Too Strong: Chapter 25

“IT’S ODD,” Mia says, glancing out the kitchen window. “Rose is never late.” She turns, watching me dial Vivienne’s number for the tenth time.

It’s almost quarter past five. Rose’s piano lessons start at five, but they’re not here yet. Vee’s cell is switched off, the voice mail driving me fucking insane.

“Have you tried calling Rose?” I ask, flinging my phone aside. “I don’t have her number.”

“Yes. No answer. It’s switched off.” She looks out the window again like she might summon them if she stares long enough. “They’d call if they knew they were running late.”

“You’re sure Rose didn’t mention taking a break over the holidays?” Nico asks, foraging through the fridge for something to eat.

“I’m sure.”

“Vee mentioned telling her dad about me,” I say, verbalizing my thoughts. “He’s not a fan of the Hayes.”

Nico turns to face me, a bottle of water in hand, as he spits out one short, harsh word, “

?”

“He doesn’t like our dad. Says he only cares about people with money in this town.”

“That’s fucking bullshit.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Vee thought maybe they fell out back in school or something, which would make more sense.” I run my hand down my face. “If she told him last night, maybe he didn’t take the news well.”

“And did what? Grounded her? She’s a grown woman, Conor. You can’t ground an adult.”

“Well, her dad seems to think that while she lives under his roof, he has the right to dictate her life, so maybe he did. Maybe he took her phone, too.”

I grab my cell, trying her again, and when I hear the machine, that’s fucking it. “I’m gonna go there.” I jump to my feet, pulling my keys from my back pocket. “I need to know she’s okay.”

Nico nods, gulping down half the bottle before he says, “You’re not going alone.”

Now it’s my turn for that one harsh word. “

?”

“If he grounded Vivienne for seeing you, he’s not your fan, Conor. You don’t know the guy. You don’t know what he’ll do, so either Cody and Colt go with you, or I do.”

“You’re overreacting,” I say, pushing Cody back down when he starts getting up. “I don’t need a warden.”

Nico sets the bottle aside, pulling Mia into his side to kiss her head. “Call us if the girls show up.”

“Fine,” I snap, knowing damn well I won’t win this argument. “Fucking .” It takes little effort to piss Nico off, and he looks ready to snap someone’s neck, so he’s not the one I want trailing behind me. “I’ll take Cody and Colt. Better you don’t start growling at the guy. Won’t win me any points.”

“Smart choice,” he agrees.

“Okay, let’s go,” Colt says, fisting his keys. “I’m driving.”

“Of course you are,” Cody mumbles, pushing past him to get outside and shotgun the passenger seat.

“You know where she lives?” he asks as we exit the house, jogging down the concrete steps.

“Yeah, Bayside Trailer Park.”

He slowly runs his hand down his face, demonstrating that he currently thinks I’m dumb. “That much I know. I’m asking if you know which trailer.” He bangs the door, getting behind the wheel. “You’ve never dropped her home, have you?”

I shrug, buckling my seatbelt when he kicks the pedal to the floor, almost fucking drifting onto the main road. He’s been disappearing late into the night lately, his destination a secret from everyone, including Cody and me.

At first, we thought he was seeing someone and didn’t want to share the news, but Cody followed him last weekend when I was busy with Vee. Turns out he’s entering illegal street races just outside of town. We’ve not confronted him about it yet, deciding to wait until after Christmas, but right now, it’ll help get my mind off things.

“I’ll ask someone,” I say. “Now tell me why the fuck you’re racing and keeping it a secret.”

His foot falters on the pedal before his grip on the steering wheel tightens so hard that his knuckles whiten. “Who told you?”

“I followed you last weekend,” Cody admits, pleased with himself. “You thought you could keep things from us?”

“I hoped I could have a life and not share every tiny detail with you two.”

“Yeah… no. Won’t happen. Go on, spill. What’s the deal? If Shawn finds out, he’ll rain fire on your ass.”

“He won’t find out. That circle’s been running for three years.”

“Why did you join?” I ask.

He shrugs, taking a left turn. “I needed something to unwind. Managing Nico’s businesses isn’t a walk in the park. It’s exhausting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the job, but the pressure gets too much, and fucking random girls doesn’t take the edge off.”

“Maybe you should fuck the girl? Seems to work for Nico. He’s doing better since Mia.”

“If I ever find the right one, I’ll stop racing. Until then, I’ll keep at it. Promise not to blab, and I’ll take you with me one weekend. We do offroad once a month, so you can ride at the back.”

“You offroad in this?” Cody scoffs, glancing around, looking for a concealed safety cage.

“No. I bought something else.” He turns left, and a big sign on the roadside tells me we’re here.

The car jolts along the dirt road, stirring up a thick cloud of dust. I’ve seen pictures of this place online, but they must’ve been taken years ago when the trailer park was first built.

Every time I dropped Vee off, I didn’t get near enough to see the trailers. She made me stop on the main road, the park hidden from view by thick bushes and trees. Now, there’s nothing obscuring the view.

The trailers loom like rows of decaying teeth, each one in worse shape than the last. Used-to-be white fences around the porches are either missing or rotted. The metal roofs sag under the weight of trash and time. Windows are opaque with grime, and the paint peels away in flakes, exposing brown-speckled metal underneath.

A big Rottweiler barks outside a trailer, and I no longer need to ask where Vee lives. She told me about the dog and how he wakes her up in the dead of night, barking at a cat or gust of wind.

I look over to where my girlfriend lives, where she spent every day since she was a little girl, my imagination picturing her playing with neighbor kids.

Despite the happy images my mind creates, this place gives off a vibe of abandonment. A place where dreams go to die.

“Park here,” I tell Colt, pointing ahead. “And wait in the car.”

They both nod but unbuckle their seatbelts. The air’s thick with a musky scent, a mix of damp earth, rotting leaves, and dirt. The rickety steps up to the door creak under my weight, but I don’t get to knock before the door flies open, and I’m staring into the barrel of a hunting rifle.

It takes my brothers a second to exit the car, the door slamming shut, but I don’t dare look over my shoulder. There’s a gun pointed at my head, so stopping my brothers making this worse is the least of my problems.

I doubt this can get any fucking worse.

“Leave,” Vee’s father spits. “You’re trespassing.”

“I’m looking for Vivienne.” Surprisingly my voice sounds steady as I look past the barrel, shepherding the twinge of fear resonating through me. “Is she home?”

“Which part of don’t you understand, kid? You have ten seconds to get off my property.”

“Dad!” Rose cries in the background. A second later, she comes into view, her horrified eyes swinging between the gun and me. “What’s wrong with you?! Put it down!”

“Get back in your room! Now!” He cocks the gun, aiming between my eyes.

The conviction in his gaze could rival Nico’s.

I know he won’t fucking shoot me, but he sure knows how to make an impression.

Although… who knows, maybe he will shoot me.

Shawn told us plenty more fucked-up stories, so I shouldn’t underestimate my future father-in-law.

A hell of a way to meet the guy, that’s for sure.

“Stop aiming at him!” Rose yelps, fixing her fear-ridden eyes on me. “Just go, Conor. Please, just go. She’s not here. I don’t know where—” She’s cut off by Derek, who shoves her back, then slams the door in my face.

“He’s nuts,” Cody says when I turn around and head back toward the car. “Good thing Nico isn’t here. He’d fucking break him in half if he saw him pointing a gun at you.”

Better he never finds out.