Page 142 of One Good Crash

"No," Jax said in a tone that was annoyingly reasonable. What Isaidwas, I didn't rob him." He gave a tight shrug. "Which I didn't."

What the hell?"But that's a distinction without a difference."

"Not to me."

"Oh, please," I said. "So who robbed him? Jaden?"

"No."

I gave Jax a look. "You know what? I've got like two minutes to get back to the car, so if your plan is to keep giving me the runaround, you'll have to do it another time."

As if there'dbeanother time.

His gaze shifted to the street. "What car?"

"The car that's waiting."

He looked back to me and asked, "Where?"

I flicked my head in the general direction of where I'd been let off. "Up the street."In theory, anyway.

His jaw tightened. "If you wanna leave,I'lldrive you."

I wanted to scream in frustration. "Forget the car. Didn't you hear anything I just said?"

"I heard."

My eyebrows lifted. "So….?"

"So, if you want the story, you'll be getting inmycar, not his."

This whole conversation was beyond ridiculous. "What is that? A bribe?"

He shrugged. "If that's the way you want to look at it."

I held up a hand. "So just to clarify, you're saying that you'llonlytell me if I do what you want?"

"No. What I’msayingis, I don’t want you getting in some stranger's car."

This again?"In case you didn't notice, I got here just fine."

I wasn't even sure why I was arguing. The driver was a giant douchebag. For all I knew, he'd already ditched me. And yet, I hated the thought of Jax driving me home just because he felt hehadto, and not because he wanted to.

Plus, I wanted answers, not a ride in his car. And I was about to tell him so when he turned away, heading down the front steps.

I called out after him. "Wait, where are you going?"

Over his shoulder, he said, "Hang on. I'll be back in a minute."

I didn'thavea minute. I scampered after him, arguing the whole way, even as he reached the sidewalk and then turned in the direction of where I'd pointed.

Oh, God, he wasn't seriously heading to that guy's car, was he?

But yup, he sure was.

Not that it mattered.

The guy was gone.