I move back from him. “I can’t do it anymore, Nate. I need you to walk out of here and forget you ever met me. We need to stop this now before it’s too late.”
“What are you talking about?”
I take two steps back to him, pressing a hard kiss to his lips, letting new tears fall from my face. Then I pull back.
“As much as I hate to say it, I’m done. Goodbye Nate.”
Then I turn to leave the room. Before the door shuts behind me, I don’t miss his soft words.
“It’s already too late.”
-
The ride home is as silent as the ride there. Jacob must be able to tell I’m not up for chit-chat. He knew who would be at that house. It’s obvious that he’s been helping Willow get to me. My only question is why.
I’m too scared to ask him, though. I’m being watched, she said. I already felt like it, but now it feels more serious.
Who could it be?
Could Jacob be a double agent as well? Maybe it’s Loraine. Or is it a stranger?
My mind runs through the possibilities looking for clues. What did I miss that Rocky’s guys didn’t?
Before I know it, we pull up to the house. My eyes widen when I see a nervous-looking Katie sitting on the porch.
I slide out, making my way to her.
“What’s wrong?”
She lets out a sigh, coming to hug me. “You were missing. No one could get a hold of you. We were worried.”
“Jacob took me to visit an old friend. Did something happen?”
She looks over my shoulder at Jacob, who has paused behind me.
I turn to him. “Do you think you can go get my phone for me?”
He nods, making his way past me.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, Katie hisses in my ear, “We have a job today. Like in two hours. When Tiffany couldn’t get ahold of you, I offered to come get you. Where were you?”
“I told you. Jacob took me to see an old friend. He was trying to do something nice, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I don’t talk to them bitches anymore for a reason. So we went, and I pretended to be happy and let him bring me home.”
Jacob pops his head back out of the door, holding out my phone.
“Thanks,” I tell him as I take it.
Katie wasn’t kidding. I had multiple texts from every girl on the cheerleading team.
Thankfully absent is a text from my blackmailer.
“Don’t look so relieved, Hailee,” Katie murmurs.
“What?”
“It’s not a coincidence that the day you run off to see an old friend that they call us in for a job. It’s been a while since we’ve had to do a job in the middle of the day on a Saturday. They are always watching us. Every step we take. You need to be more careful. I don’t know what you were really doing, but I’m sure whoever they are, they know.”
I swallow hard. I hope not. If they do, then I’m fucked.
