Page 41 of Forever Golden

“Just tell me.”

“Only if you promise,” I repeat. “I need your word that you won’t… react,” I force out, deciding that’s the phrase that best fits. “Promise me you won’t hear what I’m about to say and then go out and do something stupid.”

His jaw clenches and a sharp sigh leaves him, but then he nods, and I suppose that’ll have to do for now.

My hands are shaking, and I know he sees it. He seeseverything, notices all my nervous habits.

“When Vin came by that night, he… made threats,” I confess.

I haven’t even given Ricky the details and, already, I see his rage spike. He wants to speak, wants to let that rage out, but he seems to be mindful of the silent vow he just made.

“He wants me to end things with West, but he wants it done in such a way that there’s never any chance of us fixing the relationship. And, apparently, I have two months to get it done.” I pause to think. “Well, a little less than that now.”

“Why two months?”

I shrug. “Beats me. He wasn’t exactly up to a Q&A when we finished. But he made it clear that, if I didn’t comply, there would be consequences.”

If I thought Ricky’s expression was tense before, I was wrong.Thisis his tense face.

“The fuck kind of consequences are we talking?”

“He threatened to have Scar taken away from me. At first, I thought he just meant he’d call Child Protective Services on us, but then he promised I’d disappear after that,” I admit, adding the most sinister part next. “He mentioned something about already having bids on me, and how easy it would be to have someone take Scar off his hands, too, if he wanted. And… it all made me think of that word you used the other night.”

Ricky meets my gaze before I say it out loud.

“Cargo.”

His jaw’s thick and tight when he grits his teeth. I know he’s already regretting giving me his word he wouldn’t do something reckless, but he did. And I’ll hold him to it.

“So,that’swhy I went to see Tommy.That’swhy I was so upset when you were late the other day. Scar spotted a weird van lurking outside the school and I… I panicked,” I admit. “I walk around all day every day just waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering if Vin will really keep his word and give me time to hurt West. Or will he just swoop in and take what he wants simply because he can?”

I’m quivering now, and I’m made more aware of it when my hand warms. Ricky squeezes it and the sudden contact centers me.

“Why am I just now hearing about this?”

“Because you’re not always the most level-headed person in the world,” I remind him.

He doesn’t argue with that, because he knows I’m right.

“Does West know everything?”

“Not about the gun,” I admit.

“But he knows everything else?”

I nod. “I wasn’t planning to tell him at first, thinking the best thing to do was run, disappear before things could get worse, but he caught me. When you guys beat me here, he’d already seen my bags packed in my room.”

Ricky’s brow quirked. “Run where?”

I shrug. “The only place I could think to go was my grandmother’s.”

“The deadbeat in Virginia?”

Those words would probably anger most people, hearing someone refer to their family in such a way, but he’s completely right.

“Yeah. Her.”

What I don’t say is that Virginia isn’t completely off the table. At least it isn’t for Scar. Every single day, sending her to live there sounds more and more appealing. Especially with creepy black vans popping up where they shouldn’t be.

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