EVIL QUEEN - Rebel Hart Page 0,78

“Yeah, we both got guns and licenses to carry them.”

I looked over at Nikita. “Great. Looks like I’m slow on the uptake.”

“Hey, at least everyone is super prepared,” Nikita replied.

Kyle came walking back to the table without Brayden, looking particularly dejected. “Nope. He’s not here, and his car is gone.”

“Shit,” I said. “I really hope he’s not mixed up with my dad. He has no idea what mess he’s getting into if he is.”

“Your dad wouldn’t kill him, right, Nathan?” Kyle asked with honest fear in his voice.

Maybe Kyle did have feelings for Brayden. I was caught between not wanting to upset him any further and wanting to be honest. “Uh, as long as he does what he is told, he should be fine. My dad knows how to use a good tool until it’s useless.”

“What if Brayden is supposed to spy on all of us and tell these goons the best time for a snatch and grab?” Colette mused.

“I really don’t think he’d do that,” I said. “Brayden may have felt like an outsider, but he still cared about us. If he’s caught up with my dad, I don’t think it’s willingly.”

There was an air of tension at the table. It seemed like no one believed me, and I couldn’t blame them, but I had faith in Brayden. The Royal Court meant everything to him. He wouldn’t risk everything like that. I believed that from the bottom of my heart.

We spent the next hour or so enjoying a little bit more of the food and drink, and we all made our trips out to the dance floor once more, but we were all tense. Everyone made their own attempts to track down Brayden to ask him to come back to the party, but he wasn’t answering anyone’s calls or texts, just like when he disappeared last time.

I kept a close eye on Cherri and Sicily, and fortunately, Sicily always seemed to have the two men clocked. They didn’t move much, only occasionally shifting to the left or right when the rotation of people on the dance floor and at the tables obstructed their view of us. Jaxon was right. They were not being subtle about watching us. If and when we decided to leave, we were going to need to go as a group, and it was going to have to be fast. I was already considering inviting everyone to my house so that we could all stay together, but Avery’s words rang true in my mind. I didn’t want to live in fear of these men forever. They would only know where to find us for another few weeks. We’d graduate soon, and tracking us would get considerably more difficult for the goons.

I was hoping everything was sorted out by then. I didn’t want my friends’ anxiety to drag on into our last summer together before we all went our separate ways for whatever we had planned for the next legs of our journeys.

“Maybe we should all go,” Nikita said, reading my mind. “We’re not having any fun here with these guys stressing us out.”

Colette frowned. “Senior prom ending with a bang.”

It was just another thing my family’s drama was costing my friends. Thanks to me, their entire senior year had been ruined. They would never get another chance to fall in love with their high school sweethearts or dance at their senior prom. Hell, even graduation was going to be ruined at this point.

“You guys, I’m—”

Alistair slapped the table. “Yes!” He showed his phone to Avery. “Check that out, baby. Nine-thirty-two. You owe me dinner.”

“Goddammit, Nathan,” Avery hissed. “You couldn’t have gotten self-reflective five minutes ago?”

“Um. What?” I asked, shocked.

“As soon as everything took a turn, Avery texted me, betting me that you’d apologize to the group before nine-thirty. I said you’d wait until a little after,” Alistair explained.

“You meant like ten o’clock,” Avery said.

“Hey, a little is a little,” Alistair quipped back. “I will take Pork Rolls tomorrow.”

Avery fake gagged. “Oh my god. Even the tables there are deep-fried.”

“Yep. That’s what I want.”

“Am I missing something? Why is that worth betting on?” I asked.

Avery smiled. “Because you’re still so convinced that everything is your fault and that you owe us the world and that you’re carrying everything on your shoulders. We could have left, you know? We’re still here. You said it yourself. We have to stick together.”

“Yeah. If you guys hadn’t hitched your horses to my wagon—”

“Yeah, but we did,” Kyle said. “None of us