“No. I hoped, you know, that Scott would listen to reason.”
Callie’s foot found a pebble, and she kicked it around with the toe of her shoe. “I told him you were onto him and that you were determined to get all the evidence needed to take to Sheriff Terrance.”
Spencer closed his eyes and groaned.
“I know I shouldn’t have said that, but I couldn’t think of any other way to show Scott I was serious.”
“You mean throwing me under the bus was your only option.” Briefly he wondered if he could finish out the school year with virtual learning. He had enough credits to graduate. It would mean only a few months of hiding.
“I know it was a stupid thing to do. I wasn’t going to tell you.”
“Spare me, please.” He was angry now. Furious. Biting his tongue from saying something he’d regret, he whirled around and left her standing in the middle of the parking lot with tears streaming down her face.
* * *
—
Needless to say, Spencer stayed away from the football game that Friday night. He pretended to be sick on Monday morning and was dead bored by noon. As much as it appealed to him, he couldn’t hide for the remainder of the school year. His parents would want to know why, and he’d never been a great liar.
A dozen ideas floated in and out of his mind. The best one was also the most direct. He’d find Scott, tell him Callie was dead wrong. He knew nothing, and even if he did, it wasn’t his business.
The more he thought about it, the stronger the urge grew. He considered sending Scott an email. He had the quarterback’s email address from when he’d hacked into Ben’s computer. While the idea had seemed good, Spencer decided it was best to talk to Scott face-to-face. He’d make sure there were plenty of people around, too, which would lessen his chances of getting beaten to a pulp. Not so close that anyone would listen in on their conversation, though, which left him with few options.
* * *
—
Tuesday morning, Spencer returned to school. He hadn’t told Joel or Brian what Callie had done. While he could use their support, he didn’t want to drag his friends into this mess. He half-heartedly looked for Scott and was almost grateful when he didn’t see him.
He was sitting in his last class of the day, determined to approach Scott before he left, when he heard a noise that sounded something like a firecracker outside in the school parking lot.
Looking out the window, he gasped, horrified at the sight in front of him. His car was on fire.
Not thinking about anything else, Spencer raced out of the classroom.
Ms. Goodwin shouted for him to stop, and when he didn’t, she hurried after him.
Taking off his jacket, he started beating against the flames that had engulfed his 1965 Dodge Dart, while Ms. Goodwin tried pulling him back.
Chapter 20
Cade heard what sounded like a gunshot coming from the high school. He was working on aligning the front end of a Chevy truck and whirled around at the unexpectedness of it. What he saw made the oxygen freeze in his lungs.
Flames leaped from one of the vehicles in the school parking lot.
To his horror, he saw Hope racing after a teenage boy as the kid barreled straight toward the burning car. Hope was mere inches behind him, placing herself in imminent danger. He couldn’t let that happen. With a force stronger than his will or any fear for himself, Cade tossed aside the wrench in his hand as he took off after her. His heart pumped like a race car piston with the terror of what could happen if the car exploded.
As he hurled himself across the street, his legs moving faster than he thought possible, he saw another teenager, a girl this time, following both Hope and the guy. The boy quickly removed his jacket and started beating at the flames. His efforts were futile and put him and Hope at even greater risk.
Anyone could see it was useless, but that didn’t stop him. Nor did it deter Hope, who was desperately trying to drag the teenager away from the burning vehicle.
Terrified the fire would reach the gas tank and explode, killing Hope and the two students, Cade rushed as fast as he could, despite the pain in his leg. No matter the potential cost to him, he refused to let harm come to Hope. Images of his friends burning on the ground flashed through his mind. Not again. Never again. He’d rather die himself than watch someone else he loved suffer a horrible death.
Fire engines screamed in the distance as he reached Hope. Frantic now, he grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back. She stumbled and nearly fell in her struggle to escape him before she realized it was him.
“Get Spencer,” she screamed. “Get him away from the fire.”