Page 1 of Savage Heart

Prologue

Maverick, age eighteen

Last night

The lights near the old Jensen house cut through the darkness. On the other side of the mountain, the place has stood empty for years, and throughout high school, the land surrounding the decrepit house has been the place to hang out. Choices are limited in Ironwood.

It’s late by the time I get there, cars lining the grass, and the sound of laughter and music booms out here in the middle of nowhere.

My parents and Lincoln’s threw a farewell party for us at the ranch, and it went later than we expected. Lincoln managed to sneak out sooner than I did, the lucky bastard. Except he and Iris seemed like they were arguing again, which put a bit of a damper on things. They’ve been fighting for weeks now, and neither one will tell me why. It’s driving me crazy. Hopefully they’re in a better mood by now. We’ve spent most of our lives together. Lincoln and Iris are my best friends, and I don’t want our last night in the same place to be anything short of amazing.

Lincoln leaves for Ohio State first thing in the morning. He got a full-ride scholarship to play football. Iris is going to Central Wyoming, a community college that’s not too far away. And I’m heading to Cal Poly to study agricultural economics and business.

A few people are dancing, but most are sitting around the bonfire or making out against the trees or in their cars by now. I fill a red SOLO cup with Coke and add a liberal amount of rum. My older brother Grady told me to call him if we need a ride later.

“Lincoln!” I hear some girls calling him and turn to see if I can spot him.

I finally find him next to Iris by the bonfire. Her long blond hair glows in the light, and she’s changed into her barely there jean shorts. I swallow hard.

“Don’t leave without saying bye,” Millie Claire says to Lincoln, laughing.

I can tell by the way Iris clenches her jaw that she’s not too happy with the way the night is going. She takes a long swig from her own Solo cup.

“I’m not leaving yet,” Lincoln says, laughing.

“I know, but when you do—” Millie Claire leans over and whispers something in Lincoln’s ear, and Iris walks away.

“Iris, wait!” Lincoln says, following her.

Iris spots me and lights up the way she always does.

“Hey,” she says. “Took you a while to get here.”

“Yeah, took forever for the party to clear out. But I’m here now.” I bump her with my arm.

“Sorry we left early.” She makes a face.

“You okay?” I ask. “What was that over there?”

She’s about to answer when Lincoln sees me.

“There you are,” Lincoln says, propping his arm around my shoulder. He gives me a dopey grin, and I laugh.

“Someone has had some”—I lean in to smell his drink and wrinkle my nose—“correction, a lot of whiskey.”

“It doesn’t smell, does it?” He sticks the cup in Iris’s face, and her eyes go wide, and then she’s running.

Lincoln looks at me, and we both move to follow her. She throws up in the trees. Shit.

I’m almost there when Zoey Samuels steps in front of me. I look past her, where Iris is standing up and nodding like she’s okay, and I relax a little. Zoey flirts with me for a while, and eventually Lincoln and Iris come back to the bonfire.

“You okay?” I ask Iris for the second time that night.

“I ate something that hit me wrong,” she says. “And now my stomach is going through an active rebellion.”

I snort, but when she lifts her glass and takes a drink, I stare at her in disbelief.

“You sure you want more of that right now?” I ask under my breath.