Pieces of Summer (A stand-alone novel)(81)

“Yeah. I read about it. A wedding of any kind would be too much stress. Even a small one without any times or planning could cause agitation. For now. Mika has improved drastically from what I’ve read in that damn book.”

“Speaking of which, she had another book come out. You died again.”

I grimace, thinking back to the book Mika once tried to stop me from reading. This was not that book. That book has yet to be published, but this one was, and I died brutally. Acid—pure burning acid—was injected into my veins in small doses.

“Yeah. Saw that. How many times can she kill me? I thought they made her stop killing someone named Chase.”

“She’s a cash cow. They bend their rules based on what she needs. You had to die in order for her to try and move forward again. She’s probably already written several others where you’re being killed. Aidan wasn’t killed. That’s a good sign.”

“Good for him,” I grumble.

Just as we get out to move Aidan inside, Whit’s car wheels in beside us. She gets out, and her eyes flick to the backseat Aidan is sprawled across.

“I need to talk to you,” she says, not looking away from Aidan.

“Kind of busy right this second. Can it wait?”

She looks up just as I heave Aidan out of the truck and wrap his arm around my shoulders, waiting on Hunter to get around here and give me a hand. I’d throw him over my shoulder, but he puked on me the last time I did that. I’d rather not get an encore.

“It’s about Mika. I know where she is.”

Aidan flops to the ground when I drop him on accident, narrowly missing the concrete, and he groans as he flips onto his back, spitting dirt out of his mouth.

“Where?!” I snap, watching her flinch.

“Promise you won’t let Aidan kill me when he sobers up?” she asks, taking a wary step back.

“Whit, you should be more concerned about me right now,” I growl.

“I know you won’t hurt me, but he might,” she goes on, pointing at Aidan who is cursing and trying to sit up.

“Where is she?” Hunter barks.

Whit reaches out, handing me a piece of paper, and Hunter tries to snatch it away. I don’t let him. I read it over.

“It’s a three—”

“No numbers,” I interrupt, hearing Whit swallow the rest of her words. “I have to go.”

“Right now?” Whit asks. “He needs to sober up.”

“Yes, now.”

“Me too,” Aidan says from the ground.

Hunter lifts him, and we toss him back in the back.

“We can grab coffee on the way to sober him up,” I tell Hunter as my skin tries to crawl off me.

Whit is talking, but I’m already shutting the door.

“Fuck her. She’s known all along,” Aidan slurs from the backseat.

I say nothing, because I don’t know if I’m furious with Whit for holding this back or happy as hell that she told us. Everything is conflicting right now, and I can’t get out of the driveway fast enough.

“You know the address?” Hunter asks.

“No, but I can figure it out without GPS, considering that thing uses arrival times and exact miles.”

“We can cheat this once,” he argues.

“No. We can’t. I can’t. I’ve worked too hard to be what she needs to f*ck it up this close to the finish line.”

My motor roars when my foot pushes harder on the pedal. My tank is full, and I should be able to make it there without stopping. Hopefully. Fuck the coffee.

“I changed my mind. Hang Aidan’s head out the window and let him get fresh air,” I tell Hunter. “I’m not stopping.”





Chapter 48


MIKA



“You’re it for me,” Chase says as he collapses on top of me, almost crushing me with his weight.

“You’re it for me too,” I say breathlessly, kissing the side of his neck as our bodies stay joined.

He holds me tighter, burying his face against my neck. Sometimes I almost think it’s a dream to feel this way… Not real.

“Mika,” he says against my ear.

“Yes?”

“Mika!” he yells louder.

“What?”

“Mika! Mika!”



I jolt awake, grabbing my chest as something loud bangs from the living room.

“Mika! Open up, damn it!”

My blood freezes in my veins. Hunter? That definitely sounded like Hunter.

“Mika!” Aidan roars, and something heavy slams into my door like it’s about to be broken down.

Shit!

My legs swing off my bed, and I run down the hallway, feeling my entire body shivering with nerves. How the hell did they find me?

Just as something bangs on the door again, I swing it open, and two strong arms immediately wrap around me, almost knocking me down as someone clings to me and buries their face in my neck. It takes a second to realize it’s Aidan.

“Fuck you,” he says around a choked, strained sound, and my heart breaks in my chest as I slowly wrap my arms around him, returning the embrace. I can’t remember the last time Aidan hugged me.

It’s not allowed.

Physical contact stirs emotions.