Page 81 of Defending Casey

With a muttered oath, he tried again, and the engine made a valiant effort to start before it gasped and went silent again.

For a moment it looked like he’d gone mad.

Pounding on the dash with one hand and then both, screaming at the top of his lungs until her ears were ringing.

Casey tried to make herself as small as she could, as if wishing could make her invisible.

It didn’t.

“You,” he pointed a reddened hand at her, “you have a car.”

“No.” Panic raced through her veins like an ice floe. “I’m sure we can make this truck work, try again! Or my dad’s truck. It’s in the back behind the store. We can take that.”

Casey knew when she’d gone too far.

His anger fell away, and a strange curiosity made his eyes wider than she’d ever seen them.

Brian grabbed at the leg of her jeans and put his hands over her pockets. Empty.

“Brian, please-”

He held up a finger in front of her face. “Quiet.”

She felt like throwing up right then and there, but she had to keep herself together. She had to at least try.

His door swung open, and she could hear the hum of her engine outside in the otherwise quiet day.

“Let’s use your car, Casey.”

Before she could stop him, he slid out of the truck cab.

Casey scrambled after him. “Brian, wait.”

He turned and looked back at her. “What, Casey… What’s got you so worried?”

He started to shut the door on her, but she didn’t let him. Instead the metal of the door closed against her shin sending painful bursts of light into her vision.

“Brian, stop!”

She pushed the door open and almost fell against his shoulder.

“Stop. Wait. Bri-”

Casey felt his palm connect with her cheek, throwing her head backward into the side of the truck.

“What the fuck, Casey? You said you dropped her off at school!”

She felt his rage like the heat of a fire.

“She wasn’t feeling well, Brian. I was going to take her home. Please,” she reached out to grab his arm and realized too late that she was too shaken up and missed him with both hands, “please, can we use my dad’s truck?”

“We,” he leaned in close until she could feel his tepid breath on her skin, “are going to use your car. I meant to take you first. We could have come back for her, but now? I think you’ll be so much more cooperative if she’s with us.”

He turned and yanked open the passenger door. “Get in.”

She turned her gaze toward the back of the car. Nora was still asleep. A miracle. Thank heaven. “Okay.”

Before she could move, he reached out his hand again.

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