Page 85 of Forever Defiant
“What trip?” My heartbeat thundered in my ears like I’d been tackled from behind. “Why?” I demanded.
Dante gave me a look like I already knew the answer. And unfortunately... yeah, I did. Hadley, plus a car, plus Savvy? I doubted it was for a spa day.
“Where is she going?” I asked, throat tight.
“No idea. Sav said Hadley needed to check something out—” Dante paused — “off campus.”
“Where off campus?”
He hesitated.
“Dante.”
A jaw-tightening beat.
“They’re going to Nashville.”
“Why?” I stepped closer. “Tell me she didn’t find him.” I looked at him. “Tell me they aren’t going after him.”
He shook his head quickly. “No, an old friend of Hadley’s.”
“She has friends?”
Dante snorted and failed to hide his grin. “You need to know more about the woman you’re hooking up with,” he said, rolling his eyes.
I swore loudly enough that two freshmen flinched.
“Dustin,” Dante said, lowering his voice, “you need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” I stepped closer to him so no one could overhear us. “She’s digging into this. Off campus. Without telling anyone.”
“She told Sav.”
I hesitated. “Willingly?” I demanded. He shrugged. “Right. That doesn’t count.”
Dante arched a brow. “Why doesn’t it count?”
“Because—” I stopped. Yeah. I couldn’t say, because I’m scared for her. Couldn’t say because anything involving Mason Sterling made my skin crawl.
Dante exhaled through his nose. “Look, Sav said they’ll be back later tonight. She thinks it’ll be quick.”
“Nothing about this is quick,” I snapped. My hands curled into fists. “She’s found something,” I muttered. “She doesn’t know how to stop.”
“No,” Dante agreed. “She really doesn’t. Which is exactly why you can’t keep kissing her when she’s in the middle of blowing this whole thing open.”
I glared at him. “Not helpful.”
“Not trying to be helpful,” he said. “Trying to keep you out of trouble.”
I dragged a hand down my face, pulse still racing, lungs too tight. “She shouldn’t have gone alone,” I said.
“She didn’t.”
“That’s not comforting.”
He sighed. “Look, I get it.”
“No, you don’t.”
