I watch him for a moment while listening to the boys rummaging around in the kitchen, and from the sound of it, they’re packing snacks, but why the hell not? I just hope they remember my favorite little gummy bears. There’s no such thing as a road trip without them.
Carver takes the last bag and tosses it into the back, being extra careful and making me wonder what the hell could be in there. He closes the back door and lets out a heavy sigh before coming right for me.
I suck in a breath and sink back behind the massive vase, hoping to whoever exists above that he didn’t see me.
I hold my breath, listening to his nearly silent footsteps as he gets closer, and with every step, my heart races just a little bit faster. The hairs on my arms stand up, and as he passes, I shrink to my smallest possible self, while wondering if he’s able to hear the rapid beat of my heart. Knowing Carver, he could probably smell me here.
He passes by and the second he disappears around the corner, I let out my breath and take a second to ease my heart, only now I have a clear path to the Escalade, and fuck it, I’m not stupid enough to miss an opportunity like this. I just wish that I’d peed first.
I dart out from behind the vase and sprint to the garage, racing through the foyer and all but bouncing off my toes to try and keep quiet. Carver’s voice rings out and I come to a screeching standstill, certain that I’ve been sprung. “Yo, what the fuck is taking so long? Let’s go.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Cruz calls back as relief thunders through my chest and I take off again. “You’re going to wake up Winter and then we’ll have a whole new shitstorm to deal with.”
Yeah, fuck you too, Cruz Danforth. These boys aren’t ready for the shitstorm that I’m going to rain down over them.
I reach the Escalade in no time and fly through the open side door just as I see the lights beginning to flick off, sending the inside of the house into darkness.
They’re coming.
I glance around. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
My heart refuses to ease up, but as I find a blanket in the front, the idea shoots through my mind. I grab it and just as I hear the boys coming through the foyer, I dive through to the trunk and curse myself as I land on a hard bag, my back slamming down against it.
I shimmy down between two bags and manage to spread the blanket out on top of me just as the boys start piling into the Escalade.
“You sure about this?” King questions as four doors slam shut.
Carver grunts. “Too fucking late now.” And just like that, he hits the gas and the Escalade takes off like a rocket down his long driveway with every intention of leaving me behind.
Those motherfuckers.
“Who took my fucking blanket?” Cruz mutters from the front seat as soft music plays through the car to keep everyone awake.
“Dude, you’ll be twenty next month,” Grayson says from the seat right in front of me. “Why the fuck do you need a blanket?”
Cruz is going to be twenty? What the fuck? I thought he was the same age as me.
I don’t get a chance to think about it before he mutters something inaudible under his breath then speaks a little louder. “Get fucked, man,” he says in an oddly pissed-off tone, one that doesn’t come out of his mouth very often, unless we’re dealing with some dickhead who threatened my life. “It’s four in the fucking morning and if I’m about to spend six hours in a fucking car with you assholes, you bet your ass that I’m going to sleep the whole way through it.”
Six hours? Fuck. Maybe sneaking in here wasn’t the best idea. My bladder is good, but it’s not that good. Add a little alcohol to the mix and my bladder is practically non-existent.
“I’m with Cruz,” King murmurs, another yawn tearing out of him as a hand is thrown over the back of the seat and starts feeling around. “I could use another few hours of sleep. That party last night fucking killed me.”
“If I have to be up,” Carver grumbles, stopping for the gate. “Then all you fuckers are up.”
The hand in the back continues to feel around until it stops right over me and grabs hold of the blanket. I hold my breath, positive that I’m about to be sprung, but when nothing happens apart from the blanket flying across the car and into the front seat, I let out a breath and realize that I might just get away with this after all.