Jesse - It’s not my story to tell. Does he expect me to carry on as if everything is normal? Not only is there a car following her, but now the bar she owns and her place of work has been targeted. Jesse is a fool if he thinks I’m going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs. Running my hand through my hair, I decide I will get to the bottom of this one way or another. I don’t think Jesse realises who he’s toying with here. He might know Tanner Hayes but this boy from Darcel House has a few tricks up his sleeve.

* * *

Jesse

Crossing the carpark at school, I glance in the direction of my car to see a guy perched up on his motorbike. God damn Tanner. He has his back to me, leaning forward with his arms resting on the handlebars of his bike. The muscle shirt he wears gives him away, anyone who knows him would recognise his tatts. They cover his neck, shoulders and both his arms. Clearly, he’s a good looking rooster, I can see why Kinsley is drooling over him. Freakishly, as if he could sense me standing here, Tanner climbs off his bike and leans against my car. His arms folded across his chest.

“What do you want, tough guy?” I laugh.

“You’re going to tell me who is following, Kinsley.”

I roll my eyes, it clearly wasn’t a question and he isn’t going to give this up. Unlocking my car, I place everything onto the back seat before facing him again.

“Fine. Follow me back to my place, we can talk there.”

Tanner nods as he climbs back onto his bike and buckles his helmet. He walks his bike backwards before starting it up, waiting for me to take the lead. Here goes nothing, let’s just hope Kinsley doesn’t fucking kill me in my sleep.

Ten minutes later, I’m walking into my house with Tanner a few steps behind me. Lou greets us at the door and he stops to acknowledge her; maybe he isn’t so bad after all. I toss my keys onto the kitchen counter and walk towards the fridge. “Beer?” I ask with my back to him.

“Sure,” he clips, clearly eager to get all of this out in the open.

Taking two beers out of the fridge, I place them down on the kitchen counter and flick the tops off of them, sliding one across to Tanner. I perch up onto one of the bar stools and ask him, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know who the fuck is playing with her, Jesse! First there was a car following her, now someone is breaking into Twisted Sister. Surely you don’t think that was a coincidence?”