Page 134 of Beneath the Hood

“Because she was lookin’ foryou.”

My muscles freeze, my hand halfway through my hair. “Who?”

“A pretty young thing. Blakely somethin’ or other. Showed up at my school in a bright blue sports car, askin’ where she could find herself some Jackson.”

My heart slams against my ribs, my head growing dizzy from how fast my world spins.

She’s here.

I try to swallow around the sudden dryness of my mouth. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her to come to dinner, of course.”

My breath sputters. “Youwhat?”

“Oh, was I not supposed to do that?”

“Jesus Christ, Becca, you can never just stay out of it.”

“Well, maybe if you hadtoldme anything about her, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures! Anyway, she’s sittin’ pretty right here in her car, waitin’ to follow me and Eli on over. I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. Let you get your shit together.”

My jaw clenches as I hang up on her, frustration burning a hole through me as I pace back and forth, contemplating not showing up at all.

But I know that won’t solve any problems, and despite my brain telling me that nothing she can say will make a difference, there’s a rope attached to my soul that’s being tugged, the other half still tethered to her.

Besides, if I don’t go, I can’t demand the answers that I deserve.

So, with a deep breath, I pick up my keys and head to dinner.

Pulling into the driveway, my eyes glance around, my heart in my throat as I check for Eli’s Jeep or a bright blue sports car.

Nothing.

I hustle up to the walkway, not bothering to knock as I open the door and walk in. There’s this urge to talk to Lee, just to have someone with me who knows her and can give their two cents on the situation.

Rushing around the corner, I run into Chase, my shoulder slamming against his.

“Fuck, goddamn, Jax. Where’s the fire?” He rubs his shoulder.

My chest heaves, trying to catch my breath. “Where’s Lee, Chase? I need to talk to her. It’s important.”

His brows draw in. “She ran to the store to pick up wine. She should be back soon.”

“Shit.” I run my hands through my hair, my nerves ricocheting off my insides at the thought of having to face Blakely.

“What’s wrong?”

Sighing, I lean back, banging the back of my head against the wall. “Blakely’s on her way here.”

His brows raise. “Blakely as in, the girl you were fucking around with in California?”

“I wasn’tfuckingaround.” I glare at him. “But yes.”

He smirks. “So, what’s the problem?”

My mouth parts. “The problem is she dropped me at the first sign of trouble.”

He hums. “Oh, kind of like how you did with me?”

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