35. Wren
WREN
My world stops.
As of yesterday, Jessie Davis is a free man.
I’m gone.
I turn, and for someone who rarely wears heels, I make a pretty good escape with them strapped to my ankles.
“Wren!”
Stone’s voice booms from behind, but I pick up the pace. I know the streets like the back of my hand. I grew up on them. A tree branch slashes at my bare arm, but I keep running.
My chest heaves, and I feel sick. I wrap my arms around my tight stomach, and my hair sticks to the sweat on my forehead.
The only house I’ve ever considered a home appears up ahead, but I don’t run to it. The last thing I want is for Rebecca and Stephen to see me like this.
I’m a mess. Stricken with fear and weighed down with betrayal.
How dare Stone get me all dazzled up in this stupidly expensive dress, tell me how beautiful I am, drag me to his father’s house, and then drop a fucking bomb on me?
The little hut that Evan and I used to hang out in is a beacon in the night. The slit in my dress parts when I dip down. My knees drag over the damp grass, and I crawl inside to hide.
A sob wants to rip out my body, but I keep that shit under lock and key.
Instead, slow tears drip down my cheeks and land on my pretty dress. They don’t stop even when I shut my eyes and rest my head along the splintered wood.
My dad is out of prison. His threat is vastly more dangerous now.
He’ll come for me, and I’m going to have to figure out a way to keep him from destroying everything I’ve worked for.
How could his case get appealed?
Stone Foster’s father. That’s how.
He is the most successful defense lawyer in the United States, and he’s proven to be worthy to a criminal like my father.
The creaking of a stick catches my attention, and I stiffen.
An old beer bottle that Evan and I left behind rolls over crispy leaves, and when Stone’s shiny black shoe appears, I build my wall and clamp my lips shut. I wipe my eyes before his face appears in the small opening.
How did he find me ?
“Come out.”
I don’t speak. My silence is an answer in itself.
“Wren. It’s cold out. I can see mud covering your heels and knees, so I know you’re wet. Let’s go.”
I’m afraid of what will come out of my mouth if I open it. There’s a wedge in my throat that makes it hard to breathe, and I am hardly keeping it together as it is.
“I will drag you out.”
Go for it.
His large hand falls to my ankle, and I suck in a breath when he forcefully pulls on my leg. My fingers dig into the soft ground, and I kick him.
He grunts.
“Are you fucking kidding? I know you’re mad—”
“Mad?” I shout, coming out the rest of the way. I stand on shaky legs. “I’m more than mad.”
I’m everything.
The trees sway, and the moon shows through, giving way to the red mark on his jaw. He rubs the spot I kicked and scowls. “Well, you can tell me all about it in the car. Let’s go.”
I silently refuse, and his jaw tics.
“Do you really think I won’t pick you up and carry you to my car, Sticks? Because I will.”
I huff because I know he’s right. I bump into his shoulder and move past him. Surprisingly, he doesn’t touch me, and after I see his car parked near the curb, I fling open the door and settle in the passenger seat.
Filth covers me. The heels are ruined, and my knees are stained with dirt.
“How did you know where I was?”
I feel his stare, but I keep my attention out the window, watching the blurring lights. His car revs, and we speed toward the interstate.
“I always know where you are.”
“Evan and I are the only ones who know about it.”
Stone shifts and picks up the speed. “You think I didn’t watch your every move when we were in high school?”
Whatever.
“I always knew where you were in a crowded room, Sticks. Just like I do now. I know you a lot better than you think.”
I glare at his strong profile. His jaw hinges back and forth, and his fingers tighten on the shifter.
“I know how pissed you are about my dad, and I know you’re afraid out of your mind because of yours being a free man.”
I bite my tongue.
He shifts again, and I fly into the back of the seat.
“I know you just bit your tongue because you hate that I’m right.”
He’s right. He does know me.
I don’t give him the satisfaction of being right, and I refuse to run to him because I’m scared.
The rest of the ride home, I perfect my walls, placing every last brick in place to shut him out.
As soon as the car comes to a stop, I open the door and run inside.
I’m halfway up the stairs when Evan pops up from the couch. “Wren?”
I turn and stare at him over the banister. His brows are furrowed, and he moves his attention from me to Stone. He’s casual with his tie loose and his shirt undone.
Fuck him for looking hot.
“What’s going on?”
“Did you know too?” My stomach drops when I see the guilt on Evan’s face.
Ouch.
“Neither of you talk to me right now.”
“What’s going on?” Taylor asks. He walks down the hall with a bowl of cereal in his hand.
“Taylor, mind if I stay in your room tonight? I would rather not lie in bed with a liar.”
Stone slams the front door, and Taylor makes a quick exit.
“Knock it off, Wren. I get that you’re mad, but stop being stupid.”
“You know what’s stupid?” I seethe. “Thinking that I’d be able to trust you.” I shake my head. “I never should have let you in.”
“Wren,” Evan starts but stops at the sight of my face.
“And you! I expected more from you.”
“We were—”
I hold my hand in the air. “Keeping shit from me isn’t protecting me. It’s making me ignorant! Were you even going to tell me if I didn’t happen to walk in on the conversation?”
“Tell you what?” Evan asks. “Did you tell her that your dad is appealing the case?”
“Appealing?” I laugh. “Try putting that word in the past tense.”
Evan’s face falls, and Stone pinches the bridge of his nose.
“He’s out, Evan.”
I turn and rush up the stairs, holding back tears of anger and fear. I gather my blankets and pillow, because I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t sleeping beside a liar. My entire body is trembling, but I still tiptoe over to the window and glance down into the street.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw my dad standing on the sidewalk, waiting to welcome me home with open arms.