Page 46 of The Wrong Quarterback

I realized then, I had to actually touch her.

“I’m sorry about this,” I whispered…just in case…as I reached for her hand, brushing over the cool, unmoving skin. The ring was snug, but I twisted it gently, heart pounding as it finally slid free.

“There,” I said, slipping the ring into my pocket. “We’re done.”

“We’re done?” Matty echoed, his voice filled with disbelief. “We dug up a grave, opened a casket, and robbed a dead woman. And all you have to say is that we’re done?”

“Yeah,” I said, grabbing my shovel again. “Now, let’s cover this back up before someone sees us.”

We worked quickly, shoveling the dirt over the casket, tension still thick in the air. The wind picked up, rustling the trees, and for the first time that night, I felt like we weren’t alone.

I packed down the last of the dirt, breathing a sigh of relief. “Alright, let’s?—”

“Wait,” Jace whispered, his voice cutting through the night. “Do you hear that?”

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. At first, I thought he was messing with us, but then I heard it, too. Voices. Faint, but growing louder. And then the flashlights—bright beams of light sweeping across the graveyard, cutting through the darkness.

“Shit,” I hissed, grabbing Matty's arm. “Let’s go.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Jace was already scrambling down the gravel path, his eyes wide with panic. “You never told me there would be graveyard security!”

“Why is that something you thought I would know?” I hissed as I took off. My legs moved on autopilot, the sound of my heart pounding in my ears as I sprinted through the rows of tombstones. Matty and Jace were right behind me, their footsteps echoing against the ground, the adrenaline pumping through all of us.

The flashlights were getting closer, and so were the voices. I could hear shouts now, commands being thrown into the night. My lungs burned, but I didn’t slow down.

“Fuuuuck!” Jace panted from behind me, but I ignored him, focusing on the tree line up ahead. If we could just make it there, we could disappear into the woods, lose them in the darkness.

“Keep going,” I growled, pushing myself harder.

The flashlights cut through the tombstones like searchlights, getting closer and closer with every second. The shouts were louder now, more frantic.

Just as I reached the edge of the graveyard, I heard a shout from behind. I didn’t stop to look back. I dove into the tree line, the branches scratching at my skin as I pushed through the underbrush, my heart still racing.

We kept running until the flashlights were gone, until the voices faded into the distance, until the only sound was the ragged gasps of our breath and the wind rustling the leaves.

When we finally stopped, I leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. My hands were shaking, my heart still pounding in my chest. But we’d done it. We’d gotten the ring, and we hadn’t been caught.

“Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit,” Matty groaned, collapsing onto the ground. “That was…insane.”

“Insane? That’s all you’re calling it?” Jace started frantically patting his body all over.

“What are you doing?” I panted, because that was all I was capable of at the moment.

I stood up, my breath still coming out in gasps. I thought I was in great shape, but evidently a thousand-yard sprint was beyond my cardio abilities.

“Making sure all my limbs are attached. I’m numb and tingly, and we just ran for our fucking lives!” Jace said indignantly, giving his leg one last pat before he stood up too.

I grinned as I pulled out the ring, holding it up as my head spun from the adrenaline of what had just happened. “We did it, though. We fucking got the ring.”

“Yeah,” Matty muttered, staring up at the sky from where he’d collapsed. “But that woman is probably going to haunt us for the rest of our lives.”

Jace frowned at him and shuddered.

I slipped the ring back into my pocket, a small smirk tugging at my lips. “One step closer to the Sphinx, boys.”

I slapped Jace on the ass before I held out a hand to help Matty off the ground.

We stumbled our way back to the truck, exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time.

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