Page 76 of How We Loved

She’s crying so hard that I can barely make out what she’s saying. “I-I think … I am. I’m scared, Ben.”

My heart rips open and is stabbed a million times over.

I slam my hand on the steering wheel. I’m supposed to protect her. I promised her mom. I let this happen under my watch.

“Don’t be scared. I’m on my way. Are you around any businesses or anything you can go in?” I try to be there for her, calm her down, even though I want to beat the ever-living shit out of anything that gets in my way.

“No.” She cries harder. “He threw me out of his truck in the middle of nowhere.”

My eyes meet with Eli’s to make sure I’m not crazy and he just heard the same thing I did. When his eyes widen in shock and fear for our friend, I push the gas pedal even harder.

That motherfucker left our Maya—my Maya—in the middle of nowhere.

I’m going to fucking kill him.

I look in my rearview mirror and see Dalton’s truck, then turn to Eli. “Send Dalton your location. That old beast of a truck will never keep up with mine, and I have a feeling we’ll need his help tonight.”

Eli grabs his phone and does as I asked, then nods. “Done.”

If there’s one thing I know about Eli, it’s that he’s loyal. He loves all of us just like we are family. He might be quiet, but he’s ride or die to the core, hence why he jumped in my truck without even asking what was going on. He didn’t need to know. If one of us is in trouble, he’s there, no questions asked, and I love him for that.

“Maya, you’re going to be just fine. If no one is around, then no one can harm you. Think about it that way.” I try to calm her down.

“But I’m scared. It’s so dark out, and what if there are animals out here?”

I close my eyes briefly and rub my lips together, trying to fight the anger and tears that are forming. Anger because I want to kill Trevor and tears because it’s killing me, hearing Maya in this situation.

And it’s all my fault.

I knew he wasn’t a good guy.

I knew she shouldn’t be with him.

But I let it happen anyway.

I should have stopped it. I should have put my foot down. If I had, she wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

How could I let her down this much?

“I can tell you’re in an industrial part of town, which is pretty far away from the hills, so there shouldn’t be anything you need to worry about.”

She asks through her tears, “How do you know where I am?”

“Maya, I will always protect you. I made that promise years ago, and I plan on keeping it. Don’t be mad, but I sent myself your location the other day when I grabbed your phone at school. I had to make sure you were safe.”

She laughs, and, God, it’s the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard. It’s better than any song because it’s my Maya coming back to me when I thought I’d lost her forever.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Aren’t you glad I did?” I ask playfully.

“Yes, but hurry!”

I’ve never been so happy I went with the Ford Raptor R version that has the V8 engine as I press the gas pedal even harder, zipping down the freeway at a cool one hundred fourteen, its max speed.

Springstown is twenty-five minutes away, but at this speed and the fact that there’s literally nothing between our two towns, I should get there in fifteen.

“I’m hurrying. Just stay on the phone with me.”

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