There was no way she’d need it. I would be with her the whole time, and if he did come out, I’d call 9-1-1, scream, and wake up the neighborhood. It was better this way—the gun was a security blanket more than anything, and she wouldn’t even know it was gone. Because she wasn’t planning on using it.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out to join her.

“Listen, Remy,” Elise said. She didn’t meet my eyes, just focused on reorganizing and checking the box of fireworks she’d packed. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I need to do this alone.”

“No, that’s not a good idea. Let me help.” A growing sense of dread gripped me. It was impossible to ignore all the signs—Elise’s insistence on going it alone, the gun in her bag, what she’d said on the drive here. One bad night, that’s what she’d said, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was all she wanted.

“This is something I need to do for myself,” she said, her eyes finally meeting mine. “I need to face him alone.”

“Him?” I asked. “You’re going to face him?”

“That’s not what I meant. Don’t overreact, Remy.” She hoisted the box onto a hip and shut the trunk. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“Then what am I even doing here?” I said, panicking. “Wasn’t this supposed to be our grand finale? Something for just the two of us?” I wanted to stop her from making a mistake. I wanted to save her from herself.

“Try to understand,” she said firmly. “It’s personal for me. I need to know I can do this on my own.”

“No!” I said, surprising both of us with the force in my own voice. “I want to go with you. I don’t want you to be alone. What if . . .” I didn’t need to finish. What if she needed me? What if he came outside, confronted her? What if, what if—

I didn’t want to think about what might happen.

Elise set the box down and pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly. “I love you, Remy. I know you’re worried about me. But I can do this by myself, promise,” she whispered into my ear.

Then she picked up the box, grabbed her messenger bag, and left. I wanted to follow her. I wanted to be close by in case she needed help. But I was also scared. What if she spotted me, what if we fought and woke up her father? I got back into the car and shivered even though it was a summer night.

Leaning my head back, I stared up at the dark sky, clouds scattering the moonlight. I closed my eyes, running a finger over the inscription on my lighter, over and over. I tried to center myself with the steady click of metal as I flipped the top opened and closed. I checked my phone, texted Jack back with an apology, told him that I was with Elise and not to worry. I didn’t know how to tell him the truth about where we were and what we were doing. I wasn’t even completely sure myself what we were doing here. And I knew Elise would see anything I told him as a betrayal. This was personal for her. This was her father.