“Had us nearly tricked, til we heard you showed up at his party and then our guy went missin.’ My boss Johnny Jack needed to know what was worth killing one of his men for,” he looked me up and down. “Now we know. You tell those boys that we know about you, and we know what they took, and my boss ain’t happy.”
I swallowed hard, my heartbeat blaring in my ears. Off to the distance, I could have sworn I heard another person approaching, but I couldn't see them when I turned to look.
"Bye, Scarlett Livingston. You tell those boys what I said now, you hear?"
Dean O’Banion let go of me and walked away, leaving me alone on the train tracks. I watched him retreat, my body trembling from fear and adrenaline.
What the fuck just happened?
That man knew. He knew that the guys had killed someone, and he knew my name.
My heart raced, and it felt like my feet were stuck to the ground, too scared to move. Oddly, I felt more fear now, than I did when I saw Rogue murder a man. It was like my intuition was trying to warn me where the real danger was.
Once O’Banion was out of sight, I sucked in a deep breath, and then I ran. I ran so hard my skirt billowed up with each step. I pounded my shoes into the concrete as I fled past shops and restaurants and curious people. Me feel ached, my backpack bounced against my back, but I ran until my lungs felt like they were going to burst. I needed answers, but most of all, I needed to feel safe again. So I went to the only place that could give me both of those things.
I went to Rogue's house.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rogue
Last period ended, and I gathered my shit to leave. Mr. Davidson wouldn’t meet my eye as I passed. I was pretty sure the fucker pissed his Chinos every time he had to teach a class with me in it. But that might have something to do with the time I caught him looking down Scarlett’s shirt when she was bent over his desk, picking up her papers. I stayed after class that day and reminded him that it would be in his best interest to keep his eyes where they belonged, or I’d have someone remove them. He didn’t look at Scarlett anymore.
As I was walking out of class, I got a text message, and I instantly tensed up when I read the words on the screen. “Fuck.”
“What?”
I looked over to see Bonham come up behind me, forcing people to walk around him as they tried to spill out of the classroom.
“It’s Jeff. Said Scarlett didn’t make it to last period.”
Bonham cursed under his breath. “And he’s just now telling us?”
I read more of the text. “Said he was trying to let us know, but Ms. Bitch snatched his cell before he could send it off.”
I quickly sent her a text. She didn’t reply. I tried calling her next, but it went straight to voicemail.
Bonham ran a palm over his head. “She was in fifth period. Luis was in there with her.”
I nodded. “Which means she cut out right after.”
“Did she catch a ride with her driver? Maybe she just went home.”
I was already ahead of him. I raised the phone to my ear, listening as it rang. “Hello?”
“You pick Scarlett up early?” I asked.
Scarlett’s driver paused on the other end. “No, sir. I’m waiting in the school parking lot to take her to dance.”
I cursed again, shaking my head no for Bonham’s benefit. As soon as I did, his expression turned worried, and he pulled out his phone, no doubt to text the other guys and get them to meet us here.
“Drive to the dance studio and see if she’s there, will you?”
“Of course, sir.”
I hung up the phone and started texting a couple of my contacts, putting the word out that I was looking for her. I had to be careful. The number of people I could trust these days was few and far between.
Pretty soon, Luis and Godfrey strode up, and based on their expressions, I knew that Bonham had already filled them in. Scarlett might’ve thought that she would just be pissing us off by ditching early, but there was way more going on here than she knew.