Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(58)

I bit my tongue, too. Hard. With the rain splashing around me, I felt light headed. I needed to focus, to stay upright. The rain seemed to charge my senses, making my nerves rise up. But I held them back, somehow. Maybe because I could protect my face, or it wasn’t a shower that it didn’t trigger me fainting. Or perhaps the week of rest and Dr. Green’s care made it harder for it to happen, like he said.

I couldn’t do that to Erica.

Erica just raised her arm over her head, and I followed close behind, swallowing back words. My mind reeled.

“Get in the back,” she said quickly.

I went for the seat without question. I opened the door, tossing the bag onto the seat gently before getting in and shutting the door again.

I sat back and found Nathan twisted around in the front passenger seat, staring back at me. Wide eyed. His reddish hair was matted down around his face, soaked, his body entirely drenched, part of it much muddier than myself.

Uh oh.

Erica got in, strapped her seatbelt on and then held the steering wheel. The rain pelted at the windshield. She didn't start the car. She just looked at the wheel for a few moments.

Silence loomed between us. I looked over at Nathan. He looked ahead at the rain, waiting.

“I don't know what happened tonight,” she said slowly. She twisted her hands against the wheel and then fished in her purse for her cell phone. She put the purse on the middle console, dialed on the phone with one hand and started the car. She switched to reverse and started backing out, holding the phone to her ear.

Nathan sat back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. He gazed out the window, and then looked back at me through the rearview mirror.

We shared the same questions. What happened to you? How did you end up in this car? What in the world do we do now?

Something went terribly wrong for him, too. I could tell. He was supposed to be in a car with Luke. Where was Luke? Where was the car?

And where was Kota?

Erica spoke into her phone as she turned the car to leave the lot. “Kota? Where are you?” Pause. Her tone lowered. “Don't lie to me.” Pause. “Kota, she's sitting right here in my car. Don't tell me you're out with her.”

I closed my eyes, sat back, crossing my arms over my body and holding myself. This might be worse than her finding out about Nathan kissing me. There was no way to explain what was going on.

I had nothing to offer, nothing to help explain this. My cheeks were on fire. My body shook, not just from wet clothes, but from fear.

Suddenly, Erica reached back to me, handing me the phone. “He says he needs to talk to you.”

I took the phone and held it to my ear. “Hello?” I breathed into it.

“I'll fix this,” he said. “Try not to say anything until I get there.”

Did I need to tell him something else? Maybe I should warn him about Nathan? “Hey,” I said carefully and then considered what I could mentioned in front of Erica at this moment. “Yes, I think Luke has it?” I didn't know how else to tell him. I didn't want to mention where Luke was.

He paused on the phone. “Are you asking me about Luke? I don’t know yet but he’s okay. I need to find Nathan.”

“Yes,” I said. “That. I found it.”

“Really?” He blew out a breath hard into the phone. “Okay, okay. Is Nathan okay?”

“Yes.”

He paused. “Wait, is he in the car with you?”

“Yes.”

He grumbled. “Can nothing else today go wrong, please?”

“I know,” I said. There wasn't much else I could say. She picked us up from two different locations, found me shopping in a grocery store close to midnight. Some of our team was missing still. I wasn’t sure where Silas, Mr. Blackbourne and Gabriel were supposed to be, but after all this, I wanted to make sure everyone was okay. And where was North?

“Sang,” Erica said in a voice a little too kind for the craziness we were going through in the moment. “Sweetie, can you tell him to get home, and that we're all going to have a talk when he does?”

“I heard her,” Kota said. “I'm sorry about all this. I'll fix everything.”

“It's okay,” I told him. Without the ability to say it another way, I just needed him to know. “Just so you know, North left that thing in the back of the truck.”

“What?”

“Him,” I said.

He paused. “I'm on my way.”

He hung up. I only hoped he got my meaning, but I still needed to make sure to get word out clearer as soon as possible. I passed the cell phone back to Erica, and she tossed it into the cup holder.

“I don't understand anything going on tonight,” she said and then checked her review mirror, making adjustments. “Sang, were you the one throwing fireworks at the school?”

“What?” I asked. “What fireworks?”

She breathed out quickly from her lips. “I guess it wasn't you. But all of this is an odd coincidence. You walked all the way out here for groceries? Why didn't your parents drive you?”

The lies started on my tongue, but faded. There was no way I could ignore her questions completely. What Academy protocol was there for a situation like this? “My mom doesn't have a car,” I said.