“Fine by me,” he says, and then I know he isn’t joking. His tone made it clear he was done having a discussion with me. One second, I’m standing here, and the next, his hands are around my waist and picking me up like I’m light as a feather and putting me in the passenger seat. All I can do is look at him in shock that he just did that. He gets so close to me that I have to hold my breath. “I dare you to run.” His tone is fierce and menacing. “I didn’t catch you eight years ago,” he finally says, and my mouth opens at that. “But I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

He slams the door closed, and I’m stuck here in the seat as if he put crazy glue down, and I can’t move. He gets into the truck and starts it and pulls out of the parking lot. We see Casey pulling out at the same time, and all they do is nod at each other. He turns down the pitch-black road, and he presses his Bluetooth to call Casey. He answers after one ring, and his voice is tight. “What?”

“Just giving you a heads-up that Kallie isn’t going home right away,” he says, and my head snaps up to him.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Jacob?” Casey says, and all Jacob does is disconnect the call.

“Jacob, I want you to take me home,” I say, and he just shakes his head.

“There are things that need to be said,” he says, and then he makes his way to the creek. I know he’s going there.

“We can talk tomorrow over coffee.” My hand holds onto the door for dear life. My heart is beating so fast all I can do is hear the echoes in my ears.

He doesn’t say anything to me when he parks the car and turns off the light, and he turns to look at me with his back to the door. “Kallie, we can do this one of two ways. The easy way or the hard way.”

“I don’t even know what that means,” I say, opening the door and jumping out of his truck. “Honest to God, Jacob, I have no idea what that means.”

The sound of his door closing fills the silent air. “Aren’t you tired of running?” he asks.

“Fuck you, Jacob,” I spew at him and turn to walk toward the creek. “Let’s get this over with so I can go home and forget tonight.”

During the whole walk to the creek, I just get angrier at the nerve of him demanding this shit and the audacity of him forcing me to do this. “I don’t know why we have to do this,” I finally say when I hear the creek. “There really isn’t much to say.”