Page 118 of Heresy

“That’s because I’m not a talker like Tanner or Gabe. I’m not cut out for this shit. Okay? I’m the guy they call when the worst stuff needs to be accomplished. I’ve always been that person. The things I’ve done—”

His jaw tics as he grinds his teeth, stopping that train of thought. Or maybe he was just preventing too much truth from being revealed.

Either way, he shakes his head and lets out a breath, forced calm coming over him.

“You and I are complete opposites in just about everything, but in one thing, we’re alike. Neither of us turned out that great because of the crap our fathers taught us. We just went in opposite directions. We were taught different things. You got to be the terrified angel in all of this while I—”

He cuts himself off again, stares at me for several seconds then pushes up from the ground, dragging me up on my feet with him.

Shane walks me in the direction of the car.

“Where are we going?”

He’s silent for too long but finally answers, “I’m done babysitting you. Women are more of a problem than they need to be. I’ve known that. I knew this would be a pain in the ass. And it is. I’m not doing this anymore. Tanner and Gabe can deal with you and get whatever information they need. They like talking. I don’t. So I quit.”

“What? Quit? You can’t just quit.”

What am I saying?

Yes! Quit! Let me go!

I remember Gabe. But I haven’t met Tanner, and from what Shane, Ivy and Luca were arguing about in the driveway, I don’t think I want to meet Tanner.

Stuffing me in the car, Shane latches me in, and with a look, he practically dares me to try running again.

I sit in place knowing the attempt would be a wasted effort. Plus I’ve run out of energy after everything that’s happened.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, he starts the car without a word then navigates the narrow road leading away from the park and out onto the main road that brought us here.

We make it back to his friend’s house in fifteen minutes. I think he hit two hundred and twenty miles per hour at one point. But I can’t be sure since I kept my eyes clenched shut the entire way.

Shane

Fuck this.

Fuck her.

And fuck Tanner.

Fuck that. Fuck them all.

Tanner, Gabe, Damon, Ezra, Taylor, Sawyer, Jase and Mason.

They can all eat shit.

Hell, fuck Luca, Ivy, Ava and Emily too.

I’ll even toss in Priest for good measure.

That’s how mad I am at this entire situation.

I’m pissed off at every single last one of them, and all I want is to get away from here, get home, sleep this shit off then spend the day in the shop tomorrow.

Alone.

Pulling into a shadowed spot on the lawn near Tanner’s garage, I kill the engine, step out of the car, round the hood then snatch the captive out of her seat to march her inside the house.

I parked in the back and can see most of their cars here, which is why I had to park so out of the way.

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