“I don’t know, Rach. But who else knows about the journal and song other than me?”

“Um, C-Candice’s entire family knows about the journal, but only Candice knows about the song.”

“And who knows about pancakes besides us?” he asked softly, and reached for me.

“Oh God,” I cried, and my vision instantly blurred as I let him pull me back into his lap.

“Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m going to keep you safe. I swear.” His lips brushed my forehead and he held me tighter to him. “If Candice hasn’t told him about those things, then either Blake or the other guy is watching us a lot closer than we thought. Do you know a Marvin Cross?”

I tried to think, but my head was spinning with all this new information. “Um, I don’t—I don’t think so. It doesn’t sound familiar. Why?”

“That’s the guy’s name. If you ever see a dark green Explorer, I want you to call me.”

“How do you know his name?”

There was a short pause before his answer. “We called the police and had them run the license plate on the car.”

I didn’t think they would just give that information out. But I was so shaken up, I was sure I was just second-guessing everything right now. I shuddered when I thought about all the times I’d been near Blake recently. The possessive gleam in his eyes . . . his smile, like he had a secret . . . his vows to remind me whom I belonged to. I thought I’d been terrified of him before, but after all this new information, I knew I’d had no idea what he was capable of and fear ran through my veins like ice. “I can’t keep going to school. He’s always there, I can’t—I don’t want to be near him. And what if he knows where our apartment is? What if Candice told him? I can’t stay here, we need to leave! Oh, God—”

Kash grabbed my cheeks and kissed me soft and slow until my body sagged with exhaustion from everything I’d just learned. “I’ll keep you safe, Rachel. If you want to get away from here again, I’ll make it happen. Say the word and we’re gone, I swear.”

I sighed heavily and whispered against his lips, “Thank you.”

16

Rachel

“WHY ARE YOU leaving so early?” Candice unwrapped her hair from the towel and vigorously rubbed at it before tossing the towel back into her room. “Or are you going to meet up with your man before class?”

I’d stayed with Kash last night and had only come back to change. “No, I’m, uh— Candice . . . I decided I’m going to withdraw from my courses.”

She froze midstep; her gaze was one of complete shock. “What?! Why?”

I’d been worrying over whether or not I should tell her all night. I hadn’t slept at all because I was so stressed about what was happening and over the fact that my best friend wouldn’t believe me, and I still didn’t know if telling her was the right decision. “Blake has been—”

“Oh my God, Rachel. Again? Seriously?”

“Candice, he’s been breaking into our apartment!”

She rolled her green eyes and shook her head at me. “I swear to God, it’s like I don’t know you these last few months! First you accuse my cousin of rape, then you meet and get engaged to a guy that you just met, and now you’re saying my cousin is breaking into our apartment when he doesn’t even know where we live? Classy, Rach. You’ve turned into a real bitch.”

I bent forward and exhaled roughly, as if she’d actually punched me. “Candice.”

“And you know what pisses me off more? The fact that throughout all of this, all of this lying to me, all of this acting like you’re so in love with Kash and like you’re some f**king victim . . . you’re still dating Blake!”

“Whoa, what?! I—no! Where did you hear that?”

“He hates that you treat him like crap at school and that you’re hiding your relationship with him. He showed me all of your texts to him.”

I shook my head furiously and attempted to swallow past the dryness in my throat. “I haven’t texted him since our dates at the end of last school year, Candice, I swear to you.”

“I’m so done with this, Rachel. I’ve been waiting for you to just come clean to me, but for whatever reason, our friendship doesn’t mean anything to you anymore. But if you’re actually going to go through with this marriage to Kash, at least be respectful to my cousin and break it off with him. Nicely.”

“Our friendship doesn’t mean anything to me?! You’re the one who won’t believe me and you’re the only family I have left!”

She snorted and whirled around with her hand on the door. “And another thing. I’d love to know how you’ve been going between school, work, Kash, and Blake without Kash or me noticing. Share your secrets sometime, it could really come in handy for me, seeing as I’m the slut and all.”

The door to her bedroom slammed shut and I stood there unmoving, just staring as I tried to comprehend what the hell had just happened. How had this happened? How had he not only hurt me but hurt my relationship with Candice as well? I hated Blake West with every fiber of my being, and I hated what he’d done to my life.

When I could finally make myself move again, I turned and jolted when I saw Kash and Mason standing at the door.

Kash moved toward me and pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry, Rach.”