Chasing Hadley

  I snort a laugh. “Okay, just like he didn’t slash my tires.”

  His brows furrow. “But he didn’t.”

  “Um, yeah, he did. He even said he did.” I walk away, not wanting to hear any more of his lies.

  Honestly, I can’t blame him, though. If I were in his position and one of my sisters was getting accused of something like this, I’d lie for them too.

  And that’s exactly the reason why I hightail it toward the library.

  Because it’s time to put a stop to this whole thing with the Porterson brothers and I think I’ll start by digging up some intel on them, just like they did to me and my sisters.

  Eleven

  Since I’ve used my data for the month and can’t access the school’s internet from my phone, I use the library computers to do a little bit of digging around on the Porterson brothers. When I type their names into the search engine, I get all sorts of hits, from petty theft, to stealing a car. How they haven’t been arrested yet is beyond me.

  I also find out the names of their parents and their sister, Scarlett Porterson, has gotten into just as much trouble and has spent some time in a psychiatric facility. Their mom has been in trouble with the law so many times she makes my dad look like a saint and their dad is linked to many crimes in the town as well, a lot of the charges related to an illegal underground gambling club. Yet somehow, the guy has never been arrested.

  Interesting. And maybe useful.

  I continue to scroll through information, barely noticing when the bell rings.

  “Interesting research.”

  I jolt as Blaise’s voice sails over my shoulder.

  I quickly collect myself before glancing over my shoulder at him. “Yeah, it’s definitely interesting. I really like the part where Alex was arrested for drug trafficking.” I spin the chair and face him.

  He’s standing too close for comfort with a book in his hand, his expression guarded. “He wasn’t arrested for that.”

  “That’s not what his records say.”

  “Yeah, well, the charges were dropped.”

  “So what. He was still arrested.”

  “Over a misunderstanding,” he stresses, for the first time since I met him, seeming a bit uneasy.

  So his brothers are his weakness. I can understand that. Doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on him, though.

  “Sure it was. Just like I’m sure the time he was arrested for stealing a car was a misunderstanding too.” I rise to my feet, collecting my bag from the back of the chair as the tardy bell rings.

  Great. I’m tardy on the first day. Not a good start to a new school year.

  He grinds his teeth, his gaze flicking from the computer to me. “How did you find out all that information anyway? Police records aren’t supposed to be accessible to the public.”

  “Now, Blaise, lets not play dumb with each other after we’ve been so bluntly honest.” I pat his arm then sling the handle of my bag over my shoulder. “After digging up all the dirt on my family, I’m sure you can figure out the answer yourself.”

  He frowns. “Well, maybe I’m a little bit slow, so please enlighten me.”

  I shrug with a haughty grin. “Guess you’ll never know then.”

  I swing around him, feeling pretty good about myself even though I’m late to class. But seconds later, as I’m hurrying down an aisle of books, I trip over my own feet and knock several rows of books off the shelf, causing a scene.

  Awesome.

  I scramble to pick up the books and shove them back on the shelves so I can get to class.

  “Can I help you?” The librarian, a thirty-something-year-old woman, appears on the aisle beside me. She takes one look at the mess and frowns. “Don’t just shove them all back on the shelves. There’s a system to it.” She crouches beside me and snatches the books from my hand.

  “I’m sorry.” My backpack slung over my shoulder feels as though it weighs a hundred pounds.

  She slips a few books onto a shelf. “Shouldn’t you be in class? Or do you have a pass? If you don’t, I’m going to have to write you up for after school detention.”

  “I have a pass,” I lie automatically. The last thing I need is to be stuck here after school and leave my sisters to have to walk home.

  Her skeptical gaze settles on me. “Can I see it?”

  “Sure.” I pretend to reach for my back pocket, preparing to haul ass out of there, figuring since I’m new here, it’ll be really hard for her to figure out who I am and report me.

  “Hey, Ms. G., Hadley’s actually helping me this period.” Blaise materializes behind the librarian—Ms. G, I’m assuming.

  Ms. G.’s eyelashes flutter as she cranes her neck to look up at Blaise. “Oh, I didn’t know that. Thank you for letting me know.”

  “No problem.” He dazzles her with a smile, not the smirk he’s always throwing at me. “Do you need any help cleaning that up?”

  She flashes him a flustered smile. “No, I think I got it. Thank you, though, for the offer. It’s so nice of you.”

  “Anytime.” He winks at her then scoops up a handful of books and places them on a shelf. Then he arches a brow at me, taunting amusement glittering in his eyes. “You coming?”

  I don’t want to accept his help. I want to run away or simply declare I’m ditching. But my desire not to get detention wins.

  Nodding, I rise to my feet. “Yeah.”

  Flashing me a toothy grin, he nods for me to follow him out of the library.

  Once we make it into the hallway, I turn to head in the opposite direction as him. But he skitters in my path, nearly sending me tripping over my feet.

  “You know, most people would thank me for coming to their rescue,” he says, crossing his arms.

  “You didn’t come to my rescue,” I retort. “I totally had that handled before you showed up and flirted with poor Ms. G.”

  His lips kick up into a half smile. “She didn’t seem to mind.”

  “So? That doesn’t make it right.”

  A smug smile plays at the corners of his lips. “Are you jealous?”

  A snort escapes me. “Oh, my God, are you being serious right now?”

  “You know, it’s been a long time since someone laughed in my face.” His tone is low, but not threatening. Just confused.

  “That you know of.”

  “The term laughed in my face means that I would know, seeing as how the act has to be done right in front of me.”

  Okay, he has me there, but I’m not about to lose this battle. “I don’t know. Maybe they did laugh in your face, but you were too busy staring in a mirror, admiring your own reflection.”

  His brow rises. “Are you saying I’m vain?”

  I give a half-shrug. “You do seem to like yourself a lot.”

  Tracing the tip of his tongue along his lips, he dips his head toward my ear. “You owe me now. You do realize that, right?”

  I put my lips beside his ear, throwing his move right back at him. “You slit my cars tires, disassembled the carburetor, and basically showed the entire school my family’s entire rap sheet. I’m far from ever owing you anything.”

  He leans back, his lips parting then closing. Then his expression hardens. “If you want to go up against the big boys, you should know what you’re getting into.” He lowers his voice. “Us Portersons have all sorts of connections around town and because of that, we know everything about everyone. Remember that when you’re trying to get back at me and my brothers.”

  Then he turns around and swaggers off like he’s the fucking shit in this town. And maybe he is now, but when I get done with him, he sure as hell won’t be.

  Twelve

  Rhyland and Jaxon are in my next two classes. Rhyland tries to strike up a conversation with me a couple of times but gives up when I give him the cold shoulder. When I try to make small chitchat with a couple of people outside of the Porterson clan, figuring it might be good to have some friends—or allies—I get snubbed and laughed at. The on
ly person that acknowledges my existence is Scarlett.

  “Sorry, but I tried to warn you not to go up against them,” she says as we pass by each other in the hallway.

  “I didn’t really go up against them,” I point out. “Well, not until about an hour ago.” When Blaise found me in the library looking up information about his family.

  The only reason I knew how to access most of those records is because of my dad. But there’s no way I’ll ever tell Blaise that. Although, I’m surprised he couldn’t figure it out on his own. I mean, after digging up all that dirt on my family, he has to know my dad used to work as a detective.

  “Why?” What happened an hour ago?” she asks, intrigued.

  “I’m sure Blaise will tell you about it.” I’m surprised he hasn’t already.

  “My brothers don’t really tell me much about their extra-curricular activities.” She pulls out a package of M&Ms from her bag and pops a handful into her mouth, then offers me some.

  Even though the motive behind Scarlett’s friendliness is questionable, I’m hungry so I take a handful and pop them into my mouth.

  “So torturing me and my sisters is considered extra-curricular activities for your brothers?” I ask as she stuffs the package of candy back into her bag.

  She chuckles. “For now, I guess it is. Don’t worry, though. Blaise will get it under control eventually.”

  “You say that like he has no control over his own actions?”

  “No, he does, it’s the others he has a problem with.” She throws me a wave as she turns to leave. “See you around Hadley. And if this thing with my brothers ends up ending, we should hang out sometime. I don’t have much in the line of friends, mostly because most people around here are afraid of my brothers. You don’t seem to have that problem, though.”

  I think about what I read about her. How she spent some time in a psychiatric ward. I couldn’t find out why. Doesn’t really matter, though. She seems nice enough, unlike her brothers.

  “Yeah, if that ever happens, we definitely should.” I smile at her as I start to turn for my next class.

  “If you really want to end this feud quicker, you could always challenge one of them,” she calls out, stopping me in my tracks.

  I twist back around, ignoring the group of cheerleaders laughing as they stare at me from just down the busy hallway. “What do you mean by challenge one of them? Challenge them to what?”

  She adjusts her backpack with a smile on her face. A smile which could either be extremely genuine or creepily malicious—she’s very hard to read.

  “A drag race.” She hitches her thumbs around the handles of her backpack as she shrugs. “It’s sort of a thing in Honeyton.”

  “Drag racing?”

  “Duel drag racing.”

  I’m unsure what to make of this and she must read the confusion on my face because she adds, “Okay, so let’s say Nina over there,” she gestures at a brown-haired girl standing amongst the group of cheerleaders, “Has a thing for Jock head number one,” she points at a blonde-haired guy wearing a jersey, “And jock head number two,” she points to the guy standing next to him, “And she ends up sleeping with both of them. And they both find out and for some dumb reason, start fighting over her. Instead of throwing fists, they declare a racing duel. Winner gets Nina’s heart forever.” Her face pinches in disgust.

  I stare blankly at her. “That’s really a thing?”

  “Well, not the whole thing about Nina and jock head one and two. I was just giving you an example. But yes, in this hick of a town you’ve decided to declare your new home, we sometimes settle our lame ass problems with racing.”

  I mull over the idea. While a drag racing duel seems a bit strange and old-school, getting Blaise to back off does sound appealing. Plus, I’d get a lot of satisfaction in beating his ass in a race. On the other hand, he slit my tires and showed the entire school my family’s fucked up history, and winning him in a race doesn’t seem like much of a payback.

  “Just think about it,” Scarlett says then walks off as the bell rings, announcing that yes, once again, I’m late to class.

  Needless to say, by lunchtime, I’m pretty tired of the day. So, when I go to meet up with my sisters at my locker and Londyn and Bailey inform me that Payton went home before school even started, I volunteer to go check on her.

  “Are you sure?” Londyn double-checks as I put my stuff in my bag. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to miss half a day on our first day of school.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure her as I bump my locker shut. “It’s not like I’ve never missed a first day of school before.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean you should continually do it.” Londyn walks down the hallway beside me with Bailey trailing at our heels.

  She’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it. I don’t like that Payton is home alone upset. Or worse, isn’t home alone upset because our dad came home drunk.

  “I’ll see if I can coax her into coming back to school,” I tell Londyn as we reach the exit doors. “I’ll text you if we do. If not, I’ll pick you guys up when school gets out.”

  Sighing, Londyn steps back. “Fine. But I’m really starting to hate the Porterson brothers.”

  “Me, too,” I agree, thinking about how the duel could end this, if I could just get over my pride and let what Blaise did go.

  “Give Payton a hug for me,” Bailey says. “She was really upset when she took off … Those flyers … They said a lot of bad stuff about her—about all of us.”

  “I’ll give her ten hugs,” I promise, then wave goodbye and push out the doors.

  The drive should take about ten minutes but I manage to make it in seven by speeding and cutting corners. By the time I pull up, I’m fuming mad. Not at Payton. No, I can understand why she was upset and took off. She has one of the worst reps out of the four of us, and that flyer basically declared she was a kleptomaniac.

  All because of Blaise Porterson.

  I don’t give a shit if he bailed me out of getting detention. He never should’ve messed with my sisters.

  My rage only simmers more when I find Payton locked in her bedroom.

  “Go away!” she shouts through a sob.

  I knock softly on the door. “Come on, Payton. You’re stronger than this.”

  “No, I’m not,” she cries out. “Just leave me alone!” She then cranks the music up, the walls vibrating with the bass.

  I consider picking the lock, but decide to give her a bit of time to wallow before I go that far.

  I send Londyn and Bailey a text that Payton and I aren’t returning to school today. Then I trudge up to my room and work on bottling up my pride while I wait.

  Wait until it’s time to go pick up my sisters then I’ll declare a duel and hopefully put an end to this battle with the Porterson brothers that’s making my sisters lives and mine a living hell.

  Thirteen

  I decide to clean the house while I wait, even though I hate cleaning. But the empty boxes are starting to drive me crazy. I’ve just finished up and am collecting my car keys to head to pick up Bailey and Londyn from school when the grumbling of an engine flows in from outside. Peering out the window, I spot my dad’s truck parked in the driveway.

  He hops out with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and peers around sketchily before rushing up the driveway and ducking into the garage/shed.

  “Just what are you up to dad?” I debate whether to go out and ask or spy on him.

  Since going and asking gives him the opportunity to lie, I decide spying is the better choice.

  After being in the garage/shed for only a minute or two, he hurries back outside with a shovel in his hand and makes a beeline for the backyard. I scramble back to the washroom where the window gives a better view of the area, hunker down, and watch as he starts to dig a hole near the back fence. He doesn’t dig for very long before dropping the duffel bag into the hole. Then he covers up the hole with dirt, returns th
e shovel to the garage/shed, and takes off down the road in the direction he drove off in this morning.

  I’m about to go out and see what the hell is in that bag—because whatever it is can’t be good—when I receive a text from Londyn.

  Londyn: Are you coming to get us? I’d really like to get away from this place ASAP.

  Realizing I’m late, I bail on digging up the bag. For now anyway. The second I return home, though, all bets are off.

  Before I leave, I knock on Payton’s door and ask her if she wants to go with me.

  “I’m never going back there ever,” she shouts at me.

  I sigh. “You know you’re going to have to eventually.”

  I sigh again when she doesn’t respond.

  I rest my forehead against the door and blow out a breath. “Just come with me please. I’m only pulling into the parking lot. You don’t even have to get out of the car.”

  When silence is my only response, I give up and back away. But as I step back, the door swings open.

  She crosses her arms as she moves into the doorway. “Fine, I’ll go. But we’re stopping at the gas station and getting me a soda on the way back.”

  I nod, relieved, but trying not to show it, knowing she’ll just get upset again. “All right, sounds like a plan.”

  Nodding, she moves by me and I follow her down the stairs.

  “Hey, did you by chance notice dad burying a duffel bag in the backyard earlier?” I ask as we step outside into the sunlight.

  She glances at me. “No. Why?”

  “Because he was.”

  “What was in the bag?”

  “I have no idea.”

  A beat of silence passes by as our gazes drift to the backyard.

  “We should probably go look and see, right?” She returns her gaze to me and pulls open the passenger side door to get in.

  I nod, catching her gaze from over the roof of the car. “Definitely. But we need to pick up Londyn and Bailey first.”