Page 96 of Devil's Bargain

SIXTEEN

I blink my eyes open and bring my hand up to shield my face from the harsh sun shining through the rear window.

What time is it?I roll over and grab my phone from the footwell.

Birds sing outside. It’s a stark difference from last night’s rain and wind.

I suppress a yawn and power on my phone. It’s past eight in the morning. Still early, but later than I thought. I click on my messages and furrow my brow as I scroll through.

The Devil: You better fucking switch on your phone!

The Devil: Don’t make us punish you! Or maybe that’s what you’re hoping for?

The Devil: You’ll regret this! There’s no hiding. We will find you!

My hands tremble. I toss the phone down next to me and climb between the seats. When I’m strapped in behind the steering wheel, I sweep my eyes over the tall fir trees outside.

What am I going to do? Scott is right. I can’t hide from them.

“Better face the fucking music!” I whisper and turn the ignition. It takes a couple of tries, but the car finally coughs to life. Reversing out is a bit trickier, especially now that it’s covered in muddy patches.

When I’m safely back on the road, I lower my window and breathe in the morning air. Things are shit, but I can still appreciate moments like these.

The phone starts ringing in the back.

I glance in the rearview mirror. “You can wait, dickheads!”

It stops ringing and starts up again. I groan as I wring the steering wheel. “Leave me the fuck alone!”

It starts up for the third time.

I pull over and cut the engine, reaching between the seats to retrieve my phone. I have two missed calls from the dickheads, but the latest missed call has my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline.

I start the car again, my eyes flicking between my phone and the road as I call him back.

“Hey.” The deep timbre of his voice makes my skin break out in goosebumps.

“Hey, Rick.” I put him on speakerphone and place the phone down on the passenger seat.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

I snort, looking in the rearview mirror. The warm breeze blows my hair around my face. “No, you didn’t.”

“So… did you sleep in your car?”

I frown and peer down at my phone. Is he making small talk? “I did.”

He’s quiet for a moment before he sighs. “Look, I’m sorry about last night.”

My heart squeezes in my chest. I know I should leave it alone, but the words slip out before I can stop myself. “What are you sorry for? Sexting me while you had your dick sucked?”

He blows out a breath. “Yeah. That.”

“Why?” My knuckles are white on the steering wheel. I don’t want him to be sorry.

“I err… I was a dick to you.”

I snort. He’s mild compared to the two dickheads I know. “I think you were one to the girl more than me.”

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