Free Starstruck - Book Four by Gemma Brooks

I couldn’t see through the hot, heavy tears that were forming
in my eyes well enough to get myself back onto the highway and the hell away
from Ava’s.
     
    I waited until there was a break in traffic before getting
back on the road. I didn’t understand. Bringing it up to him would only make me
look crazy and would probably start a fight, not to mention he’d of course have
a perfect explanation for it. He always had a perfect explanation for
everything.
     
    I had a decision to make, and I had very little time. As if
something washed over me, my tears suddenly dried up and my pathetic, woe-is-me
attitude turned into anger. I pulled off the road and turned around to head
back to Ava’s.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 13
 
     
     
     
     
    The iron gate to Ava’s driveway had been left open,
conveniently, and I pulled my car just up to the edge. Somewhat hidden by the
massive amount of trees and shrubbery that surrounded her place, my mind raced
as I thought about going up to the door and confronting them both.
     
    There were two possible outcomes that played in my head.
Either it would go really bad and I would freak out and cry and scream and look
horrible, then walk away like some pathetic girl, with Hudson and Ava embracing
and laughing about how pathetic I look.
     
    Or it would go really well. Hudson would be there telling
Ava that she really needs to butt out and leave us alone. She would understand,
having just had the closure she needed, and we would live happily ever after.
Hudson would completely understand my wanting to confront them, and he wouldn’t
be upset that I drove all the way out to Malibu to find out if he was there.
     
    Neither of those were realistic. I squeezed my eyes tight
and tried to think of a more realistic scenario but nothing came to mind. Every
scenario made me look like the crazy one in the end, and I knew I was far from
crazy.
     
    Before I had a chance to dream up yet another scenario, I
caught a glimpse of Hudson leaving Ava’s house and getting into his car. As I
silently cursed myself and prayed he wouldn’t see me, I peeled off and turned
left down a small paved road with a “private drive” sign. With my car far
enough away from the main road, Hudson wouldn’t see me.
     
    While I sat parked under a canopy of lush green, I waited
for him to speed past, and he did. I gave him several more minutes to get ahead
of me and then typed his address into my navigation system, only something
strange happened. The screen turned yellow. Then green. Then stripes covered it
and it made some sort of beeping noise. I bashed the top of the dash with my
hands, hoping to get it working again, but the screen only went black.
     
    I shut the car off and turned it back on. That worked for
most electronics, right? That didn’t work either. The navigation system was
completely down.
     
    With hot tears in my pathetic little eyes, I tried to
remember how I got there. I’d taken so many turns it’d be damn near impossible
to remember the reverse route, but I was going to try.
     
    I headed back towards the PCH and hoped for the best. A few
turns and a good hour later, I’d somehow ended up in some little beachy town.
Only it wasn’t quaint or sweet. It was a little run down and scary. And no one
could pay me enough to step out of my vehicle and ask someone for directions.
     
    My phone vibrated in my lap. It was Hudson calling.
     
    “Hello?” I answered, trying to act casual.
     
    “Where are you?” he asked. His tone wasn’t accusatory, thank
goodness, which meant he hadn’t seen me spying on him. He seemed more worried
than anything else.
     
    “I’m just driving around,” I said. “Thought it’d be a nice
day for a drive. Needed to get out of the house.”
     
    “Uh, huh,” he said. “Where?”
     
    I looked around for a sign or a business with the town’s
name on it, but I didn’t see anything.
     
    “You still there?” he asked.
     
    “Yeah,” I said. “I