Page 35 of Wicked Deceit
Ugh. Jackass. If he only knew.
“Get in the car, Bodhi,” Callie sings. “And goodbye, boys. I’ll see you two on Thursday.” She points to Seger and Zepp, who nod their acknowledgment and wave a hand in my direction.
Their faces fall when they realize they won’t be able to kiss me goodbye. But we’ll see each other again in a few days over Thanksgiving dinner and then after. My mother already gave them the okay to spend the night—in separate beds—so they wouldn’t have to make the drive back after a big dinner.
My siblings jump into Bodhi’s car, and relief slams into me. This is such a mess. I know my brother and dad will eventually find out I’m in a five-way relationship, but I’d rather it not be right now. Give it a few years until I’m an adult living on my own. Then I could take their disapproving faces. At least my mom and sister know, and hopefully, they haven’t spilled the beans. But knowing my mom and her big mouth, my overprotective father already knows every single thing about our relationship. Hurray! Thanksgiving dinner will be another level of shit-show.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you soon,” I say with sadness in my voice, staring at the twins and Carter with longing. I wish I could march over there and kiss them like I did Chase and give them a proper goodbye.
“Wednesday, to be exact,” Zepp says with a sharp nod.
“And are you going to explain what we’re doing?” I ask, raising a brow.
Carter snorts. “Yeah, I don’t fucking know if we should tell you this time.” And then he sighs, running a hand down his face. “I’m coming to pick you up on Wednesday morning. My dad will be out of the office, and I need your help getting into his computer. Hopefully, we’ll set the last fucking disc in and get some more insight into what he’s doing.”
“Just us?” I ask, looking at Seger and Zepp.
“Just us, Sweetheart,” Carter murmurs. “I won alone time with you, remember?” He adds with a wink and saunters away toward his vehicle with an extra pep in his step. It’s almost as if he has something planned for his special time with me.
“Okay, I’ll see you then." Carter nods at my words and gets into his SUV. His car roars to life and then leaves us in the dust.
“See you guys on Thursday. Get ready to be investigated like criminals,” I grumble with a roll of my eyes.
“It’ll be fine, Angel,” Seger says with a grin.
“We’ll be fine, Baby Girl,” Zepp says, shoving his phone in his pocket. “No worries.”
I wave to them as they get into Seger’s Porsche and drive off, leaving me standing alone in the empty parking lot. My brother honks the horn, knocking me out of my damn thoughts, and I swiftly flip him off while he barks out a laugh at my jumpy reaction. Fucker. Finally, I climb into the car and settle into the backseat after putting my bags into the trunk.
Bodhi turns in his seat, looking me up and down with suspicion. “Those are your new friends?” He asks, raising a suspicious brow.
A blush heats the back of my neck and spreads toward my cheeks, but before I can defend my damn honor, my phone beeps in my lap. Bodhi yaps on in the front seat as I read over Carter’s words, quickly tuning out my brother.
Grumpy: Me and you. Wednesday. I'm picking you up.
Me: Grumpy…….
Grumpy: Be fucking ready for me bright and early, Vixen.
Me: Fine….
Carter’sfingerstightenaroundthe steering wheel, cracking under the pressure when he maneuvers the large SUV through the crazy turns. My stomach turns when we round a sharp curve, riding the white line. My body shifts closer to the window with every swerve, and I swear I'm ten seconds away from jumping out the window and taking my chances on the side of the road. Would road rash hurt that bad? Probably. But it'd be better than dying at the hands of my crazy boyfriend's driving skills. Seriously. What the hell? The weeds outside look inviting, and they’d probably cushion my fall, too.
I scowl in his direction, taking in the deep frown lines marring his gorgeous face. Dark freckles pop over the bridge of his nose, trailing a line over his cheeks, and disappear into his hairline. Have I ever noticed how many there are before? Have I taken the time to count them one by one with the tips of my fingers? I sigh away the distraction my mind is trying to fascinate me with. Maybe it's the stress of what we're about to do. Or maybe it's the fact Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and Seger and Zepp are coming to dinner with my entire family. My. Entire. Family. Like the first meeting with my brother in the parking lot went swimmingly… Not. Dinner will be the epitome of torturous Hell with a cherry on top for good measure. My brother already promised all kinds of bullshit with threatening promises. Hell, when Carter came and got me for this adventure, my brother eyed him the whole time with suspicion. Just, fuck my life, seriously.
Something big is nagging at Carter and making him curl his fingers tighter around the steering wheel, quickening our speed to eighty-seven. Shit! I’m going to die in this tomb he calls a vehicle, and no one will find us in the depths of the sea below. This is my crash a few weeks ago, all over again. I eye his foot as he brakes for a turn, and thankfully the car complies. But God, my heart pounds against my ribs, and sweat wets my palms when I dig my fingernails into the supple leather. The sound of my nails scratching against the surface fills the quiet vehicle. Once again, I assumed he'd blare some sort of screamo, rock type of music as we make our way to cause chaos. And, I was proven wrong. Hence the stifling silence filling the air.
I squeak when he takes another sharp turn, forcing my body into the door once again. My seatbelt tightens across my chest and squeezes me to the seat. I've held my tongue for the past two hours since he picked me up at my parent's house, and took off like a fucking psycho stealing a car, and jumped on the curvy highway. He shifts again, throwing me back towards him, and I can't pretend I feel normal anymore. Every turn he makes, every time he puts the pedal to the metal, my heart flutters in my chest. And not the good kind of flutter either. It's the ‘I'm about to shit my pants because Carter is driving like a maniac, getting us to our destination a whole hour earlier than he should have’ kind of driving.
“Carter,” I gasp out, clutching onto the oh-shit bar above my head.
I heave out a breath when the car slows to a more acceptable speed, and he leans back in his seat. Unpeeling his fingers from around the steering wheel he was intent on choking, he focuses on me. Again, so not safe, but I'm thankful to be in our lane and going the speed limit. It's an improvement. And that’s all I can ask for.
“Fuck. Shit! Sorry, Sweetheart.” His palm bounces off the steering wheel in frustration before smoothing down his out-of-control blonde hair. He peers over at me, setting his hand on my thigh, and gives it a small squeeze. My hand finds its way, resting on top of his for comfort.
Like any other time I’m around the boys and touching them, a calmness takes over my entire body, and my muscles finally unbunch from the stress of his driving. Remind me to never step into a vehicle with him when he's worried—or maybe ever again. I mean, in a getaway situation, this would be ideal. We could rob a bank, and then we’d get away from the cops chasing us. But no one is chasing us right now, well, except for his demons, or whatever is eating away at him.
"It's okay, Grumpy," I mumble, tapping his hand.
