Page 102 of Touchdown, Tennessee

Cold fear shot through my spine.

“Gray,” I muttered.

He still carriedswitchbladesaround with him?

Was that just another thing I didn’t know about Gray Gilman? Exactly how dangerous was he?

“You think everyone in college football is going to call you out for being gay, Peachel,” Colby said, “but really people are just tired of you thinking you’re above everything. Always the exception. Bad grades? You pass classes anyway. Find out Ennick’s son is gay? You have to dick him down.”

“Sounds like you’re jealous,” Gray said.

“You don’t know that I had Danny Ennick before you did,” Colby spat at me, a fresh rage in his eyes. “And then the moment you came over to the Tempests in summer he cheated onmewithyou.”

I was so stunned I couldn’t think for a moment.

I saw movement at the edge of the hallway and I moved away from Colby in an instant.

It was just a family walking by, clearly people who were staying at the hotel but with no relation to the party going on.

Gray quickly closed his switchblade and slid it into his pocket, in a practiced, fluid motion. How many times had Gray had a weapon on him and I hadn’t known it? Did he haveotherweapons?

I nodded at the family as they walked by, but clearly, they were wary of what they’d seen.

And then the moment they stepped into an elevator down the way, Colby burst into motion.

He took off running at top speed, rounding the corner and breaking off toward the front lobby. I followed after him fast but Gray kept up next to me, running.

We followed him out the sliding front doors into the chilly night air.

“Over there,” Gray said, pointing toward a car in the lot. “He just got in that white truck. Get in my car.”

“It’s over, Gray.”

“It isn’t over,” he roared, and when he turned to me his eyes were like two blue flames. “Get in my car. Now.”

CHAPTER 16

GRAY

“Christ, what thefuckis going on?” Andrew said from the passenger seat as I gunned my car down the left lane, making sure I kept my eyes trained on the white pickup truck in front of me.

“I’m not going to lose the truck, Peachel,” I said. “And I’m not going to get pulled over, either.”

“Fuck me,” he said. “It’s all over, Gray. Coach is going to find out. He’s going to know everything. What was that?”

An object came flying out from in front of us, suddenly appearing in the pool of light coming from my headlights.

I tilted the wheel fast and swerved my car around it, narrowly missing it. As it whizzed past, it hit the edge of my car, making a tinny sound.

I glared forward, watching the road as I furrowed my brow.

“Holy shit. That was a Thermos. He just threw a metal Thermos at us. Is this guy nuts, Peachel?”

“Didn’t think he was, but I’m learning a lot of new information myself, tonight.”

“Goddamnit. He’s getting off the highway.”

The white truck had swerved toward the exit quickly, hoping I wouldn’t have time to react.