to be leaving town no later than six forty. Be ready to go by six thirty.” Tommy obviously understood female time.
“Yes, sir!” Grace said, mocking him with a half-hearted salute.
Tommy smirked. “At least you got my name right.”
When the bell rang after sixth period, a frisson of fear crept along Grace’s skin at the thought of running the gauntlet to her car, making the tiny hairs on her arms and nape of her neck rise. Ever since the Shadow Hounds had prowled the school parking lot, she’d feared their return. She knew Quentin was somewhere watching, so being afraid was stupid. Since finding out Quentin had lied to her too, she’d refused to talk to him. But he followed her to and from school anyway, sticking to her like her crappy mood. She wanted him to leave her alone, except that after school was the most likely time they might come back.
She took a minute to grab the books she needed for her weekend homework, glancing at the locker next to hers—Amanda’s—and realized she hadn’t seen her in school since Monday. Mentally she made a note to call her sometime over the weekend. Grace hoped her absence didn’t have anything to do with Mr. Peters.
The air outside was torrid and suffocating again. She wished the warm front would move somewhere else already. For the hundredth time in the last couple of weeks, she considered putting air-conditioning in the Shelby and once again, ixnayed the idea. She still couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her loyalty to her grandfather annoyed her. Why couldn’t she just put the darn air-conditioning in the stupid car?
Because.
Because deep down she wanted to believe all of his secrets and lies were for her own good. She didn’t have the heart to change anything that remotely reminded her of him, including what was now her house. An ache settled in the center of her chest at the mere thought of redecorating. She purposefully put the thought way on the back burner of her mind.
As she stood next to the driver’s side door of her car, she spotted Quentin’s Jag parked across the street. His hand hovered above the partially rolled-down window before hesitantly waving. She got into her car, pretending not to see him, and drove away.
“You’re not going with me, Quentin,” Grace lashed out in protest.
“You can be mad at me all you want, but I’m going.”
“So what, you’re going to be parked outside all night like you do all day at school?” she said with her hands on her hips.
Her eyes narrowed to slits, Grace watched as Quentin ran a hand through his wild black hair, pushing it with irritation away from his eyes, while the other hand loosely held the area just below his hip. “I will if I have to.” His bunched muscles loosened as he widened his stance. He seemed desperate. She didn’t care. “Damn it, Grace.” His words came out in a hushed plea. “You have to let me protect you. I understand you’re mad at me—”
“Do you?”
He ignored her interruption. “I understand why you’re mad at me. I’m hoping you’ll forgive me and trust me again, but until then, all I’m going to be is your annoying sidekick. Because I’m not. Going. Anywhere.”
“Fine,” she yelled, marching out of the foyer. Halfway up the staircase, she shouted down to him without stopping, “I have to get ready. My ride will be here in ten minutes.”
“I’ll be ready to go too,” he shouted back up to her.
With a “humph,” she slammed her bedroom door.
Twenty minutes later, Grace was thankful to be in the backseat of Tommy’s car. Relieved, she laid her head against the back of the seat. Her bones slowly settled and her muscles relaxed as her body pressed into the upholstery. She could finally pull in enough air to expand her lungs. Grace watched the colors of Utah pass by while she stared out the window.
It wasn’t until they were on the on-ramp of the highway when Grace realized Leah was bouncing nervously. “Are you alright?” Grace leaned over, speaking loud enough for only Leah to hear. Leah’s attention stayed on the window, her stilled foot the only clue she heard Grace when it stopped wagging. Smiling absently, she offered an “Mm-hmm,” and went back to flapping the sandal from the toe of her right foot, which was crossed over her knee. She knew Leah was only nervous because Brian was going to be there. Let’s hope the night will