Sitting at the piano, I watched her go, wishing I was with her. She needed her space. I needed my own kind of sleep as well.
I hadn’t really slept in years. Running a hand across the piano keys, I wondered if we’d ever find happiness. If Ashley died, we were all fucked. I knew that. It was why Caleb was losing control.
Earl had fucked us over. We all knew it, and right now, we were trying to save face and to win over the love of our lives.
He wanted to be the head of our group, but now, I couldn’t help but wonder if he wished he was somewhere else.
Chapter Nine
Emily
Another new day.
The house today was eerily quiet. I didn’t see any soldiers. I didn’t know if they’d been given orders to disappear when they saw me coming. Did that scare them? I didn’t know why I cared.
Running fingers through my hair, I stepped into the library, going straight to the computer.
My cell phone held all my numbers. I couldn’t remember Ashley’s by heart. Another of my many failings as a friend. She would have been able to tell me my number, the one for the library, the store where I worked, and our Chinese place we loved to order takeout from when she didn’t feel like cooking. It wasn’t often she didn’t feel like cooking. I missed her food.
The cook the guys had made delicious meals, no doubt about it, but I missed my best friend.
With my fingers above the keys, I didn’t know where to start.
Going with her name, I typed it in and immediately changed it to our new identity name. My old paranoia getting the better of me. My hands shook a little when I thought of Ashley all alone. She wasn’t like us. She’d only been part of our lives at Crude Hill High for a few months, not long enough to get used to it.
Dropping my face into my hands, I felt the tears once again coming to the surface. I’d admitted to River last night that I loved him. It felt good telling him the truth, but again, the guilt. With Ashley in danger, I couldn’t be happy. I refused to be happy.
Scrolling through the names that popped up, I was sure I caught sight of her on a social media page and clicked on it. It was the wrong person. Next, I went to the website of the restaurant where she’d worked. Her picture was there, but no details of how to get in touch with her.
“Are you in love with a girl now as well? Four men aren’t good enough for you?”
I jumped out of my chair to see Drake sitting on one of the tables, eating a candy bar. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know you’re stalking some chick. I seem to recognize her. Did we go to school with her?”
“This is none of your business.” I stood in front of the computer screen.
“Please, I know it’s that Ashley chick. I know the deets. You’re not breaking any code.”
“Do they share all of this information with you?” I asked.
“Yep.” He put the last piece of chocolate into his mouth and moved toward me. I didn’t back away as he closed the distance between us. “What you have to do is know the right search to make. What are you looking for?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Emily, I’m actually trying to help you here. I’m not trying to cause you any trouble. You want to know about your friend. I’m offering you that chance, but if you want to be a bitch about it, be my guest.” He held his hands up in surrender and turned to walk away.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I couldn’t let him walk away. “I’m trying to remember Ashley’s phone number.”
“It’s why they invented cell phones.”
“Mine has been destroyed.”
He chuckled. “Those pesky men of yours.” He tutted. “How does that whole thing work, anyway? You’re going to have to move.”
“What?”
“Out of the way so I can do my thing.”
“Oh.” I took a step to the side and he sat in my chair. His fingers worked over the keyboard.
“So, how does it go? Do they all share you at once? A gang bang?”
“I don’t have to answer this.”
“Yeah, you kind of do. I’m helping you, after all, and I’m keeping you safe.”
“You’re helping me, and I don’t need you to keep me safe.”
He snorted. “Please. You didn’t even realize I was watching you.” He winked at me. “Don’t worry, I didn’t see too much.”
“Are you trying to insinuate that you’ve seen me naked?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Nothing of the sort, babe. Believe me.”
“What happened to you? I can’t believe they’d trust you with any of this.”
“People change, Em. People grow up. It might also have to do with the fact that I killed my father.” He clicked the enter button. “Nothing like being told how useless you are every single day. He told me I was a waster, so I decided to show him exactly what a waster I was. It was cathartic.”