The Dead of Winter (Seasons of Jefferson: Book 2) by Julie Solano, Tracy Justice

cabin?”
    “Only the cabin down below,” Mason answers. “Marissa’s family was there, but they don’t drink.”
    “And you know this for a fact?”
    “Oh, yeah. It’s one of their family mantras. “Alcohol is your Adversary.” They live by it.
    Officer Marnia begins writing now too.
    “You getting all this, Eddie?” Marnia looks up at the officer through her long, thick lashes. Something about watching her gorgeous badass self, being all badass makes me forget some of the stress, if only for a minute.
    “Okay, Jenna. So what happened after the beer bottle?” Officer Marnia prods.
    “Well, we got to the cabin, and the girls were too chicken to go up the ladder, so I went. But then, something happened. When I got to the top, something hit my phone out of my hand. We were all so spooked that we made a run for it. I’ve never been so creeped out in my life … and that’s saying a lot.”
    I can’t help but laugh. The vision of those girls running away from that cabin was insanely hilarious. Bouncing and jumping over logs, darting around trees, I’d never seen any of them move so fast. It was a blurry mess of wild, screaming hair.
    “Is there anything else you can remember? Or was that the last thing that happened before you went tree cutting?” Detective Eddie asks one last time.
    We all stare at each other, raising our brows and lifting our shoulders.
    The detective reaches down to check his phone as a text alert chimes. He raises his eyes to Officer Marnia, mumbling, “Good news, Peyton’s been released. She’s home. They’re letting us know it’s okay to head over now.”
    His words strike a match inside my chest, lighting me on fire. Peyton’s home? Why didn’t they tell me? I’ve been calling non-stop for days. I’ve got to get over there.
    “Well, you’ve all been very helpful. You kids all have my number if anything happens, or if you need me. Eddie, I think we’ve got a good start with this new information. Let’s go see if we can learn anything else.” Marnia looks at each one of us, then focuses on our parents, “I’ll be contacting you soon with any new leads.” Nodding toward each of us, she reaches for the door.
    She’s followed by the detective, who looks back over his shoulder and speaks, “We’ll be in touch.”
    The door creaks closed behind them. I look around the room. Every last one of us looks like a deer in the headlights.

THE SILENCE IN THE ROOM is too much for me. It’s letting my mind go places I can’t deal with right now. I need to get out of here. I can’t believe Peyton was released today, and I had to find out by chance. Why didn’t she let me know? Has she forgotten about me? My chest tightens and the fire reignites inside of me. My mind opens the door to the same hell it’s visited a thousand times this week. Why are her parents keeping her from me? Do they think I’m an irresponsible hellion? They probably want to throw the book at me. I can see their point. They trusted me to keep their daughter safe, and I damn near killed her. I deserve this.
    My throat constricts, and I fight the tug of my lower lip. I try to stop it, but the damn thing is too stubborn. I quickly look down at the floor, hiding my face from the crowd. I will not cry in front of them. Snap out of it, dumb ass. Be strong. Just fix this. I have to go over there to make this right. I need to explain what really happened. The red truck. The gunshots . Do they know what led up to the accident? I know I can’t redeem myself for driving my truck over that cliff. I can’t take back my inability to save her. All I can do is beg for forgiveness. With desperation, I glance up at Jenna, and secretly point to the door. I need her help getting out of here, but I can’t let her know it’s to go see Peyton. When her eyes meet mine, a faint smile crosses her lips. It’s followed by a subtle nod.
    “Whew, that was intense,” she belts out as she bounces off the couch. “I think I need some