Chapter 6

I squinted down at the text again. From the driver's seat, Jake said, "Read it out loud."

Nervously, I glanced toward the back seat, where Trey was still tapping on his computer.

"Trey!" Jake said.

The guy didn't even flinch. Either he was used to Jake barking out his name, or those headphones were a lot nicer than anything I had ever used. Maybe it was a little of both.

Jake turned his attention back to me. "Scroll up," he said. "There's more than what I showed you."

Reluctantly, I returned my gaze to the phone. I scrolled upward. Starting with the earliest text, I began to read, translating the text shortcuts to actual words. "Looking for a girl from your old neighborhood."

I scrolled down. "And you ask, 'Who?' And they say—" At the next words, heat flooded my face, and I stopped reading.

What?" Jake said. "You don't wanna read it?"

As if he didn't know. I looked down, reading the words again in my head. Jenna Moon. Or whatever she's going by. Chick changes her name like once a month.

"Oh shut up," I said, looking over at Jake. "So they're obviously looking for me. But who is it?"

"You tell me," Jake said.

"Hey, it's your phone."

His jaw tightened. "I want to hear it from you."

"Oh come on," I said. "How would I know?"

Jake gave me a dubious look.

Okay, so I had a few guesses. But none I'd bet my life on. "Honestly," I said. "I really don't know."

"Then keep reading," he said.

I looked down. "Okay, so you ask, 'Why?', and they say—" My stomach clenched. "—to settle a score." I looked up. "What does that mean?"

He flicked his gaze to the phone. "Go on."

Again, I scrolled down. "So you ask, 'What score?' And they say, 'She stole something. I need to get it back. ASAP." I looked toward Jake. "But that's a total lie."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely," I said. "I didn't steal anything."

"Uh-huh."

"I didn't," I insisted. "I'm no thief."

He leaned back in seat. "Now that's funny."

"Funny how?"

At the next stoplight, Jake turned to give me a long look. "You stole from me."

At this, I felt my face grow uncomfortably warm. I knew exactly what he meant. "Your motorcycle?" I said. "That doesn’t count, and you know it."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because," I said, "I was just messing with you. And besides, you got it back, didn't you?"

That was how long ago? At least seven years. I'd been only sixteen at the time. Back then, Jake had been a twenty-something bad-ass with a terrible reputation. I'd taken that bike on a dare. I bit my lip. Okay, so it wasn't only because of the dare.

Mostly, I'd been hoping for a ride.

I'd fantasized about it, actually. In my adolescent dreams, I saw myself riding behind him, feeling the wind in my hair and savoring the tautness of his abs as I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on for dear life.

In my fantasies, I pressed my cheek against his muscular back and squeezed my thighs against his tight hips. And maybe, just maybe, when we stopped, Jake would turn around and kiss me like I'd always wanted him to. And then, somehow, in that impossible moment, he'd realize that I was the girl for him, even if I was still in high school.

It never happened.

Now, inside his car, I heard myself sigh. I didn't get that ride. There was no kiss. And I'd almost gotten arrested for grand-theft, well, motorcycle, I guess. Worst of all, Jake had called me a brat, like I was still a chubby-cheeked kid who played with dolls.

At the time, that had been the worst part.

Sitting in the passenger's seat, I stiffened my spine. That was a long time ago, and I'd grown up a whole lot since then. I didn't want a ride, and I sure as hell didn't want to be Jake's girlfriend, not that he'd offered.

"So you didn't steal the bike?" he said.

"It's not stealing if you return it," I said.

"Uh-huh."

I turned to face him. "Will you please stop saying that?"

"Why?"

"Because it's annoying, that's why."

"You know what's 'annoying'?" he said. "Losing your motorcycle to a sixteen-year-old smart-ass."

"Oh quit whining," I said. "That was like a hundred years ago."

"It was seven," he said.

"Close enough," I said. "Besides, it's not like I actually drove it. Remember?" With the help of a couple girlfriends, I'd rolled the thing at least a mile though. Probably, I should have ridden it all by myself. Then I would have gotten at least some fun out of the deal.

When I'd been younger, I'd watched as my older sister rode around with Jake's brother, who was practically Jake's twin. Just like everyone else, I'd been shocked as hell when she'd hooked up with a Bishop. To think, she had always been the good girl in the family.

Me, not so much.

Still, the thing with Jake's brother had cost my usually smart sister plenty – a full scholarship and half her sanity. The way I saw it, she'd dodged a huge bullet the day she left that guy.

Bishops were nothing but trouble.

Inside the car, I glanced toward Jake. In profile, he looked just as good, maybe better, than I remembered. My heart gave a little flutter. Damn it. If my own sister had finally wised up, why couldn't I?

From the driver's seat, Jake gestured toward the phone. "Keep reading," he said.

Reluctantly, I returned my attention to his cell phone. Funny, I'd almost completely forgotten about those text messages. That had to be Jake's fault too, right?

See? He was trouble.

I resumed reading. "So you ask, 'Stole what?'" I scrolled down. "And they say—"I glanced toward Jake.

"Read it," he said.

I didn't want to. But I did anyway. "A little black book."

Oh crap.

Slowly, I turned toward Jake. "Wait a minute," I said, my mouth feeling way too dry. "You're not taking me to him, are you?" I reached toward the door handle and eyed the next red light.

"What are you gonna do?" Jake said. "Jump?"

I bit my lip. "Maybe."

"Well don't," he said.

"Why not?"

"Because," he said, "Rango can kiss my ass."

I swallowed. "He can?"

"Yeah," Jake said. "Because from now on, you're with me."

Something about the way he said it made butterflies dance in my stomach. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. When we reached the light, Jake turned to face me. Briefly, his gaze dipped to my lips, and I felt my tongue brush the back of my teeth.

Okay, so the guy had just spent most of the previous night screwing my roommate. I should've been disgusted. Part of me was disgusted. But there was another part – the remnant of the girl I used to be – that was more than a little intrigued. What exactly had he been doing to her?

Somehow, I found my voice. "What do you mean?" I asked.

His dark gaze met mine, and I saw possessiveness in his eyes. If looks could claim, I'd have already been his.

But then, he spoke in a voice cold enough to give me goosebumps – not the good kind, the other kind. "No one," he said, "fucks with my family."

I stared over at him. "Huh?"

A few cars behind us, a horn honked. I glanced ahead. The light was green. Jake hit the accelerator, and we roared forward.

Jake glanced in the rear-view mirror. His jaw tightened. A horn honked again.

I refused to be distracted. "What do you mean, family?" I said.

"Not now," Jake said.

"Why not now?" I demanded.

Jake reached back to wave a hand in front of Trey's face. Trey looked up and removed the headphones.

Jake turned to me. "Hang on," he said.

Before I ask why, he whipped the car onto a narrow side street. I glanced outside my window. There was barely any traffic, but along the sidewalks, I saw a fair number of pedestrians, some in business attire, some in workout clothes.

We weren't speeding, but something about Jake's demeanor was making my uneasy. I glanced behind us, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, just some oversized luxury car, mostly white, except for a big gold grill that took up most of the front end.

I returned my attention to Jake. "So," I said, "you live around here?"

"No."

"Oh fine. I give up." I closed my eyes and leaned back in the seat. Maybe if I were lucky, I'd wake up in my own bed – correction, Monica's old bed, before she was busted – and before Jake got me fired and kicked out of my sorry excuse for an apartment.

"Luna," Jake said.

I didn't bother to open my eyes. "What?"

"Brace yourself."