I prowl the room, hands on hips, following Dale’s retreat. I keep my teeth clenched to hold the fury—and any legal violations—inside my stupid mouth. But I don’t need to say anything, Dale spills like a broken spigot.
“This was Smith and Willow’s idea. Piper really wanted to be friends with us, you know? So Smith and Willow came up with these things she had to do, like, I don’t know, a test or challenge or something, to prove she was loyal.”
We’ve made one full circle around the room, but Dale keeps moving to put as much distance between us as possible.
“It started small, like cutting class and smoking and passing drugs between us. And tonight was the final challenge, to rob the dispensary. But she fell and broke the window, and that set off the alarm. No one was supposed to get hurt or even get caught. It was just an accident.”
“And you all ran like fucking rats, leaving her to bleed out. You motherfucking cocksucker.” I’m trembling with the restraint required to keep from pummeling him. But I’m still trying to figure out how I missed all this. “When did this start?”
“N-not
too long ago. Willow knew Piper wanted friends for the summer, so they started this maybe a week ago.”
My mind tries to spin backward, looking for signs I missed. But just like her father, Piper’s a good liar. And even after I saw the signs with Keith, I couldn’t keep him safe. Why in the fuck did I think I’d do any better with his daughter?
“Smith and I thought you’d find out for sure,” he says, darting looks between the floor and me as I continue to stalk him in the room. “Your girlfriend caught us cutting school and smoking one day, and I told Smith and Willow we should end it, but Willow was having too much fun, and when you didn’t find out, they thought they were safe.”
Not Chloe’s fault. Piper’s words fill my head, quickly followed by Chloe’s earlier phone call.
My throat closes. Please, please, please, don’t let this be true. I have to push my next words out. “What girlfriend?”
“That blonde one. The one with the killer body who teaches yoga.”
My stomach drops to my feet. “How do you know she saw you?”
“Because she came right up to us in the alley behind the deli and was all like ‘you need to get back to school’ and even offered us all a ride, but the only person who listened was Piper.”
This news guts me.
Someone pounds on the glass to the room. It’s Lucero, glaring at me for talking to Dale without an attorney. I’ve gotten all I can. For now.
“You’d better hope they put you in jail,” I tell him, “or you’ll be answering to me.”
I exit the room just as Tommy comes back and lifts a water bottle. “Thanks for covering.”
Lucero isn’t fooled, nor does he mince words. “She’s going to surgery.”
Ice spreads through my stomach. “How serious is it? What are her chances?”
“It’s serious enough to send her to surgery before her mother is here to okay it. But they don't think she hit any major vessels, and I’m told the surgeon is a miracle worker.” He glances at Dale and back to me. “What’d he have to say?”
“Claims it was some kind of dare. Guess it started recently.” And I didn’t know shit about it.
“And Chloe?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“Nothing to do now but wait. Get yourself some coffee. When I’m done here, I’ll meet you in the surgery waiting room. Fourth floor.”
I leave the waiting room with my head spinning. How did this happen? How had I missed the signs? I knew Keith was secretive, and I knew Piper was acting that way too. I should have pushed harder.
In the hall, I stop and lean my back against a wall and scrub my hands down my face. I pull out my phone, and my finger hovers over Chloe’s contact info. But the thought of hashing this out with her when I’m already at my limit has me shoving the phone back into my pocket and heading for the cafeteria.
17
Chloe
Laiyla, KT, and I sit on one of the docks, swinging our feet. The night is a perfect seventy degrees, the lake and marina quiet now that everyone has returned to their houseboats. We’ve been chatting about the guys and the resort and Laiyla’s wedding, but I can’t relax.