Page 81 of Trustfall

“Alexandra?” I rack my brain for a minute trying to figure out who he’s talking about. “Oh, you mean Allie?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, obviously I mean Allie.”

I look behind me, and then to the side of Ashton like I’m being punked. “No, I’m not here with Allie.”

Although maybe I should have said I was. That’s what Emory wanted Nate to believe. But no, I’m not lying about us to the guy I’ve had to pry off of her twice now.

“Good. I would appreciate it if you kept your hands off her then,” he says, echoing my words.

I snort out a laugh. I can’t help it. He’s…into Allie? God help him.

As I’m about to wish him well with that, someone bumps into me. I turn around to see a frazzled-looking woman with a long blonde ponytail kneeling down to pick up a tray of drinks she just spilled. I bend down to help her and notice tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she sniffles. “Everything is going wrong. First, I lost the seating chart and then the candles…Emory still hasn’t come back. I don’t know what’s taking her so long. I sent her brother to look for her but?—”

“Wait, what?”

“The seating chart—” she starts, but I cut her off.

“No, what did you say about Emory?”

“Oh, I sent her to go get candles from the gazebo like twenty minutes ago, and she still hasn’t come back.”

I quickly set everything from the floor on her tray and take off up the stairs back to the house. It isn’t until I’m outside that I realize Ashton is following me.

“What the fuck, dude?”

“I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m not interested in her, but Em is my friend. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

I grumble but let him tag along anyway. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to kick his ass yet, but apparently, he’s into Allie and he does seem to genuinely care about Emory. My heart is racing as we start jogging towards the gazebo. Emory is not a flake when it comes to helping people. Something is wrong. I can feel it.

As we get closer, I hear voices. They seem panicked…and desperate.

Shit. Please be okay, Em. Please be okay.

We make it to the gazebo and go around to the front entrance, but I stop short at the scene in front of me. Emory and Allie stand frozen, faces etched with horror. Meanwhile, Nate has some up against the wall in the corner, his hands tightening around the man’s throat like a vise.

“Nate,” I say with a calmness I don’t feel.

He flicks his gaze toward me, releasing his hold for a brief moment. The man in his grasp sputters and coughs, gasping for air.

“Let him go, man.”

“Stay out of this, Luke. It’s not your business.”

“It is,” I say. “You are my business. You’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to do something you’re going to regret for the rest of your life.”

Nate falters, loosening his grip further. The man wheezes, attempting to get more air into his lungs. His feet are moving back and forth, his shoes scuffing the floor, trying to find his footing.

“You don’t know what he did to her.”

Did to her?Emory. Fuck. I’m pretty sure if I knew, I would be helping Nate instead of trying to save this guy.

“No, I don’t,” I say, taking a step closer. “But I know she needs you here. Not behind bars.”

Despite the cool evening air, a thin layer of sweat coats my neck. The whisky still warms my blood from the inside, and adrenaline courses through my veins. I do my best to ignore the sounds of Emory whimpering off to my side. I know the second I lock eyes with hers, my resolve will crack, and I’ll finish the job for Nate. But we’re not killers. That’s not who we are.

I take one more step in Nate’s direction and look over to Ashton, who is standing in front of the girls protectively. I get his attention and mouth “get them out” to him. He nods and turns to them, but then I block them out. I need to focus.C’mon Luke. Think.How the fuck do I talk him down?

“Hey Wells,” I say. “It’s just you and me, man.”

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