~ CARA (Minutes Earlier) ~
Why hadn’t Rig told me about Natalie? Why hadn’t he admitted that his parents had picked her for him?
The questions that I couldn’t answer kept circling my brain, faster and faster, as we drove.
I had tried not to betray how afraid I was, but I knew I was distracted and tense—and that Mack could tell. He’d been very kind and gentle, turning on music so I didn’t feel obliged to talk, and giving me warning when we got close to the hotel.
“Just relax, it’s probably going to be fine,” he’d said softly as we pulled into the parking lot.
“But what if it’s not?”
Mack turned to me with a grim smile. “Then stick close to me and I’ll get you out of here and take you home.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you, Mack.”
“It really is my pleasu
