Page 47 of The Demons We Hide

The second Lex’s tinted SUV pulls up outside of Roquel’s house, I hop in the backseat and yank the door shut. “Heat,” I bark. “Now.” I toss my duffle and backpack behind the seat and shiver as Lex smirks back at me, leaning forward to crank the heater up.

Next to me, Gio smiles as he hands me a to-go cup of what I pray is steamy hot coffee. “Cold?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.

Cupping the to-go cup between my frostbitten hands, I shudder as a wave of warmth steals across my near frozen limbs. The temperatures were no longer full-on fall, but creeping into winter territory, and another shudder works through me as I lean over and breathe in the scent of fresh coffee coming from the slit in the cup’s lid.

“What the hell?” Nolan turns around in the passenger seat in front of me and looks back at me, taking in my chapped fingers and rosy cheeks. “How long were you waiting outside?”

Roquel had warned me that her parents might come sometime in the night and she’d been right. Unfortunately, that meant I’d had to sneak out of her room to avoid them spotting me the same way Gio had, and I’d been standing on the street for the last hour, waiting for them since I had nowhere else to go.

I grimace instead of answering and take a long, slow sip of the liquid in the cup. A moan nearly bubbles up my throat as the heat seeps through my limbs. My shaking grows worse for a few moments as Lex pulls away from the curb and then, finally, after a few minutes settles.

“Here.” Gio reaches over the seat and pulls free a blanket that he unfolds and settles on my lap.

I sink back into the car seat and sigh. “Thanks.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Nolan reminds me.

My upper lip curls back from my teeth and I offer him a narrow-eyed glare. “Then take the hint,” I say. “I’m not going to.”

He frowns at me, but when Lex nudges him, he turns back around. Gio snorts. “Way to not make shit awkward, Prep Girl.”

I’d flip him the bird, but I’m pretty sure if I try to pry my fingers off the heat of the cup, they’ll fall off. So, I settle for a bland stare in his direction. He merely smirks and after a few beats, turns to watch the neighborhood fly by out his own window. I do the same.

Lex drives us out of Roquel’s neighborhood and then further, out of Silverwood. After about an hour, I realize that I never actually asked Gio where they were taking me or why. Peering at him out of the corner of my eye, I finish the last of the coffee. Once it’s gone and I no longer feel like a piece of ice, I look around for where to put the now empty cup.

“Here.” I jump as Nolan leans back and offers me a grocery bag. Looking into it, I find that they’ve already collected a bit of trash, and I dump the cup inside gratefully.

“Thanks,” I murmur, sitting back.

“No problem.”

Silence stretches on as he turns back in his seat, the trash bag disappearing up front with him. When the second hour passes and the only sound is the soft rock music from the radio, I give up on waiting for one of them to give me information without prompting.

“Where are we going?” I finally ask.

Lex’s eyes flick up to meet mine in the rearview mirror. “Eastpoint,” he says.

Eastpoint? I frown. “The city or the college?”

His eyes go to the man next to him and this time, Nolan responds, turning around to face me. “Both,” he admits. “We need to go to Eastpoint and figured we could tour the college while we’re there. Have you ever been?”

I shrug. “Once or twice,” I say. “My dad used to go to Eastpoint. I went with him for a reunion or something. I…” My words drift off as I clutch at the blanket over my lap. “That was my plan after graduation—to go there.”

Wasmy plan. Now, my only plan is to ensure I graduate at all.

“Ours too,” Gio says, surprising me. When I whirl to gape at him, he merely smiles in return. “Why so shocked?” he asks. “Didn’t think we had plans after high school? Or maybe you don’t think we’re smart enough for Eastpoint.”

“No!” Is that what they think? “No, it’s just—it’s an expensive university. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go now either.”

“They have a program for underprivileged students who have special skills,” Nolan says.

I arch an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What’s your special skill? Pissing me off?”

His snort makes all the tension in my shoulders relax. I’m still mad at him. I still don’t trust him. I can’t let myself—not again—but it’s nice to forget about my thoughts of revenge and anger for a little while.

Lex grins at Nolan and shakes his head, the black locks of hair he has pulled back away from his face making his sharp jaw all the more eye catching. “She’s got a point,” he tells him. “You’re damn good at that.”

Gio groans and stretches, his arms going out in front of him as he cracks his neck to the side. “Ugh.” He grimaces. “I’m getting hungry, any way we could pull over for a quick break and grab some food?”

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