Page 34 of Jessica, Not Her Real Name

Problem was, if he kept scrolling, he would stumble across a dick pic. No doubt about it. Probably one where the little weirdo had dyed his pubes blue or some shit. Daniel had seen a lot of bad things in his life, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to come back fromthat.

He selected all the photos and hitdelete, then dug into the “recently deleted” folder and wiped those too. That was as good as it got.

He tossed the phone back.

Milo caught it and groaned. “Aw, come on, man! One of those was gonna be my album cover.”

Daniel ignored him. “So Terry doesn’t know about her?”

Milo was still sulking over his lost masterpieces. “No. And I wasn’t gonna tell him. Bros before hoes, right?”

Daniel nearly decked him right then and there. Not just for calling Julia a hoe, but for ever thinking they were bros.

Instead, he smacked the back of Milo’s head, hard enough to make a point. “You ever talk about her again—you eventhinkabout her again—and I’ll shove that phone so far down your throat your followers will see what you had for breakfast.”

Daniel yanked the van back onto the road, gravel spraying behind him.

As the engine rumbled beneath him, he exhaled slowly, trying to let the rage drain out.

Relief crept in, replacing it.

Milo was a snake, but he was a stupid one. If he said Terry didn’t know about Julia, then Terry didn’t know.

That didn’t mean she was safe forever.

But it meant she was safe…for now.

* * *

Julia leaned down and knocked on the window of the ’Cuda.

The young man in the driver’s seat looked up and blinked at her. His expression flitted from alarm, to relief, then to something like embarrassment. He took out his earbuds and wound down the window.

She said, “It’s Sebastián, right?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, looking down at the phone in his lap. “Shit. I think I’m meant to be doing this covertly or something.”

“By ‘this’, do you mean stalking me?”

Sebastián’s eyes widened. “No! I mean, not me.” He gave a quick shake of his head. “I mean…not Daniel either.”

Julia raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

“Daniel had to leave town for a couple of days, and he was worried about you, so he asked me to come by and check on you.” He sighed and dropped his head. “Yeah, that kinda sounds like stalking, right?”

She didn’t reply, letting her silence answer the question.

When she’d come home and found the ’Cuda parked in the lane opposite her house, her immediate response had been excitement at the thought of seeing Daniel again. She’d quickly shelved that feeling and replaced it with one of wariness. When she’d plucked up enough courage, she’d walked down her drive and crossed the road to find out what he was doing there, only to discover it was the younger Castaño sitting in the driver’s seat.

She looked back down at Sebastián. “Is there any reason why your brother is suddenly so worried about me?”

Sebastián’s expression became cagey. “Yeah, you’re going to have to ask him that.”

The sun was setting, and a chilly breeze was raising goosebumps on her arms. She pointed at the passenger side. “Can I?”

“Oh, sure.”

She got in the car. They were both quiet for a spell. Then Sebastián said, “You’re not bothered? By the whole stalking thing?”