords in his arms popping out of his skin as he clenches Farrow’s shirt.
I stumble as they roll toward me, my heart in my throat. “Stop!” I whisper.
I don’t want them to hurt each other. Jesus!
But Farrow looks up at me, Noah holding him down now. “Run!” he growls.
My chest caves, and I watch him shove Noah back over, grunting as he pins him to the ground.
I know I should stop them, but I just bolt. They can take care of themselves, and so can everyone else, for that matter.
Racing through the forest, I pull the straps of my dress back up over my shoulders.
“Quinn!” someone roars, but the wind is flying through my ears too fast to tell who.
Scanning the area, I look for anything I recognize. A trail. A sign. A road maybe? If I can make it back to the car before my brothers find me, it’ll be a miracle.