Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(14)

I stopped for a moment. I didn’t look at Jason. I didn’t do anything. I just stared straight ahead. He’d said we’d have dinner, that he wanted to hear about my first day at Cain University…Nope. No way. I wasn’t dealing with this.

I turned the burner off and took the note from Jason’s hand, ripping it in two. “Okay.” My chest was tight. “Let’s go out, shall we?”

Jason said nothing, trailing after me. We went and ate, but if someone had asked me later where we went or what we had, I wouldn’t have remembered. The storm was back. It’d been inside of me for nine months now. Jason knew what was going on, but he didn’t push me. Thank God. During dinner we were nearly silent, each in our own thoughts and when we went back to the house, he broke the silence when I didn’t move to leave the car. We sat in the driveway when he asked, “So did Kade call you yet?”

I frowned, but it was something else to talk about. “Why?” I wasn’t asking why he was asking about Kade.

“I need the cash.”

“We all need cash. Do something else.”

He made a disgruntled sound.

“I mean it, Jason.”

“And I mean it, too. Nothing will come back on you. Life’s different now that we’re in college. It’s bigger.” He held his hands in the air. “Grander. More freedom. More…I don’t know. We’re not so confined. I’m not tied to you and Claire. My problems won’t come back to haunt you. I promise. And it’s not the same either because I’m not doing the betting. I’m taking the bets.”

I stared at him, unmoving.

“Kade is rich. His friends are rich. I will lose out on a ton of money if I don’t.”

“Because you’ll cheat them?”

“No, because most of Kade’s friends are idiots. I mean, yeah, some of them aren’t, and Kade usually isn’t, but they don’t care. This is their fun. They can afford to lose some bets. I couldn’t in high school. That’s the difference.” He looked at me, pleading. “Just tell him I’ll do it, and give him my number when he calls you.”

“Maybe.” I was mean.

“Taylor, come on!”

I rolled my eyes. I’d do it. I’d be the good friend to him.

Jason relaxed, sensing my surrender. He gave me a small smile. “Thanks, Taylor.”

I nodded as he waved and climbed out to head for his car. When I went inside, I could feel that the house was still empty, but I checked the garage anyway. No car. No dad. I went to my room and read the two chapters for sociology class. They were due in two days, but good for me. I was being ambitious. When I’d finished, I watched the news.

No dad.

I was stupid for being worried. I mean, I moved back to be here for him. That was the plan, but it was obvious, and had been for so long, that he didn’t want me here. Maybe I moved back for me? Maybe it would be too hard to go back to my old school. It’d be like I was leaving her behind, or maybe I still needed Jason and Claire? Or maybe I was here, hoping to be here for him because that was what she would’ve wanted me to do.

I sighed. I needed to let it go, let him go, but something was nagging me. I couldn’t sleep so I checked my email and double-checked my class schedule for the next day. It was close to midnight.

No dad.

I read a book for another hour.

Still no dad.

That normal thing to do was to go to bed. My class was at nine in the morning. That’d be the responsible thing to do, but even when the clock told me it was after two in the morning, I was still wide awake.

My phone buzzed. It was on silent except for the alarm, but the screen lit up the entire room. My heart leaped to my chest as I rolled over, but no. Not dad. Instead I read, Hey, hot girl. Forgot to call. This is Kade. You got an answer for me?

I typed back, Come pick me up. I’ll give you your answer.

My head fell back against my pillow once I’d hit send. I needed a ride. That was it. Kade could handle himself in a fight, and my dad was still gone. I needed to find out where he was—make sure he was fine and not at some strip club. That was all I was doing. That was it.

The next second my phone buzzed again. Be there in twenty.





STRANGER PITY


TAYLOR


I was waiting in the living room with the lights off when his headlights swept across me. Everything lit up for a split second before his car faced the garage. Though it was the middle of the night—closer to early morning, actually—it was still humid. A small breeze wafted across my neck as I shut the door to the house behind me and hurried over to his car. Once inside, I didn’t look at him.

Why I was here? Why had I texted? My dad, I reminded myself. His note had told me he’d be at Mike’s house late, but this was ungodly late.

“Hot girl.”

I looked up and immediately wished I hadn’t. Logan hadn’t gotten any less gorgeous since the day before. His dark eyes watched me, a hint of amusement still there—along with a hint of something darker. The darker element sent a rush through my veins. I ignored it, taking in the dark shirt he wore over jeans. The whites of his eyes stood out from his tanned complexion, and when he grinned, they matched his perfect white teeth.

He added, “Where to? I’m your personal driver for the night.” He tapped the steering wheel. “I can be another type of driver for you, too, if you know what I mean.”