Yesterday was torture. I spent the whole day missing Chloe, worrying about Nick, and trying not to think about what Tannon said.

I’m a bad person for wanting to drop this. But that guy scared me. He warned us that looking into this will only lead to trouble, and I can’t put Chloe in danger.

I need to see her.

Running up the front steps of Armitage High, I weave through Monday-morning hallway traffic and make sure I swing past Chloe’s locker. She’s standing there chatting with Rahn. Her smile looks kind of forced, like she’s only half listening to her friend.

The second she spots me, her expression transforms, lightening around the edges until she’s giving me a full-blown grin.

I glance around me, sure every student within range is being warmed by her rays. But no one seems to notice and I scratch the back of my neck, tipping my head toward the corridor before loping off.

Looking over my shoulder, I see Chloe kiss Rahn on the cheek and then hurry after me. Rahn looks a mixture of worried and annoyed as she watches her friend rush away.

Shit, I really hate the way people see me sometimes.

When I reach the bottom of the stairwell, I notice the music room door is open, so I head a little farther down the hall and click my fingers when Chloe pops into view.

She grins and runs toward me, leaping into my arms with a giggle. I capture her against me, lifting her off her feet and stepping into the alcove so I can kiss her in privacy. Pushing her back against the wall, I let my tongue do the talking, swiping it into her open mouth and feeling my agitation immediately dissipate.

She threads her fingers into my hair. I love how good that feels. It tells me that she’s as into this kissing thing as I am.

Our lips dance, working in time until we both pull back to catch our breath.

Chloe grins. “Good morning to you too.”

I snicker and rest my forehead against hers. “I know it’s only been a day, but I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She’s still playing with the ends of my hair.

I kind of never want her to stop.

“I have something to tell you,” she whispers.

“Yeah?” I lean back so I can smile down at her.

Her expression takes on a nervous edge and I’m immediately alert.

“I know you want to drop this thing, but I couldn’t turn my back on it.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Shit, Chloe, what did you do?”

“Just a little more research. I didn’t look into the case, specifically. I started with Todd McCrae. I thought maybe he was murdered for a reason and Nick was just another cover-up, you know? Everyone thought it was a carjacking, but maybe there was more to it.”

I groan and let her go.

“Just hear me out. I found Todd’s girlfriend.” She captures my wrist before I can turn away from her. “I went and saw her, and—”

“What?” I snap.

My heart has just taken off, fear for Chloe nearly blinding me.

Does she not get how dangerous this could be?

Why the hell is she playing with fire?

“She told me that Todd was onto something big. She didn’t know what it was, but he was really excited. Said it was going to set them up for the future.”

I go still, curiosity tugging at me in spite of my fear.

“And then she told me that the female detective in charge of the case came and took all his photos, notes, everything, saying it was evidence.”

“What female detective?”

“Exactly.” Chloe bulges her eyes. “Now, she couldn’t remember her name, but the woman was a short Latina…really beautiful, apparently.”

“Well, that narrows it down,” I mutter.

“Yeah, I know, but…the thing is…I really think we should bring Dad in on this.”

“Chloe, no.” I hold up my palms to emphasize what I’m trying to say—stop this! “We have to drop this.”

“But how? We can’t just turn our backs.”

“Yes, we can.” I point to the ground, leaning close to her face and begging her to hear me. “Everyone we’ve spoken to has told us we can’t win this one. I don’t want you getting hurt. I don’t want anyone getting hurt! Things are fine the way they are.”

“No, they’re not! You need Nick, and it’s not fair that he’s locked away for someone else’s crime. Whoever shot Todd McCrae is still out there somewhere.”

“Yeah, and that person probably won’t hesitate to shoot you either! You want to bring your dad in on this? Scott Tannon left his family in order to keep them safe. If your dad starts nosing around, that puts you in jeopardy, and I’m not okay with that.”

“Vincent, come on…”

“No!” I shout. “You leave this alone, Chloe. I mean it.”

Her eyes glint with defiance as she crosses her arms and stares me down. “I can’t do that.”

My heart splinters, a thick shard digging into my gut as I pull the only card I have left. “Then this is over.”

“What?” Her arms drop in time with her mouth.

“I obviously can’t stop you, but I can’t watch you do this either. I’ve told you how I feel. How I want to keep you safe. How I want to be with you. If you care about me at all, you’ll leave things as they are.”

“But I do care about you.” Her lips tremble, piecing my heart back together until she smashes straight through it again. “Which is why I need to find the truth and set Nick free.”

My nostrils flare, my jaw working to the side as I look away from her.

“Vincent, come on.”

“No!” I’m too angry to speak, too rejected to do anything but walk away.

She’s choosing to put her life in danger instead of be with me.

“Vincent!”

I keep walking, thundering up the stairs and hoping it’ll be enough to have her give up on this thing.

But she doesn’t follow me and I’m soon walking to homeroom without my secret girlfriend.

Shit! I thought my speech would work.

Now what the fuck am I supposed to do?