Page 35 of Bad Wolf

I lift the trunk, quickly reaching for my luggage and the engine is roaring to life before I can even shut it.

The car sounds angrier somehow with Knox behind the wheel. Maybe it sympathizes with him, or maybe it’s Knox projecting, but he tears out of that spot and out of the facility in a tornado of dust and gravel.

“What’s going on, Case?” Jason asks, looking between the two of us.

Casey sighs and I turn in on myself.

What the hell did I expect? For him to be happy about seeing me? For Knox to be happy I was the one to deliver the car?

Instead, all I got was a blank expression. A few terse words.

No fire. Just…nothing.

“Come on, Wren. Let’s get you back to my place.”

“I’m coming too,” Jason insists.

The little crowd follows us over to where the majority of the cars are parked and get into a truck that’s next to Casey’s flashy Range Rover.

Now that Knox isn’t standing in front of me, I’m able to take the rest in. They’re all teammates and I recognize them from the night at the club.

I get a chin lift from the one who I know as Knight. The goalie and the overly friendly one wave and the other smiles kindly.

“See ya around,” one of them says, and I send a tight, though polite smile their way.

Casey takes my bags, so I get in the back of his SUV and Jason eyes me cautiously.

“How ya been, Nerd?” I say, breaking the ice.

“Fuck, not you too,” he says with a groan, pulling a tiny smile from me. He’s all grown up now, that’s for damn sure, and built like a bear too.

Casey gets in and scrubs his guilt-ridden face with his hands. I feel the need to ease some of his remorse and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. It’s okay. I wasn’t exactly expecting a welcome home banner.”

Yeah, but,” he says through his hands, “I didn’t think…Fuck what am I even saying? This is exactly what I expected.”

“Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Jason states the obvious while Casey turns on the ignition and pilots us out and onto the road.

The journey is quiet, probably because we’re all stuck in our heads. Casey is obviously wondering if he’s done the right thing, I’m questioning why the hell I thought this was a good idea, and I think Jason is probably a step ahead of us all.

When I told you I could soak up knowledge like a sponge, well this kid’s on another level.

I don’t even realize we’ve come to a stop until I hear their doors open. I take another deep breath and open mine too. I can’t sit in here all day and I need to start concocting some sort of plan.

My tongue lodges in my throat when a blond kid comes hurtling towards us. There’s absolutely no mistaking who it is.

“Jackie?” I choke out.

He comes to a stop and blinks up at me. “Yeah, hi. Who are you?”

Jason, sensing my inner turmoil, takes his focus and they start roughhousing all the way back into the house, leaving a trail of squeals and giggles behind him.

Of course he doesn’t remember me. He was just a baby when Knox and I broke up, not even two I don’t think.

That’s when it hits all at once. The floodgates open and tears cascade over my cheeks.

“I missed it all didn’t I?” I sob out loud when Coralie comes into view.

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