Page 180 of Forever Defiant
“I woke up swinging,” I said, my voice low, knowing the three stooges behind us were listening, and accepting it. “Haven’t done that in a long time.”
Savvy leaned forward. “Is that something that happened a lot?”
“A story for another time,” I said.
The conversation shifted after that. Dante and I talked — really talked — and for the first time since the punch, something eased. And this seemed like the first time we might get past it.
Chattanooga wasn’t that far — just over an hour from campus.
As we got closer, the debate began: Tiffany Preacher, whose address we actually had, or Mason Sterling, whose old school we planned to gate-crash in the hope someone there still remembered him and, more importantly, could tell us where to find him.
The divide was predictable. Dante, Dustin, and I wanted Mason. The girls wanted Tiffany.
Savvy won. Her argument was better, cleaner, and annoyingly logical, so we headed for Tiffany’s last known address.
I hadn’t spent any time in Chattanooga. Driving through it, I couldn’t tell if it wanted to be quiet or dangerous. Mountains pressed close, green and formidable. The river carved through the city with slow confidence — steel bridges, old infrastructure, the feeling of something built to last.
Chattanooga wasn’t as loud as bigger cities, but it wasn’t quiet either. It felt like the kind of place that remembered things — whether you wanted it to or not.
“It’s pretty,” Hadley murmured.
“You been here before?” I asked her.
“No.”
“Yeah, me neither,” I told her.
The car fell quiet as anticipation crept in. Dante followed the GPS, slowing as we reached the street.
He pulled over.
“Is this it?” Savvy asked.
“No.” He was looking farther down the street. “It’s down there. Are we ready to do this?”
I looked where he was looking. My breath left in a sharp rush.
“You’re fucking kidding.” I was out of the car before anyone could stop me, striding down the street, closing the distance fast.
She was completely oblivious to the fact that I was behind her. I grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Hey—” Her eyes widened when she saw me.
“What the fuck are you doing on this street?” I demanded.
Dante reached us first. “Noah, what the fuck?”
“That’s what I just asked,” I snapped as Dustin flanked me.
Hadley arrived next, breathless. “Who is this?”
Dustin stepped aside. Hadley moved closer.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “We actually found her.” She looked around at our faces. “Why do you all look pissed?”
“It’s not her.Thisis Briar Holmes,” Dustin spat out.
“Who?” Hadley took a second. “The social media girl?” She stepped back, eyes darting. “Something isn’t right here...”
