Between the gun, the ammo, and Jake’s evasiveness, my mind screamed—get out of there. The owner of that gun could be home at any minute!
“Well, the assembly should be ending soon. We should head back. Don’t you think so, Gabe?” I winked at him—without Jake seeing.
“Yeah.” Gabe nodded and turned toward the door. “We should go.”
Jake shrugged. “If you want.”
We all headed to the car. Jake came over to the passenger door and flashed me a smile before he sat down.
The ride back to school was very different from the one here. I was still nervous, but for a different reason. I had no idea who this guy was or why he would lie about something like where he had lived. As I sat ramrod straight, a thousand different what if’s flashed through my head.
“So what grade are you in?” Jake asked me, unaware of my changed attitude toward him.
“Junior,” I casually answered, doing my best not to sound anxious.
“You’re a junior?” Jake tilted his head, surprised.
“Yes.”
We hit a small rut and he moved his hand onto my lower back to hold me steady once again. “You seem older—more mature.”
“Well, perhaps I just appear that way because everyone else in high school is so immature.”
Gabe chuckled. “You’re a pistol, Simplicity.”
Lousy choice of words Gabe, I mentally grumbled to myself.
“Maybe we’ll be in a few classes together,” Jake added.
“How old are you, Jake?” Gabe asked.
“Seventeen.”
Gabe nodded. “Well, I doubt you’ll be in any of her classes,” Gabe joked, “she’s a nerd-herder. They’re too smart for the rest of us.”
I shook my head and scolded him playfully, “Gabe, I don’t mind you thinking I’m intelligent, but I do mind you thinking I’m a snob.”
“I apologize.” He grinned and placed his hand on his chest. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you were an elitist. It’s just that our little minds happen to feel intimidated by you and your big-brained friends. That’s all.”
“Big brains,” I scoffed. “The human brain is an average one point five kilograms and scientific studies show there is no correlation between intelligence and mass.”
Gabe rolled his eyes toward Jake. “See what I mean?”
Jake laughed.
Gabe smiled and flashed his gorgeous blue eyes in my direction. “Thank you for proving my point with your rebuttal, Simplicity.”
I huffed, good-naturedly.
We hit a pothole and my head smacked into the car roof. I groaned. My skull ached something fierce.
“Are you alright?” Jake placed his hand on my head to protect it.
The sensation of his fingers touching my hair felt really good. I straightened up and stayed on guard. “Yes. Quite fine.”
Twenty minutes ago, I’d thought this guy was considerate and charming. He’d risked his own life throwing himself over the ledge to rescue me from that fall. He’d been thoughtful getting Gabe and I clothes. His actions spoke volumes about his character. It made me think he was a nice young man, despite his bad-boy attire, but now I was conflicted by a multitude of different signals.
We hit another pothole, but this time I managed to react in time. On edge, I flashed a look of irritation at Gabe.
“Sorry,” Gabe apologized. “This side of the road is junked.”
“Here.” Jake placed his hand on my right shoulder, and then drew me back down onto his chest. “No need to crack your noggin.”
The awkward position plus the reclining bucket seat of the sports car put me in a tricky position. I had to lean on Jake’s body semi-sideways. Unsure how to handle this, I tried to hold myself steady.
Jake put his hand on my back again. I stiffened.
“Why are you so tense? You weren’t like that on the ride here.” Jake flashed a smile.
I mumbled a nonsensical response.
Slowly, his thumb began to rub in small circles on my lower back.
Crap!
Gabe shot a warning look at Jake. “Hey, don’t get too cozy there.”
Jake smirked, leaned closer and whispered through my hair, “So I take it you don’t have a boyfriend?”
Oh, double crap!
Gabe’s head snapped. “Why do you want to know that?”
Jake floated out a cool response. “Just making conversation.”
“Well, stick to the weather.”
The tension inside the car was as thick as New England clam chowder. After several minutes of trying to hover at a sharp angle, my head started to wobble. Slowly, I had to lower my check onto Jake’s shoulder; the sensations that raced through my body overwhelmed my already spinning head. My mind warned, “Be wary,” while my skin that touched his warm body yelled, “Woo-hoo!”
Man, I hate hormones.
Gabe stopped at a red light. “You were pretty hot charging into the fight like that, Simplicity. You looked like one of those female cops on CSI.”
I blushed. “Thanks.”
Gabe flashed one of his endearing smiles. “I figure we should head over to the old west wing where there are no security cameras. Maybe sneak around to the shop doors. What do you think?”
“Sounds logical to me.”
“Good.” Feigning sarcasm, he added, “If anybody knows how to think like a thief, it would be the police chief’s daughter.”
Shoot!
Immediately, I felt Jake’s whole body stiffen underneath me. “Your dad’s a cop?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously, trying to gauge his reaction.
He shifted uncomfortably.
Stupid Gabe. This was information I didn’t want Jake to have at the moment, especially now with me sitting on his lap in a vulnerable position.
“I didn’t know that.” Hastily, Jake removed his hand from my back and placed it on the armrest.
I was happy and sad at the same time.
“I wouldn’t worry about her father. He’s gonna love you for saving her life. I’m the one who knocked her out.” Gabe looked at himself in the rearview mirror. “What do you think he’ll do to me, Simplicity?”
Jake’s jaw tightened and his hand reached for the door handle.
I tried to stay calm. “I wouldn’t be sweating that right now, Gabe.”
Gabe smiled at me, oblivious to what I was worried about. “You’re not going to say anything to him, right?” he prodded.
“Umm . . .” I was going to do just that. My plan was as soon as I got back into the safety of the school, I would immediately call my dad. I cringed knowing I would be in for a doozy of a punishment for skipping class and leaving school grounds, but the dangerous situation I stumbled upon needed to be looked into. I mulled over the softest way to confess to my dad while telling him about everything I had found.
“Simplicity?” Gabe nudged me. “Seriously. Your dad scares the crap out of me, being a cop and all. Plus, he can be a total hard-ass. I’m worried he’s gonna come down on me like a ton of bricks.”
I went into over-the-top acting mode. “Of course—I’m not going to tell him anything.”
Gabe nodded, but Jake eyed me. Trying to sell my performance, I smiled, perhaps a little too wide.
Jake turned and stared out the car window. His breathing rapidly sped up.
Triple Crap!
CHAPTER NINE
Safe