Page 174 of Extra Dirty

When Frank merely quirks a brow without taking his attention from the road, I realize he and my husband are a lot closer than I could have imagined. Apparently, sharing me isn’t their only collective secret.

“Are you going to answer any of my questions?”

“If you ask me something that doesn’t violate your husband’s trust? Sure.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “What’s he doing right now?”

Frank huffs like it’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. “Talking to Vanessa. Probably paying her more money.”

I groan. “Thought he was doing some type of spy thing.”

A dry laugh escapes him, but it only lasts a second before his jaw is tight and he’s sitting up straighter, his eyes darting from the rearview mirror to the side mirrors rapidly. My heart rate skyrockets as tension grows in the car and Frank begins weaving between lanes, going far too fast for these unlit back roads and kicking up dust as he does.

“Your seatbelt good?” he says, his tone giving nothing away, even if his driving leaves nothing to the imagination.

“Yup. What’s going on?”

He accelerates again and moves around a green Toyota that blares its horn as we do. Looking in the mirror on my side, I watch as a black sedan maneuvers the same way we just did, gaining on us at an alarming speed.

Frank’s phone rings, and he hits a button on the steering wheel. “Hello?”

“It’s a setup. Get Cat to the house now,” my husband barks, his voice echoing around the interior of the car.

“You okay?” I ask while I grip the door, trying to keep nervousness from my tone.

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” Jay asks, his tone gentler now.

“We’ve got two cars following us,” Frank says calmly as he takes a wide left turn without warning.

My body hits the door, and I yelp in surprise.

“Talk to me. You okay?” a panicked Jay growls.

“We’re fine,” Frank replies, accelerating again.

“We are so not fine,” I whisper.

This time, I spin my body so I can see if the other cars are following us. I only see one. I’ve only ever seen one. Not sure where Frank thinks the other one is.

“Eyes forward, Princess.”

“What happened with Vanessa?” I ask, trying to distract myself from my inability to turn around. It feels like a weight is settling on my chest, and my entire body is wound tight.

“She didn’t show. I shoulda known she wouldn’t play games like that. She knew how to contact me, and it wasn’t via text. Fuck, how did I miss the signs?” Jay’s voice rises.

“Obviously, my brother used your distraction to his advantage,” Frank replies as he weaves in and out of the lanes of traffic.

My focus remains on Frank, but when his eyes go to the rearview mirror again, I’m practically blinded by the car coming straight toward us.

“Frank!” I scream as I’m thrown forward. My head hits the glass of my window, and my screams mix with my husband’s.

“Cat!” Jay shouts. “Cat, fucking answer me!”

The sound of metal hitting metal is the last thing I hear, and then I’m consumed by darkness.

77

SOMETHING IN THE ORANGE BY ZACH BRYAN

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