Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,72

go to Schumer Street,” I said to the driver, then spoke to Callie and Carson. “You guys can stop them if they pass you.”

Callie nodded. “But what about you? Will you be okay on your own?”

Carson agreed. “I can go with you if I need, then Callie can stay with the car?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine on my own.” I had to be.

The car went down the main road and stopped a few blocks out.

Carson hopped out and took Callie’s hand to help her down. He flung the door shut, and the limo sped off. I hadn't seen any police cars yet, but I asked the driver to slow down so he wouldn't draw any suspicion before the time was right.

He dropped me off by the boardwalk to the pier, and I got out of the limo holding the fat marker in my hands. It felt inadequate, small compared to the big weight hanging over my head. How could I protect someone I didn't know was coming from a threat I couldn't yet see?

My eyes darted around the pier, not seeing anyone except for an old fisherman, his line dangling over the railing. There was a couple farther down the beach, sitting on a blanket. It looked like they were having a picnic. It made me think of the first night Ronan had taken me here. When we’d sat together on the sand and he asked me what kind of adventure I would have if I could.

Now I knew the answer.

I was doing things I never imagined possible, facing challenges I hadn't anticipated, and still it didn't feel complete without him.

I wiped away saltwater of my own and started over to the ocean. There was a boat floating in the distance. The Coast Guard. The guy up front stood behind a massive gun, and acid rose in my throat. I'd been worried about Ronan getting caught; I’d never thought about him being hurt.

All I could hear was the sound of the waves and the rush of my pulse through my ears. It was like the time my father, Beth, and I had been in Florida on a business trip when a hurricane struck the shore. We hadn't expected it to come so soon, but our plane couldn't leave, so we were forced to stay in the hotel. Outside our window, palm trees practically snapped under the weight of the gales, and rain smattered against the windows like angry bullets. But I hadn't expected for the silence to come. For a moment, the wind had stalled, the wreckage lay out, clear through the windows.

I had asked my father if it was over, and he’d told me that the worst was yet to come. Right now, I felt like I was in the eye of the hurricane, by myself, with nowhere to go for shelter. Nowhere to shelter my loved ones.

I didn't even know if I was really in the right place or if Beckett had diverted us to protect Ronan’s privacy. Beckett had kept the secret for too long. Maybe it wasn't really out of duty to Ronan, but out of a responsibility to someone else? I hoped Beckett was as honest as he seemed to be before today, but my father had shown me I couldn't trust anyone.

Now I knew I could only count on myself, and my friends—the family I chose.

A police car slowly drove up to the pier parking lot, and I watched the officer inside, sitting, staring. If I hadn’t been on guard, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Just another cop patrolling the area, looking out for drugs and troublemakers.

Knowing what I did, I followed his gaze to an unmarked police car about a half mile down the road. The police were going to surround DP, so they wouldn’t have a next chance to escape.

Blood rushed through my ears even stronger than before. The worst part of the storm was coming. Was I ready for this?

My gaze swung wildly around, looking for anywhere DP could be coming from, hoping I might see Ginger and Ray farther down the pier with a group of friends in black, flying under the radar. But it was just the two of them.

I glanced at an old fishing house near the boardwalk where they used to sell bait and tackle. Was DP hiding in there? Or maybe they were at the boats, the docks farther down?

Suddenly, I heard yelling in the distance and immediately did the only thing