Read Online Evade (The Ever Trilogy) by Jessa Russo - Free Book Online

to love. For a moment, everything was okay. I was back to being seventeen-year-old Ever. Before my world had turned upside down.
    “Then let’s do this.” He grabbed his duffel bag in one hand, my hand in the other, and with that, I was whisked through the hallway of the hotel, led by the boy I’d once loved. Possibly still did. Somewhere deep down inside.
    We stopped in the hotel store—if a countertop and an old non-English-speaking woman could qualify as a store—to grab some snacks and water, then made our way to the back of the parking lot, to a silver Chevy cobalt, so unlike Toby that it was obviously a rental. He buckled me in as if I was helpless, then locked the passenger door before walking around to get in on the driver’s side.
    “How’d you get here so fast?” I asked him when he was buckled and ready to go. Had he been stalking me like Ariadne? I turned to him, searching his face for any signs of something sneaky.
    “I flew.”
    “And the car?”
    “They rented it for us.”
    I shook my head, still lost. “What the hell is going on, Toby? Why am I in danger? What does Ariadne have to do with all of this?”
    “I’ll explain everything soon, I promise. Just please, eat something, okay? And let’s get the hell out of Mexico.”
    “Fine. But I want answers.”
    “I know.” He turned the key in the ignition. “And Ever?”
    I looked over at him once more, noting the sincerity in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows.
    “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
    Who wanted to hurt me? I wanted to ask, but fear ate at me, and I was still groggy. I’d demand answers soon.

S omewhere between San Felipe and the California border, I found my courage. Maybe it was my full stomach, after our quick stop at a roadside taqueria. Maybe it was the familiar, soothing sounds coming from the Black Keys CD Toby brought with him. Maybe it was just time I sucked it up and took control. If people were after me, wanted to hurt me, I couldn’t just sit back and be Toby’s damsel in distress.
    “Who wants to hurt me, Toby?”
    His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel at the same time he exhaled. I tried to brace myself for whatever crazy explanation would come. I mean, I’d already learned that ghosts exist with Frankie, and then the existence of soul collectors with Toby, so what could be next? Vampires? Zombies? Why not?
    “Okay, well, there are collectors like Greg and me, who aren’t brand new, but we’re still pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole. Then, there are others who have more power than us, and are above us in ranking, so to speak.”
    “Like your boss? Like Ted?”
    “No, not like Ted. Although…well, let’s just stick with explaining one thing at a time. These collectors aren’t happy with what Ariadne did to Frankie, or the threat she placed on you.”
    “Yeah, well, I can relate.”
    “Those guys you saw today?”
    I’d only seen one, and really had only heard him, but I nodded so Toby would continue.
    “Those guys work for the highest up on the ladder. Make sense?”
    I nodded again, just to get him to proceed, even though no, this did not make sense. But I was sure that with a little more explanation, it would all eventually be clear.
    I hoped.
    “So those people, the higher ups, they’re relying on Ted to fix the mess his daughter created. But if Ari’s in Mexico, then Ted isn’t even keeping an eye on her. It doesn’t make much sense, but—”
    “But that guy said I was your responsibility. Why?”
    “Because I love you”—he said it so matter-of-factly that my breath caught in my throat—“and because by loving you, I brought you into this mess.”
    I quickly turned my head to gaze out the window, feeling my cheeks do their usual thing. Hearing him tell me he still loved me sent a little thrill throughout my body. I was with Frankie, and loved Frankie, but knowing Toby still loved me…after all that had happened…well, that made me feel warm inside. Warm and loved.