Page 13 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

Chapter 8

Eli

Lowering the gate of the pickup, I dragged the ramp out from the back and positioned it near the back wheel of my bike.

I grinned at all the mud spread through the tray. It was going to take some extra time to clean it all up, but it’d been worth it. So had spraying it all over Jordan’s face when I left him behind at the race track.

Jumping up, I untethered the bike and eased her down the ramp, ready to give her a good wash down.

“Looks like someone had a good time.”

I looked up to see Noah striding down the path toward me. Putting the stand down on the bike, I clasped his hand and thumped him on the back. “Hey, little brother. How are you doing?”

“Awesome, man,” he said, giving me a wink. “I think I’ve finally convinced Kaeli to move in with me.”

“Took you long enough,” I teased, but I was genuinely happy for him. He’d earned everything good after all the crap he’d gone through undercover.

He beamed. “I know, right? I was starting to doubt my charm.” He looked over at the bike, his eyebrows rising as he took in the amount of mud. “You need a hand?”

I gave him a dry look. “Like I’d say no.”

Patting me on the shoulder, he strode to the hose and turned the tap. “How’s things been at school?” he asked, unwinding the coils.

“Fucking hard, but I’m getting there. Happy for exams to be over,” I said, feeling the relief inside me.

Pulling the trigger, he aimed the spray of water at the back wheel and started washing it down, but after a minute, he paused, his gaze meeting mine with a serious edge. “Zac Schuler,” he said. “You know him?”

I frowned. I already didn’t like where this was going. Wyatt was the last person I wanted to think about, and if Zac was the topic of conversation, then Wyatt wouldn’t be too far away. “I do.” Giving him a sharp look, I prepared myself. “Why do you want to know?”

He watched me for a little while, his gaze intent and assessing. “This is confidential, all right?”

I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to get involved in what he had to say. I already didn’t like the guy. I didn’t need any more reasons not to. But Noah obviously needed to have this talk with me, whatever the reason was, so I inhaled, and gave him a swift nod. “All right.”

He sighed heavily before rubbing his hand over his chin. “He was seen making an exchange with a known dealer the day before yesterday.”

I kept my mouth shut as I watched him talk. As much as I didn’t like Zac, it wasn’t uncommon for some of the students to take a little

something to get them through all the exams and assignments.

Shifting on my feet, I cocked my head to the side a little to let him know I was listening. “Do you know if he definitely bought anything?”

He conceded with a slight shake of his head. “No. Nothing has been confirmed yet. Walt wanted to watch the dealer for a bit longer.”

His jaw tightened as he spoke, making me think he wasn’t too happy about this. “What’s the guy known to sell?” I asked, intrigue sparking.

Noah’s gaze darkened. “Ecstasy. GHB.”

My eyes narrowed. “GHB?” Understanding was starting to dawn on me. “You think that’s what he bought.”

His expression immediately started to close up. “I don’t know what I think just yet.”

“Fuck off,” I said, turning away from him a little as I scuffed my boot in the dirt. “Don’t give me that shit, Noah. I know you. You think Zac bought a potential date rape drug, and it pisses you off that you might not be able to bring him down before he does anything with it.”

My brain instantly started searching for what I knew about Zac. He didn’t particularly strike me as a dude hard up for girls to offer their services to him, so if he was buying GHB, it had to have been for his own usage.

Noah huffed. “I’m not jumping to any conclusions, Eli. I just want to make sure he’s watched. Just in case.”

My eyebrow snaked upward. “You don’t want me to watch him, do you?” I couldn’t think of anything worse.

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