Page 60 of The Demons We Hide

"What is it?"

Nolan inhales and then releases his breath on a sigh. "We wanted to discuss this last night," he starts, "but we need to ask."

My gaze jumps between them. "Ask me what?"

"Where are we dropping you off?"

My heart thunders against my ribcage. Do they know? They can't know ... can they? "What do you mean?" I hedge. "You can just drop me off at Roquel's."God, when did I become such a liar?

Nolan's expression darkens and his hands clench into fists in his lap. "Yeah? You're still going to stay with her now that her parents are home?"

I shrug, forcing my muscles to release as I turn to look back out the window. All the while, my mind races. "Sure, why not?"

Silence, and then Lex speaks. "Baby..." I almost flinch. Almost let that tone of his and the softness with which he speaks get to me.

"I'd like it if you could come back to my place," Nolan says.

I snort. "I just bet you would."

"Juliet."

"What?" I snap, turning back to face him again. "What do you want from me, Nolan?"

Danger swirls in the darker parts of Nolan's irises, the burned crimson brown of his eyes turning to ash as he battles with whatever he wants to say and what he probably knows will push me away. In the end, I don't know which part of him wins because Lex speaks again.

"We know you made a deal with Gio," Lex says.

"He's out of wishes," I reply immediately, "so don't think you can use that to get me to do what you want."

"No, no, that's not what—" Lex curses and then tries to reach back. I shrink against the seat, glaring at him. He's not on my side. None of them are. He lets his arm drop over the back of the passenger seat instead of forcing the issue, though his lips twist with hurt. My chest aches and I can feel the air in my lungs force its way up and out of my throat. Did Gio turn off the air? Why does it feel so hot all of a sudden?

"We know it needs to be your choice, Jules," Gio murmurs, catching my attention before I can swing it towards the old dials that control the airflow in the vehicle.

That makes me stop. I suck in a breath. "What... exactly are you asking me?" Surely, it's not to come back to them like nothing happened. I can't—won't—do that.

But what if they really had nothing to do with the fire?That voice penetrates my mind again, reminding me that I could be wrong about them. They didn't have to bring me to Eastpoint with them, but they had. I'd been given an out and even now, it's not like they're the ones forcing me to make a decision. Life is. My fucked-up circumstances are. Not them.

"We want you to be safe," Nolan says.

"I can take care of myself." Even as I say the words, they sound hollow to my own ears. Icantake care of myself. I've proved that again and again over the last few months, but ... I'm fucking tired. Just for a little while, it was nice having someone in my corner. Havingthemin my corner.

"We know you can, baby," Lex agrees. "But there are things you need to know."

"What?" My brow puckers and I look at Lex, narrowing my gaze. "What does that mean?"

The SUV fills with silence. The tension winds tighter and tighter until I swear I'm about to break in half. "What don't I know?" Each word is tinged with razor-sharp anger. Inside, I'm screaming. Not again. No more lies. No more betrayals. I can't do it again.

"The guys that jumped Gio," Nolan starts. "They didn't rob him, and it wasn't because of what we do outside of ... um... it wasn't because of his father."

"It wasn't?" It's pretty common knowledge that Darrio Vargas is a shady character. It'd never occurred to me that Gio's attackers could have jumped him for any other reason. If anything, it'd been proof that I should stay away from the three of them because they're bad news. I face forward, eyeing the rearview until Gio's gaze flicks up to meet mine.

"Before I passed out, one of them told me that I needed to stay away from you," Gio confesses. "They warned me to leave you be or else."

Shock silences me.Me? The attack was because of me?I shake my head. "That doesn't make any sense..." Except, maybe it does. In Silverwood, I'm the pariah. Unwanted. I could be a leper for the way people go out of their way to avoid me or worse, considering that they still pile the shit on, especially at school.

Scrubbing a hand down my face, I groan. "What does that even mean? Why would someone attack you because ofme?"

"We don't know," Nolan says and it's immediately followed by Lex's, "yet."

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