the other side of the door.
Stone moves my back to the door, crowding into my space like he did at the party. He sniffs the air, and his demeanor turns even more sour. “You smell like cheap beer now.”
I try to push him off, but he doesn’t budge. “Get away from me.”
“Mmm, nice try. You’re finally ours, and I’m not backing away.” The handle on the door tries to turn, and a guttural noise comes from the back of Stone’s throat. “If you open this door, I won’t just maim you, I’ll kick your ass for thinking you can put your hands on what’s mine. Do you understand me, fuck boy?”
“Fuck boy...” It takes a moment but then a laugh erupts on the other side of the door. Todd is well and truly obliterated.
I glance behind Stone to find Lucas and Wyatt standing there. It’s Wyatt’s turn to look bored, but Lucas is frowning.
Stone moves my chin, so I look him in the face again. “You were going to get down with that?”
This time, I really do shove him off. “Fuck you,” I growl. “In case you didn’t hear, I don’t have a place to stay now because of you three fuckers. I wasn’t going to fuck him. I was going to ask if I could spend the night.”
Stone tightens his grip. “Do you know what ‘spend the night’ is code for in fuck boys like Todd’s eyes? It means you’re down to fuck. He’s drunk as shit. He outweighs you by seventy-five pounds or more, do you really think you want to go down that route, Wilder? All he has to say is that you said yes.”
My throat burns. Embarrassment creeps to my cheeks in a wildfire of scorching shame and fury. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t think of that first or if I’m pissed because he thinks I can’t handle my own shit.
“You’re too innocent,” Stone says. His words are nice, but he says it like a curse.
Indignation clogs my throat. Stone doesn’t know me at all. I’d wager no one does. “Not that innocent,” I bite out, pushing past him.
A growl rips from his throat as the meaning is one-hundred percent clear between the three of us. “After I get through with you, you’re going to eat those words.”
I ignore him and head past Lucas to get my truck. I can always stay with Dickie. I didn’t want to wake him in the middle of the night because of the surprise factor, but I’m desperate. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t have another heart attack when he hears me knocking on his door well past midnight.
Lucas jogs ahead of me and leans against my truck door with his arms crossed. “Sorry, Wild Girl. You’re coming with us tonight.” His gaze turns serious as I approach him, and he lowers his voice. “It’s not safe for you here. Plus, there’s an extra bed and everything. You won’t have to sleep on the couch or on the floor. Also, I promise there are locks. Exterior and interior.”
I look around. Todd’s probably passed out, Dickie’s house was always a last resort, and an extra bed with locks sounds too tempting. It’s obviously my best bet, not that they’re going to let me get away with staying anywhere else. But, if I decide now, then they’re not making me, and I can still keep some of my dignity. “Fine,” I say. “But tomorrow, one of you assholes is fixing the lock on my door. Got it?”
Lucas is already sharing a look with Wyatt and Stone well before I get the demand out. There’s something about it that unnerves me. They warned me about someone else looking for the treasure. Maybe they were right. Or maybe this is just some elaborate plan they concocted to make sure I follow through on my word.
Whatever the case is, I’m still on my own and the plan hasn’t changed.
13
I follow Wyatt’s truck out of town. The blazing red taillights cut through the dark night as Lucas sits stiffly beside me on the bench. He’s acting differently than when we made our way to the dorms after the party. I’m itching to ask him what he thought about my room being fucked with, but I can’t quite make myself say the words. I’m still debating on whether I think they had something to do with it even though my intuition is telling me otherwise. For once, I think it might be wrong.
Wyatt puts his