Page 66 of Unspoken Truths

Rachelle glances at me but nods, almost tripping as she walks. We’re both not doing well. Twitchy, freaking out, this shit is traumatic. Sinking into my seat, I make sure I’m sharing my location with Mr. Emil.

“I’m having severe paranoia,” I mutter, glancing at the ignition.

“If they wanted to run you over, I doubt they’d bomb your car,”Mr. Emil grunts as I nod and hit the button to turn on the car. God, it’s almost like he can read my mind at this point.

Shutting the doors, I pull on my seatbelt and make sure Rachelle’s is on as well before putting the car into reverse.

“We‘re on the way,” I murmur.

“Good. I’m in my car with two of my men following me. I don’t care if it looks overprotective to have a damn caravan to come retrieve you,”he says.

Mr. Emil talks to me as I drive, keeping me focused and calm, and I recognize his SUV as he u-turns in front of me. A second later another SUV turns around so they’re driving behind me and so on. I’m now sandwiched in a caravan of vehicles.

I have to admit, it doesn’t feel ridiculous at all. The gun being shot at us makes me check the Kings off the list of people this could have been. They’d never be so brazen as to shoot a gun when there could be anyone else on campus.

They’re not fans of collateral damage. This is something else entirely, and way above my emotional pay grade.

Pulling through gates of the Reyes estate helps me take a deep breath, my hand holding Rachelle’s tightly. Her eyes are blown with fear, but she’s holding it together better than I am, funny enough.

“That wasn’t the Kings, was it?” she whispers as I follow Mr. Emil up the driveway.

“No, I’m pretty positive it wasn’t,” I tell her. “They wouldn’t pull a gun out at school like that. The four of them have lives outside of whatever bullshit happens inside the walls of our school. The guys would never risk their freedom like that.”

“Does Emil have… enemies?” she asks, struggling to find the words.

“I’m sure he does. He’ll figure it out, okay?” I say, putting the car into park behind her stepfather.

The door is ripped open a second later, and Mr. Emil helps her out of the seatbelt before he’s pulling Rachelle into a hug. Sighing, I get out of the car to prepare for a lecture as I walk around to where they are. Instead, he pulls me into the hug, squeezing me tightly.

“Thank you for staying safe,” he murmurs against my hair as he hugs me. Nodding, I sniff as I hear Rachelle start to cry, which starts my own tears. Dammit. “It’s fine to cry now. It’s just me.”

I don’t even bother to hide as I break apart, because this could have gone very differently.

“I think someone is sending a warning, and I don’t appreciate it,” Mr. Emil grunts. “I’ll be sure to take care of it. I promise.”

There’s nothing I can do except nod, because he’s always kept his promises to me.

CHAPTER12

RACHELLE

Today is a weird day. I’ve been walking to classes, thinking about how quickly last Saturday went from flirting with Jared to running away from a car that wanted to run Lili and I over.

I feel too exposed as I sit in class or walk through the hallways, and it makes me want to hide. Unfortunately, I can’t. Emil said he was working on finding who decided it would be fun to play target practice with his stepdaughter, but I’m having trouble concentrating on anything right now.

So now I’m spacing out and anxious instead.

“Hey,” Lili says, getting my attention. “I have to grab something from my locker, but I was thinking that this afternoon after school I can show you the dark room for your photos? Lunch is going to be me yelling at people, which won’t leave much time for it.”

Smirking, I think about how much fun it’ll be to watch my girl put her foot down. She’s had to take over for too many people who are shirking their responsibilities.

“I can’t wait to see how much of a badass you’re going to be,” I tell her.

Grinning, Lili shrugs. “Someone has to whip them into shape. You’re also writing that article, so add it to your to-do list,” she says. “Dale doesn’t deserve the credit.”

Squeezing my hand, Lili walks away to go to her locker. Sighing, I get lost in my thoughts, thinking about the shit show that happened after I got home with Lili on Saturday.

I may have seemed really calm, but my nervous system is delayed when it comes to reacting after a major scare or trauma. My mind blanks in an effort to get through whatever is going on, and it’s not until I’m safe that my body allows me to cry or freak out. While sitting at the dining room table with Lili, Mom, and Emil, my fingers twitched from the stress, my body shook, and tears slowly dried on my cheeks.

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