Page 56 of Chasing Secrets

I heard more tires skidding over the gravel, but it wasn’t until someone desperately called Sawyer’s name that the man rushed out of the room. He put a hand on my shoulder and gave me the handgun before shouting to whoever was calling, Jett probably, that he was okay. I waited until Cam had Marcus walking toward me before turning and leaving the house. I only half-listened as Cam began asking me questions because I was too busy searching the area for Theo. I found everyonebuthim.

I asked Cam if I could provide my official statement later and when he nodded, I put both weapons on the porch just outside the door. Since I’d sent Riley and Theo out the kitchen door, I hurried around the house to that side, but he wasn’t there. I returned to the front and asked if anyone had seen him.

“He… he ran down that way,” Riley sniffled as he pointed toward the driveway.

I took off in that direction but didn’t even make it all the way because when I reached the spot where my car should have been, all I saw was empty space.

He’d run again.

Theo had needed to escape, and he’d used my car to do it.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

THEO

Isensed him long before I saw him. I didn’t know how I knew it was him, I just did.

I couldn’t look at him when he stopped briefly in front of me, nor when he sat next to me on the hood of the car. I’d expected him to explode when he found me because why wouldn’t he? Not only had I left the chaotic scene as soon as I’d seen Lincoln leaving the house completely unharmed, but I’d also stolen his car in order to get away.

The sun was in the process of dropping behind the horizon, so the sky was lit up with various shades of red, orange, and yellow.

I knew Lincoln wanted an explanation for why I’d run but I didn’t know how to put it into words. I hardly understood any of it myself.

“He… he didn’t hurt you, right?” I managed to choke out, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at the man next to me.

“I was going to ask you the same question,” Lincoln said, his voice surprisingly calm.

“And Riley and Sawyer?” I asked.

“Both okay. Shaken up but okay.”

I nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything.

“I thought that might have been why you ran at first,” Lincoln murmured. “I waited in that spot in the driveway for more than an hour for you to come back because I thought you’d just been in freak-out mode and you’d turn the car around and come home.”

There was a long, painful span of silence between us.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“The car has a built-in tracking system. I used Ford’s phone to see where you were going. I was sure you were headed to the bus station.”

“That’s where I told myself to go but I just kind of ended up here. I’d never driven a car before. It always looked so easy when I watched someone else do it but trying to get the car turned around so I could get it out of the driveway was scary as shit. I thought I’d end up driving your car right into a tree.” I paused for a moment because it was such a ridiculous conversation. I knew what Lincoln wanted. What he deserved. “I don’t think I did any damage to it, though.”

“Why did you come here, Theo? Of all places?” Lincoln asked. “You’ve been sitting here for almost twelve hours.”

I stared at the two ice cream cones on top of Double D’s. Patrons had been coming and going all day, but no one had noticed me or cared enough to ask why I’d been loitering at the little custard stand.

“I almost felt like the person I used to be when you brought me here. I guess I just wanted to have that back for a little while.”

Lincoln didn’t respond and I didn’t blame him. “If you knew where I was—”

“I didn’t come after you right away because I needed it to be your choice to either come home or leave for good.”

I could hear the anger in Lincoln’s voice now. He wanted answers. Real ones.

I reached for the hair tie on my wrist and snapped it several times. The pain helped push down the darkness that wanted to pull me back down to a place where I was safe. But it was all a lie. I never felt safe in the darkness. I hid there when I needed to, but I hated every second of it.

I hated a lot of things.

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