Page 71 of Killer Notes
“The food tent. But it’s nearing nine and I think it shut down at six—Tobias, none of our security is with them,” he says, matching my long stride step for step.
When we reach the closed tent, Connor, Callum, Raef, Bobby, and the roadies are sitting at an empty table, talking.
“Where’s Danny?” I demand with urgency. Not seeing Danny with his friends has my heart racing and my pulse pounding in my ears, and I almost missed what Connor says.
“He went with Laney to get gas. They’ll be back in an hour,” Connor explains but loses his smile when he glances at John. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Laney. She’s Danny’s stalker.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Danny
I climb into Laney’s VW bug that was dropped off earlier today, and close the door.
“We’ll be back in an hour,” Laney says as she starts the car. “Gerlach is only thirty minutes away. And thanks for coming with me.”
“When are you going?” I ask, not bothering to look at her.
“I’m going to stay for the rest of the festival, but this way I can head out right after and not have to worry about getting gas.”
I nod, without saying another word. I don’t want to be rude, but I’d rather sit here and be quiet with my thoughts.
Leaning my forehead against the window, I watch as the vast darkness of the desert passes by. The quiet of these moments gives me no semblance of peace. And why should it?
Tomorrow might be one of the greatest days of my life. But today has been one of the worst.
I fucked everything up with Tobias.
My heart hurts and my gut twists tight at the memory of the bleak expression on Tobias’s face. It is something I will never forget. Or the mortification that flooded my body with his silence.
Those three simple words shattered what friendship and affection we had. And I know I can’t get it back. I know this is the end of us.
Why did I have to say those three words to him? Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut, for once? Why doesn’t he love me back?
A firm hand on my arm jostles my thoughts back to the present.
“Danny?” Laney’s less than gentle voice has me turning to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, moving my arm and shifting my attention back to the window.
“You know you can talk to me, Danny. I’m your friend. And as your friend, we don’t keep secrets from each other. Ever”
I angle my head back around. “What?” I’m confused and surprised that she thinks that we’re friends when we hardly know each other.
She pulls over to the side of the road, puts the car in park and faces me. “Don’t you see me as your friend, Danny?” Her tone might be mild, but the light from the dashboard shows her eyes sparking with rage.
I suck in a breath. “Laney,” I barely finish saying her name before she backhands me across my bruised face and the back of my head slams against the window. Stars explode across my vision, and it’s a few seconds before I’m able to see the enraged woman before me. For a small person, Laney’s hit packs a punch.
If I thought my day was horrible before, now I’m colossally fucked.
“No, Danny. You will listen to me. I’ve done everything for you.Everything. And this is how you repay me?” Her face softens into an easy but evil smile and then she pulls out a knife from under her thigh and points the tip right at my face. “I love you. And I will do whatever it takes for you to love me back. And that includes hijacking you from all the trash.”
Oh my God. “I love you. And I will do whatever it takes for you to love me back.”
Those words gnarl up inside my gut. Earlier today, I was thinking the same thing about Tobias—okay, maybe not exactly those words, but close enough to make me shudder. You won’t see me sending threatening notes to Tobias, though.
Then the rest of what she said hits me. “Trash? What are you talking about?”