Page 186 of Tag

Dad gave a single nod, his gaze still on me. “You alright?”

That was code for him asking if I was holding it together. I met his stare and let a slow grin pull at my mouth. “I’m great. After tonight? I’ll be even better.”

The office door swung open. My mom stepped in like wearing dark jeans, a fitted black jacket, and with effortless poise in her red-bottom heels.

“Would it kill you to knock, Tiff?”

She stopped and planted her hands on her hips. “Whose house is this, Billy?”

He sighed, long-suffering and theatrical, but the corner of his mouth twitched. “Yours.”

“Exactly,” she said sweetly. “I’ll take both doors off their damn hinges next time.” She turned to us, her smile wide and warm. “My babies. You two ready for your night out?”

Cade pushed off the desk. “Been waiting all day.”

“Well, then let’s not keep them waiting any longer,” she said to Dad, clapping her hands once. “We need to be on our way too if we want to make it in time to meet Frankie and Esther.”

Dad stood, smoothing his varsity jacket like it were one of his suits. “Alright. Let’s head out.”

We walked back through the house together. Once outside, Dad armed the security system, the soft beep echoing into the still night. My truck was still running. Next to it was the vehicle that had been acquired earlier that afternoon after we had filled our parents in on a few things.

Cade slowed. “I wanted to ask earlier, but is that a classic?”

Dad shot him with a glare over his shoulder. “Jesus Christ, Cade. Do you have to make me feel ancient every chance you get? It’s a PT Cruiser, not a damn relic.”

“In our defense, it’s the first time either of us has seen one in the wild. You sure it won’t stand out too much?”

“Where you’re heading, it won’t,” he muttered, fumbling with the keys and mumbling something about kids with no sense of humble bearings, which was rich, considering the kind of cars he drove every day. We weren’t the flashiest family in Hemlock Heights. We had money. More than most. We didn’t shove it in people’s faces.

It was like when I told Sassy I’d take care of her. She brushed it off again, but she’d find out soon enough how serious I was. In a few weeks, when she walked outside and found her Acura replaced with that sleek black beauty I had customized for her, the one she kept pinning to her secret Pinterest board, she’d flip.

I nearly smiled at the thought.

She’d probably cuss me out in a rare show. I’d let her throw her little fit and try not to smile while she did it. Sass was fucking gorgeous when she was riled up. She wouldn’t stay mad for long. I knew exactly how to make it better.

Dad slipped an arm around Mom as they walked us toward the truck. “Have fun. Send the right text when it’s done.”

Mom rose on her toes, kissing each of our cheeks like we were heading off to war. “Be careful,” she murmured. “And don’t forget to call if—”

“We got it, Mom,” I said, softer than I’d been all night.

“Love you both,” she added before she and Dad climbed into my ride.

Cade and I turned back to the PT Cruiser, both staring at it.

My brother’s eyes lit up. “Can I drive?”

“All yours.”

He grinned and slid into the driver’s seat with way too much enthusiasm for such an unholy vehicle. I circled around, dropped into the passenger seat, and shut the door as he adjusted the mirrors.

I reached for my phone, pulled up the GPS, and tilted it toward Cade. “No built-in nav.”

“And no Bluetooth. Damn. You know how long it's been since I used a radio?”

We rolled out, the Cruiser whining in protest as we glided through curved roads of our neighborhood. If someone caught sight of this car, Uncle B would be getting a call at his station. We passed by darkened windows. Perfect lawns. Houses built to keep secrets buried and whispers confined to their gated cul-de-sacs.

Nick’s place was a few streets down. I knew his mom’s sedan would be parked in its usual spot. Rook’s house was half-fortress, with all sharp angles and black iron fencing. Ari’s place came next, her parents’ modest luxury cars glinting under the motion lights. Cloe’s house was slick and modern—glass, steel, and more polished lies than the others. Whatever her dad did on that secret level of his, no one asked. Roxxi’s estate loomed at the top of a hill, regal and untouchable, like she ruled the rest of us from that castle with a click of her manicured nails.

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