Page 51 of Sweet Dreams

I laugh. He’s not wrong. I mean, name one other male who drives around in a minivan. “That would be Silas.”

“Why is he parked out front, and why didn’t he go with you this morning?”

“That’s a long story, one I don’t feel like getting into at this second.”

He turns to me. “If he somehow hurt you, you let me know, and I’ll tune the fucker in.”

“Of that, I am certain. Silas? Please, he's a piece of cake for me to deal with.”

Dad laughs, hitting the steering wheel. “I taught you well.”

I give him a quick hug and hop out of the truck, and I don’t even look toward Silas as I make my wayto the front door. He doesn’t deserve my time. I have to keep moving forward; there's no space for him in my life anymore. I've got to tackle one mess at a time, and Silas is right at the bottom of that list.

I’ve been parking outside Teagan's house every day for three days. The thought of someone showing up still doesn’t sit right. The cop came by the other day, and I had to refrain from meeting him at the door. I don’t think that asshole is doing his job, it’s a small town, and nobody has been arrested yet. I think that’s horseshit. He must be in cahoots with Nancy; that's the only reason things are moving at a snail's pace.

Every time Teagan steps out of her house, I half expect her to come swinging at my windshield with a baseball bat. But she just walks past me without saying a word. It’s like I don’t exist to her, and it’s the worst feelingin the world. But I’ll take it; it’s my punishment.

I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to the one person I’ve been dreading, and I’m not sure I trust them. With the way the rumour mill circles, it won’t take long before everyone knows what I’ve been up to. I need to play my cards right. Leroy and some guys plan to crash at my place when they roll into town tonight. It would be a bit of a stretch to say I'm psyched about it, but it’ll be easier to plan, so I shouldn’t complain.

When a white Range Rover approaches Teagan’s house it causes, the hairs on my neck rise. Only one family in this town drives Range Rovers—the Montgomery’s. The SUV parks across from her house, and I blindly reach for the crowbar on the passenger seat, never taking my eyes off the car. When they don’t move for five minutes, I text Teagan.

Me: Don’t open the door no matter what you hear.

Stepping out of my car, I grab the crowbar and casually walk towards the vehicle. The thought that things could go awry hasn’t even crossed my mind. Tapping on the driver’s window, they ignore me. I tap again.

“I only wanna talk; roll it down.”

The window moves an inch, not enough to see who’s behind the wheel, which only irritates me. My grip tightens on the bar.

“That’s all your getting, who the fuck are you?” The prick behind the wheel asks.

I laugh because this guy thinks he is a hotshot. “Well, considering you’re parked outside my girl's place, I’ll do the questioning. Which Montgomery are you?”

“Why does it matter to you?”

I tap the crowbar on his window. “It fuckin’ matters. Answer the question before I smash the window in.”

“Blaine, the son.”

That explains the attitude. I see that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Spoiled breeds spoiled.

“Why are you lurking around here? I highly doubt it's for a casual chat over milk and cookies. Did your mommy send you on a spying mission so you can feel like James Bond?”

He rolls the window down, and I get a look at him. His golden locks so slicked back with gel, that not even a hurricane could mess them up. And don't get me started on his tan cable knit sweater and cream tailor pants. They speak volumes.

“Don’t fucking talk to me that way. Do you know who I am?”

I shrug. “Nah, and I don’t care. When you start lurking like a fucking creep, you don’t get to ask questions.” I run my crowbar along his door. “Either you leave with this car intact, or” I step back and swing. The bar hits the passenger door with a loud crunching sound.

Blaine swings his door open, jumping out. “What the fuck!” he yells, touching the fresh dent in his precious car. “You’ll pay for that.”

“I doubt that. Tell me why you’re here, or I’ll do it again.” I move closer to him, stopping inches from his chest. When he doesn’t speak, I back up and move to the front of his car. It would be a shame if those headlights broke. I swing back.

“Whoa, wait, I’ll tell you.”

I drop my arm and stare at him. “Speak.”

“My mother sent me over to give Teagan a scare. She doesn’t want her reopening a business in town.”