Page 19 of Chill

I just hope either of them will take the time to tell me exactly what it is we’re doing and where we’re heading.

“Yeah,” Val snorts. “He’s right. You’re welcome to try anything in there if you want. Though I’m sure it’ll stop tasting so good in like, the next forty-five minutes.”

“You’re going to eat a bag’s worth of fried food in the next forty-five minutes before it gets cold and gross?” I confirm, rolling onto my back as my brows climb toward my bangs.

“Nah, but I don’t mind if it’s gross or cold.” He grins down at me, his arm settling over my shoulders in a way that’s comforting, not restrictive.

I could so fall asleep here. Instead, I force myself to sit up, figuring I should at least cram a pack of Pop-Tarts down my throat before passing out for what the GPS is saying will be a three and a half hour drive from where we are.

“Why stay so far away from where we’re going?” I can’t help asking, my mouth full of icing and artificially sweetened jam. “Why not stay closer?”

“Because we like to give the cops less of a reason to look for us however we can,” Kieran tells me. “In case I forget to say it later, you both eat like children. And if you get crumbs in my car, you’ll be grounded like children.”

Val squawks indignantly, glancing up from his phone. “I’m not the one eating Pop-Tarts!” he argues. “What the hell, Kier?”

“You’re an enabler. And you’re sitting in the back seat, so suck it up.” He looks pretty satisfied with himself and settles back against the driver’s seat.

Once I’m done eating too much too fast, I flop back down on Val, pretty sure I’m going to be asleep sometime in the next few minutes. Which is unacceptable, given I want to know what’s going on.

“We’re going to Texas,” Kieran tells me, obviously figuring out that’s what I’m wondering about. Not that I’m exactly subtle. “I’d rather you sleep than me have to give you some long monologue aboutwhywe’re going to Texas. Especially since you willnotbe helping.”

“No murder for Noa? How sad. You sure were keen to get me stabbin’ some guy a month ago.” I’ve mostly gotten over that,except for the times I wake up from a nightmare whereI’mthe one getting stabbed instead of the man in the woods.

Those are the only times I wish I could be normal again, but that’s also my secret to keep. “But yeah…” I sigh, not wanting to admit I’d like to fall asleep here on Val’s lap with his fingers stroking through my hair and my face buried in my hoodie. “Yeah, I’ll take the short version if you’re offering.”

“You might not like this one so much,” Val admits quietly. “So if you want to skip it and just sleep, I really think that might be the best idea, princess.”

While the idea is certainly enticing, and some part of me wants to just not know, I shake my head with a sigh. “No, I can’t do that,” I murmur. “If I’m going to be here, if I’m going to bewith you, then I have to make myself know. I can’t hide from the parts of you I’d rather not see.”

When I glance up, I find Kieran’s gaze in the mirror and I’m surprised to see something like approval in his eyes.

“He saw Harley dump a body a few months ago. That’s the girl with the clown mask from the haunt,” Kieran explains quietly. “He followed her, trying to use it against her. Said she was too pretty for him to go to the cops right away. She tried to give him what he wanted, but it went too far. Unfortunately, he found her again. Then, even though Samuel gave him quite a big sum of money to keep quiet, that seems to not be working for him anymore.”

“So he took the money and still wants to go to the cops?” I snort. “That’s certainly bold. Why not just take your payday and shut the hell up?”

“Exactly,” Val agrees with a sigh. “I don’t get it either, pretty girl.”

“We’ve tried everything to avoid this,” Kieran goes on. “Not that I’m going to be particularly upset to end his life. He’s started making demands and threats. Said he’ll only talk to Harleynow.” I can almost hear him rolling his eyes, and I’m certainly not imagining the disdain in his voice.

“So you’re going to kill him?”

My words are met with silence, though Val keeps combing his fingers through my hair and neither of them seems tense or upset by my question.

Finally, it’s Kieran who answers, and he lets out a long, low breath as he does. “Yeah, Noa,” he tells me evenly. “We’re going to Texas so we can kill him before he can hurt any of us or start something we can’t keep under control.”

I’m not sure when I fall asleep, though when I’m being very gently shaken awake, I realize I’ve definitely been out for a while. My second bottle of half-finished iced coffee is still clasped in my hand and I’m hugging it to my chest, though by now it’s body temperature instead of cold.

“There you are.” Val chuckles, running his thumb over my lower lip. “Did you know you snore when you’re on your back?”

I blink once, then twice, and my eyes narrow at him. “Do not,” I retort, sitting up and looking out at the surprisingly flat, sunny landscape. “God, it looks warm. I’m sort of feeling cold and stormy, not warm and grossly sunny.” I sigh dejectedly. “It makes me feel like I should be doing something productive.”

“Because being our murder cheerleader isn’t productive?” Val stretches now that I’m off of him, and I slide the bottle of coffee back into the plastic bag from the truck stop. “I was thinking about getting pom-poms for next time. Wouldn’t that be cute? And you absolutely do snore, by the way. Kieran?—”

“Is not taking sides.” His drowsy voice comes from the front seat, prompting me to glance up at him. He’s leaning back against the seat, his hair tousled like he’s been running his fingers through it and he looks a little worn out. “Remember what I said, by the way?” He opens his eyes, pinning my gaze when he turns in his seat. “You willnotbe helping.”

“I’m probably not a very good accomplice, anyway. I cried when you made me murder that guy in the woods,” I remind them airily. “So you don’t have any complaints from me on that front.”

Kieran justlooksat me like he might not believe me. “Anyway…” Without another word, he gets out, standing up to close the door behind him. I do the same, scrambling out the passenger side of the back seat and looking at where we are.

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