The Arrangement 19 (The Arrangement 19)

“It was Jon’s. Remember how he was acting like an irresponsible asshole?” I nod. “I took his car away and hid it in the shed.” I blink at him as he steers down the gravel path.

“You hid a million dollar car in the shed?”

“Yeah, I was trying to teach him a lesson.” Sean is straight-faced when he says it, but there’s a tiny twitch in the corner of his mouth like he wants to smile. I run my hands over the dashboard’s sexy curves before sitting back into my seat.

“Did it work?”

“Hell if I know. He went out and bought a cheaper car. The asshat thought he lost this one. He didn’t even tell our mother it was gone.”

Sean navigates through the back of the property until we intersect with one of the back roads. He floors it, and the car roars to life. It’s the coolest car sound ever.

“Let me get this straight: Jon thinks he misplaced an entire car?” Sean nods and jerks the wheel as we speed away from the mansion, passing by a line of emergency vehicles as we do so. “So, you can lose a million bucks and not feel it?”

Sean steals a glance at me from the corner of his eye. He’s driving a sick car, shirtless, and covered in sweat. The slight twitch of his lips makes him nearly irresistible.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe means yes.” I grin and settle back into the seat. “So, a million bucks is like a penny to you? If you saw it on the sidewalk, you’d just keep walking? Wow.” I’m silent for a moment, thinking. I twist my palms together and look away from him, out the window.

“I didn’t say that, you did, and I know that look. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s wrong.” Sean is taking back roads and racing insanely fast towards the beach. I glance over at him.

“I did a lot more for a lot less. That doesn’t bother you?” I watch him for a moment, wondering what he must think of me. I lower my lashes and stare at my hands in my lap. Sean reaches over and takes my hand.

“You are worth more than anything I own, anything I have. I’m glad you didn’t let me send you away that first night. I’m glad you left the room and played the piano with me. Avery, I’d give up everything for you. A woman like you comes along once a century, and you’re mine.”

I look at the gashes on the back of his hand and mentally list everything he lost because of me. If I hadn’t entered his life, his mother would be alive, and his home would be more than ashes, smoke, and rubble. I can’t say what needs to happen, but I already know. I offer a weak smile and squeeze his hand gently.

“I love you, Sean.”

“I love you, too. We’ll get through this, Avery.”

CHAPTER 6

We drive on in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts until we come to the causeway that leads to Oak Island. It’s a wide-open road surrounded by sand dunes and beach grass. There are scattered deer among the low trees, feeding along the road. Sean floors it, and we fly over the first bridge so fast that my stomach is in my spine.

I shriek and look for the ‘oh shit’ strap, but there isn’t one. Sean grins and glances over at me.

“You like that?”

Before I can say no, he floors it, and we dart away even faster. My knees are coming up, and I’m ready to curl into a ball and scream my head off. But Sean slows down before it gets that bad.

“What’s with you?” He sounds perplexed. I want to slap him. I can barely breathe.

“I hate bridges and you were driving 200 miles per hour over one!”

“You’re afraid of bridges? Is it because of trolls?”

A hysterical high-pitched laugh escapes my throat, and I look over at him.

“Trolls?”

“I thought you’d have a colorful answer. Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you freak out. Well, not that much.” He winks at me, then pulls into a parking lot. He rolls to a stop and grins. “Perfect.”

Sean drives the car up next to a group of kids. They can’t be more than sixteen and, from the looks of it, they’re really bored. They all watch as we get out of the car. A kid with a beanie on his shaggy hair stands up. He might be a little stoned.

“Gnarly ride, man. Is that, like, a real Maz?”

Okay, he’s super stoned. Another guy with a skateboard stands up and hands his friend a log of cured meat. It looks like a Christmas sausage from Hickory Farms. The stoner bites off a piece and chews it like a goat.

“Yeah, it is.” Sean nods and tosses the keys at the kid.

It makes the guy drop his meat log and cover his face. He screams as he does it while his friend laughs like it was the funniest thing ever. The keys peg him in the head and fall to the ground.

“What the hell, dude?” He drops his hands from his face, glaring at Sean.

“Do you like the car?” Sean is too Sean-ish to deal with them. His tone is beyond exasperated.

“Fuck yeah.” Both guys reply in unison.

“I’ll let you take it for a drive if you agree to do me one little favor.” Sean looks at the four kids, scanning their eyes for signs of coherency. The chick sitting on the curb doesn’t look up, but I can tell she’s having a WTF moment. The guys are too pumped to notice how weird this is.

“Sure, man. Whatever you want.”

“Good. Take the car some place with no cameras, beat the shit out of it, and leave it there. No cops and you can’t get caught." Sean points at the girl on the curb. "I strongly suggest that girl drives, since she’s the only one of you that's still sober.”

Everyone in the little group turns and looks at the girl. She has long blue hair tucked beneath a black barrette. She's suddenly staring at her feet so intently her gaze could burn holes straight through them. Sean’s right, she’s not stoned, just pretending to be.

“Why would you think--” Sean cuts her off.

“Seriously? Are you going to let one of them drive? You’ll end up falling off the bridge. I'd find that an unpleasant experience.” She looks up and smiles.

“Hey, don’t I know you?”

“It’s unlikely.” Sean’s voice is flat.

The girl’s gaze drifts over Sean’s abs peeking through the bottom of his tiny tee and then over to me. She frowns and looks at the car.

“Why do you want to wreck it? It’s a sweet ride.” Sean sighs and pulls a lump of cash out of his pocket.

“No questions. Take this and buy a station wagon or something. It's win-win--your friends will follow you around because you have the wheels, you won’t have to smoke that shit, and they won’t care.” He holds out a wad of hundred dollar bills that could easily be three grand. The girl isn’t stupid though. She looks over at me, and I wonder if this is a good idea.

“What if they get caught?” He looks at me like I have bricks in my brain.

“Then Jon says he lent it to them. Since he can’t remember where he put the damn thing, he won’t say it was stolen.” He turns back to the chick. “But it’s better if you don’t get caught.”

“So why trash it then?” I ask even though

I shouldn’t.

“So Jon can’t get into more trouble when he finds it.” Sean looks back at the girl. “Do we have a deal?”

She takes the money and smiles, before bending down to pick up the fallen keys. The guys she’s with pump their fists and holler, “Shotgun!”

They slip inside, and she starts the engine. As she revs the engine, they roll the windows down, and I can hear them yelling as she speeds away, “To the Batcave!”

“I don’t want them to get in trouble,” I say, looking over at Sean.

“As long as they don’t knock over a liquor store, I think they’ll be fine. No one is looking for the car, except Jon, and honestly it’s possible that he’s forgotten. It’s been a while since I took it.” I smile and fall into step with him.

“I can’t believe you did that.”

“I can’t believe Jon never goes in the shed.”

We both smile a little and start walking toward the water. We need to walk down a few dunes to get to the boat. It’s better to do it in a spot where there are other people. Most of the male runners around us shuck their shirts, so Sean blends in a bit more if we’re walking among them. As we pass a trashcan, he pulls off his shirt and tosses it in. I’ve got my bare-chested man back.

As the sun creeps higher in the sky, the morning light paints the clouds orange and pink. I breathe in deeply, enjoying the sea spray and the wind in my hair as I walk hand in hand with Sean. I wish I could freeze time and keep things like this, locked in this moment when it’s just him and me, neither of us consumed by grief or heartache.

That thought solidifies something, a nagging sensation that didn’t materialize until now. It’s clear--there’s only one path that leads to Sean’s happiness, and this isn’t it.

CHAPTER 7

When we arrive at Marty’s house, it’s empty. Sean and I both stuff our faces with leftovers from the refrigerator and then head for the couch. Sean sits down and pats the seat next to him. I stare at his hand, at the way he touches the seat, and think about his mother’s lifeless arm, her body blown to pieces. It could have been Sean. The only reason he’s still alive right now is because of Marty. Sean wouldn’t have been in the mansion if it weren’t for me. I’m going to get him killed. Sean glances up at me with those beautiful blue eyes.