25. BACK THEN – May
Smoky Mountains
WILLOW MOORE
I nternal Freak-Out Status: I’m on a vacation with the Calloway sisters and their men.
Rose asked if I’d like to join their trip to the lake house.
Location: top-secret. No one online knows the destination. It’s supposed to be a peaceful oasis away from the paparazzi. The fact that they’re letting me in on this secret is a huge honor that I want to safekeep and protect.
The drive has been long . The kind that needs many pitstops and even driver rotations. Luckily, no has asked me to man the wheel. Not that I’m a bad driver. But both Jane Cobalt and Maximoff Hale are situated in car seats in the back, Connor sitting between the kids.
My nervous energy will most likely skyrocket with the responsibility of protecting the almost-one-year-old babies.
Right now, all that responsibility rests in Lily’s hands, but she’s undoubtably been the best driver so far. Her eyes barely even flit to the passenger seat where Rose texts on her phone.
“Is that Mom again?” Lily asks her sister.
Silence eats the car, and I wonder if whatever text Rose received is important. Probably. Very important people are in this vehicle. Like my brother. Lo sits next to me in one of the middle seats, an aisle between our chairs.
He gazes out the window, probably looking for the other car. Ryke and Daisy drove separately. The whole process of even leaving the neighborhood took security vehicles, diversions with an assist from bodyguards, and a lot of work before we even made it on our route.
It reminds me how secretive this trip really is.
I glance down at my cell, checking the ETA. We still have hours left. I wish I could text Garrison, but he handed me his cellphone this morning. It’s currently stashed away in my backpack, squeezed between my shoes.
My stomach has been in a series of knots this entire car ride.
I may have…smuggled someone into this Escalade’s trunk.
But he’s blindfolded. (His suggestion.) He has no idea where we’re headed, and he can’t see a thing. I trust Garrison not to spill the location, but no one else in the car will trust him.
I know the blindfold might not help, but it’s a last-ditch effort in case everything goes wrong and he’s caught.
I haven’t even been living with them long and I’m already doing something that could threaten their trust in me. My stomach tosses and turns, causing worse nausea than a normal bout of car sickness.
The alternative was worse. Leaving Garrison alone in Philly with nowhere to go.
Lily installed extra security cameras at Superheroes Coconut’s head flops out of the open window. A big goofy smile on the husky’s face. On the passenger side, Ryke clasps the top of the window frame.
Suddenly, Daisy steps on the gas, zipping off fast . The Ferrari must go from our speed (maybe forty?) to a hundred miles per hour in a second flat. My jaw is on the floor.
That is…terrifying.
And yet, I really love hanging out with Daisy.
“Uhh…” Lily gapes. “I’m not supposed to follow them, am I?”
Lo shakes his head. “No way. We’re not driving off a cliff with Thelma and Louise.”
Heat encases me, hot with worry. I dig through my backpack for a water bottle. “Do they know where they’re going?”
Daisy said she planned to follow us, and I don’t want her to end up in a ditch where we can’t find her. Even the thought brings this wave of panicked sadness.
“Nope,” Lo says. “I hope he gets lost.” Please no.
“Knowing Ryke and Daisy, I’m sure that’s their goal,” Connor chimes in from the backseat.
I don’t know if she’ll receive it, but I quickly text Daisy.
Love you. I wish I could text her the directions, but no one’s allowed to share them over any electronic device.
In case of hacks. Reminding her that I care is the best I can do.
I wouldn’t ever tell her to stop being who she is. Daredevil and all.
Leaning forward, I fiddle with the middle console air vents, trying to direct them towards the back. Even though I’m way too far away from the trunk.
But all I can think: if I’m feeling this heat, I just hope Garrison isn’t suffering.
Please don’t die in the trunk.