28. July 4th

28

July 4th

I lead us through an unlocked side door of the huge house. It appears to be a mud room. I have an idea of what I'm looking for.

There aren't any party goers on this side, but I can hear the base of a DJ, the sound of laughter, and the repeated chanting of the word "chug." For a moment I wish I could be one of them and just pretend everything is okay. That there isn't something incredibly dark in this town.

"Sunday?" Grayson murmurs gently, squeezing my hand. "Please, baby girl. Do your search, but we need to hurry. I don't want to get caught. We don't have a lot of time." His urgency propels me into gear.

The mud room has two doors.

The left one leads to the main part of the house, but the right one leads to a garage.

The garage is exactly where I want to go.

Stepping into the huge space, I slowly shut the door behind us and use the flood lights to search the area. There is a refrigerator, a long tool bench, and a set of weights. The space is enough for six cars and each spot is taken. Four of the vehicles are covered in tarps and two are not.

Surely, they didn't?

"Baby girl, are you sure? There's no turning back. This is going to be dangerous. Not just for you." Grayson's gentle voice is a stark contrast to his words. They are harsh. They pierce my resolve and I falter.

"Not just for me." The words leave my lips before I can take them back. He's right. I look at Grayson. Fully take him in. Once more, I need to remind myself that he is doing what he thinks is best. He's trying to protect his two remaining brothers. He doesn't want the same fate to befall them as it did Tripp.

My determination wavers. What if they end up dead because of me? What if instead of bringing forth justice I cause just another tragedy.

A voice outside the garage door splinters my thoughts.

"Come on, no one's out here." It's Mark.

"Already?" I can barely discern the word from Grayson before I make a quick decision. I rush us under the tarp of the nearest vehicle.

We have just enough time to press our backs against the car before the door we came through earlier opens again. Leaning further back I have to physically stop myself from yelping in pain. The metal of the car isn't smooth, it is jagged. It tears through my shirt into my skin.

"Mark," the voice whines. "I need to go back to Maxwell."

"Shut up, slut, get on your knees. You know you like this shit."

"No," her voice wobbles.

My heart is breaking. I don't know if I can stay here if Mark decides to do anything else. I have a grasp of what these men are capable of.

It isn't anything good.

And that girl he has with him?

It's Carrie.

"Mark? Get your ass back here. We have a church girl to find." Maxwell's slimy voice permeates the room.

I can't see anything, but I can hear as Mark lugs Carrie with him out of the room.

I move to leave the tarp, but when I do I catch a glimpse of the vehicle beneath.

Grayson's hand finds its place over my mouth before the scream pierces the air.

"Hush, it's okay. Can we go home now please?" he begs me.

I nod my head softly. I can't do anything. I am a useless teenage girl that is about to get the only people in her life killed.

The brothers told me I shouldn't come here. I'm not sure if they already knew Auggie's destroyed car would be here. Or if they just guessed. But the sight of it has the day's events catching up to me in quick procession.

I wrench away from Grayson and step to the car. I run my fingers along the scratches.

The black paint color is familiar. It's not normal black. It's an even darker shade that brings one specific vehicle to mind.

Maxwell's BMW.

"We need to go." Grayson's voice is urgent. Saturated in paranoia.

He grabs my hand. I expect to go through the house again, but he pulls us to the wall.

"When the garage door opens, you run to the headlights of Darius's truck and you don't look back."

"But—"

"Baby girl. I need you to listen to me. I know none of this makes sense, but you have to listen. Please."

"But—"

He does the last thing I expect. He presses his lips to mine to shut me up. The kiss is fast, hot, searing. He tears away and pushes me to the garage door.

"Now!" He presses the button, but he doesn't move.

I am so in shock by the kiss that I listen to him. As soon as there's enough space I sprint as fast as my bare feet can take me. Darius' truck is now parked as close as he can be to the house, between the trees. When I make it to the vehicle, I look back expecting Grayson but he isn't there.

I want to return, but I don't have time to. A set of arms scoops me from behind and throws me into the bed of the truck. The person—Axel—jumps in after banging the window. "We have to leave him. Go!"

"Wait, what? What do you mean leave him ?" My voice is shrill.

The truck jerks us out of the gravel drive and down a long driveway.

"You, stupid little girl! Why can't you just listen to us?" Axel's anger is hot as he whips the words at me harder than the wind.

Darius is now speeding away and I am abjectly aware of my lack of clothes, the darkness, and the painful breeze slapping me.

I begin to shiver and my teeth clatter as we make it onto the main road.

I focus my attention on the stars above. The one constant in my life.

Axel moves beside me, he goes to wrap his leather jacket around me, but his fingers find the scratch on my back. "You find what you were looking for?" His tone is mocking.

I deserve it. I don't say anything and he leans against the back of the truck, pulling me carefully to his side. Enveloping me in his scent and warmth. I don't deserve it.

"I'm sorry." The words come out hoarsely. "You're right. I shouldn't have gone."

Axel doesn't acknowledge my words except to squeeze me tighter into his side. "They know Auggie was onto them. We don't know who it was. Or if it was all of them. They know about the phone. They know you probably have it. They were testing a theory, if you were onto them. If you were going to follow the same path Tripp and Auggie did. If you need to be dealt with like they were . You fell hook, line, and sinker," he pushes the words into my ear.

I try to lean up to do the same, but I can't reach. A bump on the road has me bouncing off the cab floor, but he catches me and I land in his lap. He wraps his arms around me and he rests his sharp chin on my shoulder.

"How do you know?" I try to shoot the words so that they won't get lost to the noises around us.

"Because I know bad men. They make traps and lead Little Lambs there. Let me ask you, have they been putting Carrie in your view more? Try to lure you out with her?"

I nod slowly.

"Grayson is going to be okay, but you can't do this again. You have to trust us. We don't know everything, we're just guessing, but Tripp and Auggie told me enough. And I know why Tripp beat Mark's ass in the first place. But this town is owned and ruled by the Thornes. You need to remember that." He squeezes me tighter.

I'm not sure if it's the adrenaline of the day, the terror, the security of Axel's arms, or the stars shining comfortingly above, but eventually, my eyelids grow heavy.

As I float off into nothingness, I hear Axel humming a familiar tune from my childhood.