Page 41

Sliding into my ride, my heart hammers against my chest.

No. No way.

Scrubbing my face with my palms, I freeze at the weight . . . or lack there of. I pull back, wanting to scream, and my blood runs cold. Fuck. No.

My watch.

“After that, I found out my watch was at the scene in the grass. I’m the one person who they could connect there at the time of the fire. Derrick knows it. He has a picture of me wearing it. He’s blackmailed me at every chance.”

The only thing I know is that I didn’t do it. I know he’s responsible somehow. I need proof or his father would just get him out of it. None of it matters now, though. “So . . . firework? That’s what he said it was?”

“I lit it. Didn’t think anything of it. They’d been setting off cherry bombs and tiny rockets all night, and I just assumed it was the same. It wasn’t.”

“A firework.” Sawyer’s black brows scrunch.

“I’m sorry.” My excuse now for why I didn’t tell anyone feels so fucking weak.

“I just . . . I knew if I told someone, it’s his word against mine.

I’d go away for something he did. I knew no one would believe me.

I’ve tried to figure out a way to get him to admit it.

I know he had something to do with it. It’s fucking selfish, I know, but—”

He holds a hand up. “We have a problem.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t a firework that made it go up like that. That actually sounds fucking dumb.”

“Right! That’s what I was thinking.” I calm down, Sawyer is not my friend and he looks like wants to punch me. “What do you mean?”

“There was gasoline found at the scene. The back of the building was soaked with it. It went up fast. It was set intentionally. That’s why my mother’s been a fucking mess since.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re an asshole, Mark, but you’re not an arsonist,” he says. “We never disclosed the details of the fire, hoping to catch whoever it was.”

Jesus. “I’ve tried to catch him. We used to be friends, but I wanted to stop talking to him.

It was him that night. I knew it was, I just didn’t know why.

Derrick’s been blackmailing me since because the watch they found at the scene is one of a kind made by my grandfather.

He took a picture of me that night wearing it, placing me at the scene. ”

“Convenient.”

“I know. He set me up and I’m trying to catch him.

He was pissed that night because I sent the girl he wanted to hook up with home.

She was fucking wasted, which . . . knowing now what happened to your sister, which I did not know about, okay?

! I didn’t. I think he drugged them too.

He left to take a piss, then came back and said the place was on fire.

I’ve always known I didn’t do it, but I have no proof and you know what no proof means. ”

“The police will do fuck all.”

I nod. “When Hunter got him kicked off the team, Derrick told me I had to hurt him or he’d turn me in to the cops.

I refused. I couldn’t do that. I suggested I try to fake date him and break his heart instead.

I know it sounds stupid. I didn’t even know it was Hunter until I’d already agreed, then I looked up the roster.

I didn’t want to do it, but it gave me more time.

I just needed him to admit it. I needed someone to slip up somewhere.

We used to party all the time, but I can’t even stomach being around him now. ”

Sawyer shakes his head, taking this all in.

I know this is bad, I’m fucking terrible, but I’d thought my intentions were coming from a good place.

I never wanted to hurt Hunter. I never wanted Sawyer’s mother to fear for her life or her kids.

I had these fucking blinders on. I thought trying to catch Derrick was enough.

It wasn’t. I should have come to Sawyer months ago.

Like Hunter said, I’m a coward. “I didn’t even think Hunter would want to talk to me, let alone date me.

I didn’t expect any of this. Last year Derrick and I hung out a lot, but lately I can’t stomach it.

I was hoping he slip up and tell me something.

All he does lately is threaten and use me. I have nothing.”

Sawyer thinks for a moment. “He drugged my sister at a party and tried to assault her. Thankfully one of her friends walked in. Derrick made some excuse that she passed out and he was laying her down. Jane doesn’t drink like that though. She was tested after and had drugs in her system.”

Shame punches me. “I didn’t know that until I’d already started dating Hunter. I swear. I tried to pretend to be Derrick’s friend to get him to admit he did it. I don’t know what to do now, but if it helps with insurance money or whatever you need, I’ll turn myself in.”

Sawyer blinks at me before shaking his head.

“We’re going to set all of that aside for a moment.

I want to talk about Hunter.” I breathe, failing to hold back the tears that instantly spring to my eyes.

Fuck, I miss him so much. I shut them hard, not wanting to cry in front of Sawyer. “Was it all fake?”

“No.” I swallow. “I mean, I was being blackmailed. Hunter told you about the first night we met?” He nods.

“That was before the blackmail. I felt something then. I didn’t know what, but it felt like something.

When Derrick told me to date the captain of the hockey team, I didn’t know it was Hunter.

I was trying to find a way out. I didn’t want to hurt him.

I know you don’t believe me, but I didn’t, I swear.

” Taking a deep breath, I feel lost. “Hunter is like a light personified. He makes me so fucking happy, and it’s like he doesn’t even realize he’s just the most incredible person.

I admire him and I—” Pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes so hard it hurts, I confess, “I love him so much.”

“You were trying to find proof that he did it?”

“I’m not going to say we weren’t friends. I thought we were friends. I’d never really had friends before and suddenly I had this friend group. When I realized they weren’t the type of people I wanted to be around, it was too late.”

Sawyer leans back. “I don’t like you. You may not have set fire to our restaurant, but you hurt my best friend.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t. Like at all.” Sawyer sighs. “Hunter’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He’s had shitty boyfriends, but he’s never loved anyone like this. On top of that, there’s all the bullshit he has going on at home. He’s devastated. He thinks all of it it was a lie.”

“It’s not!” How could I do this to him? “He hates me.”

Sawyer smiles now, and it’s a pitying thing.

“He doesn’t hate you. He fucking loves you and this is breaking him.

” He thinks for a moment. “I can’t say I think you did the right thing, but I get why you did it.

And I know from experience that they won’t investigate him without proof.

His father will shield him every damn time. I have an idea, though.”

“What?”

“If you help me get proof that Derrick burned down the restaurant, I’ll talk to Hunter for you. Maybe if he hears exactly what happened he’ll understand. I don’t want him hurting like this either.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“I’m helping him, because he’s in pain and I hate that. I believe your feelings are real, and if they weren’t I wouldn’t be.”

“None of it was fake. I know what it looks like, but I never wanted to do this.”

Sawyer’s jaw ticks as he leans back, arms folded over his chest. “I’m not saying I’ll ever like you.

This is a lot. It’s a lot to take in. Even if you didn’t do it, you should have said something.

Then again, I understand that if you did, you’re right, no one would have believed you.

Except me. I believe you.” He gives me a hard glare.

It’s not forgiveness, not even close, but I’ll take it.

This is my best bet. I don’t even care if Hunter doesn’t want me at the end of this. I just want him to know how much he means to me. That nothing we shared is fake. I love him and I’m not going to let him believe he’s nothing to me. “What are we going to do?”

“You are going to confront him and make him confess.”