Chapter 44 Troublemaker Austin
Three days passed in a blur.
Finished
Just then, a heavy rain swept through Southville, a sure sign that midsummer was on its way.
The rain washed the whole city clean, leaving the streets shining and the trees along the sidewalks free of dust.
Philip had arranged to meet Evelyn.
During their conversation, he brought up the retirement home.
“That old man refuses to give me the scar cream,” Philip explained. “He insists on meeting you and handing it over himself. He says he wants to see what the woman I like looks like.”
Evelyn’s cheeks warmed.
Philip wasn’t usually this straightforward, but since he’d said it, she just nodded and agreed.
He told her that his mentor was someone very important in his life.
In her last life, she hadn’t spent much time with Philip and had never even known such a person existed.
Now, she wanted to meet his mentor.
Before heading over, they stopped at the department store to buy some gifts. Evelyn stood on the sidewalk while Philip went to bring the pickup around from the parking lot.
With nothing better to do, Evelyn looked down and sorted through the items she’d just bought.
Suddenly, the sharp screech of brakes split the air. The acrid smell of rubber burned against the pavement. The sound and smell surrounded her, startling her.
Evelyn’s head snapped up-and her eyes met a pair of eyes filled with a sinister, reckless, and mocking glint buried inside.
The man in the driver’s seat let out a whistle, a cocky grin spreading across his face, “Hey, Lace, we meet again.”
“Creep,” Evelyn cursed silently, but her face remained calm.
He had called her that nickname because he had glimpsed more than he should have that day under the table.
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Finished
Taking advantage of her was disgraceful, and the fact that he could joke about it so casually showed he was no good at all.
Her calmness only seemed to amuse him more. “I told you to come find me at the arcade. Why didn’t you show up?”
By his count, it had already been a whole week. He’d been waiting, and it felt like forever.
Evelyn, however, stayed calm.
“You’re the one who owes me. You’ve got no right to rush me. Whether I come find you or not-that’s up to me.”
At that, the man laughed even louder. “Yeah, yeah, I know I’ve got no reason. But when you never show up, I can’t help it—I start missing you.”
“I don’t find that kind of joke funny,” Evelyn replied flatly.
For the first time since getting her second chance at life, regret hit her.
Acting on nothing more than a sense of familiarity, she had stepped in to help this man. That small act had only dragged trouble her way. She shouldn’t have done it.
With a weary sigh, she touched her forehead. “Enough already. If I feel like it someday, I’ll find you. Until then, drop it.”
“Lace,” his voice turned serious, the playfulness gone, “I’m afraid today I’ve got to come find you first.”
Before she could even process his words, he was already out of the car. In one swift move, he shoved Evelyn inside, slammed the door, and climbed in after her.
With a hard stomp on the gas, the pickup shot forward and sped away.
The car sped so fast that the wind rushing through the half-open window whistled sharply, whipping Evelyn’s long hair in every direction.
This man was driving like he didn’t care about his life.
Evelyn gripped the door handle tight.
“Stop the car,” she ordered. “I have things to do.”
Philip had only gone to get the car. If he came back and didn’t see her, what would he think?
And in 1983, it wasn’t easy to get in touch.
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She didn’t want him worrying.
But the car didn’t slow down. In fact, it went even faster.
The man’s face was hard and serious. “I’ll let you out in a bit. First we need to talk, somewhere no one can bother us.”
At those words, Evelyn understood.
“You were running from someone, weren’t you?”
No wonder he’d looked so nervous. He was running scared.
Finished
Every time he saw someone, he had to hide. Clearly, he wasn’t as tough as he pretended to
Catching her look, the man grew irritated, almost embarrassed.
“I wasn’t scared,” he snapped. “I was just letting him have his way. Today’s different. This time it’s personal. That other day, well … I’d stolen another guy’s girlfriend.”
What a low-class excuse.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. He actually bragging about taking someone else’s girl.
She curled her lip in disgust and said nothing.
The man frowned at her silence and tried again. “So, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Evelyn answered bluntly.
He shrugged. “That’s a shame. But no problem. I’m really good at stealing other guys’ girlfriends.”
“Hey!” Evelyn’s temper flared.
She was ready to give him a piece of her mind when he turned his head and said, “Austin Newman. Don’t call me hey. That’s too cold. After all, we’ve already shared something-we’ve got history. Doesn’t that mean something?”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, ready to lash out. Austin quickly added, “I mean the first time you got cut and bled. That kind of history.”,
What kind of nonsense was that?
Evelyn couldn’t bear to sit in the same car with him.
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She kept a hard face, determined to get out as soon as possible.
Finished
Austin didn’t ease up on the gas. “We’re going 60 miles an hour. If you jump now, there’s about a 60 percent chance you’ll get dragged under the wheels. Otherwise, inertia alone could throw you hard enough to break bones-or worse, wreck that pretty face of yours. Be a shame if it got ruined.”
A threat. Plain and simple.
“I’ve got things to do today. We’ll talk another time,” Evelyn shot back.
She used his tactic against him, analyzing the risk.
“If you don’t agree, I can always fight you right here in the car. Sure, you’re stronger, but it’s hard to wrestle and drive at the same time. And this is the main road downtown-if you crash, it’s life or death. I’ve got insurance. Do you?”
He fell into silence for a full minute.
Then Austin burst out laughing, the kind of laugh that rattled the windows.
He was impressed-completely impressed.
Evelyn’s way of meeting force with force was brilliant.
He should have seen it coming.
Anyone who could calmly clear out a whole room like she did the other day was no ordinary girl.
He found himself even more curious about her.
Finally, Austin made an offer.
“Tell me your name and where you live, and I’ll let you go.”
Easy enough.
“Fiona Sharp. I live on First Street in Westdale,” Evelyn replied smoothly, not missing a beat.
Austin believed her. He slammed the brakes, pulled over, and let her out by the curb.
“Alright, I won’t push my luck. Call a cab-it’s on me. Next time we meet, I’ll pay you back double.”
As if she wanted his compensation.
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Finished
Evelyn muttered to herself but didn’t waste time. She hurried toward the department store.
If she’d been gone this long, Philip was probably worried sick.
She flagged down a cab and rode straight there.
Behind her, not far away, Austin watched until she disappeared, let out a sharp whistle, and then drove off into the distance.
