That wasn’t an option. If the trooper’s lights went on, they were running. Every muscle in her body contracted, tighter and tighter with each dragging second until she was quivering with tension.
When she saw the sign, the ramifications didn’t penetrate for a few seconds. As soon as she grasped what it meant, she laughed, and the sudden sound made Sam jump.
“Wh-what?” he growled.
“Welcome to Tennessee, Jackson family!” Behind them, the patrol car had switched lanes and slowed, preparing to turn onto an access road across the median. Comprehension eased the tension on Sam’s face.
“I get it!” Ty almost yelled. “State Patrol!”
Everyone laughed, relief making them giddy. When Jules finally got her breath back, she had to brush at her watering eyes.
“Am I going to feel like that every time I see a cop?” she asked. “If so, I vote we go somewhere without a police force.”
“Where’s that?” Ty asked. “Canada?”
Reaching over Dee’s head, Tio punched his brother in the arm. “They have cops there, dumbass. Haven’t you heard of Mounties?”
“Language!”
“We can’t say ‘dumbass’?” It was Ty who protested. “I won’t have a name for most of the people I know.”
“You w-won’t know them anym-m-more.”
Everyone went silent at the reminder. Jules fought the urge to apologize for stealing them away from their friends, reminding herself they’d agreed it was for the best.
“Worth it,” Ty said, echoing her thoughts.
“Totally,” Dee agreed. “Now I don’t have to pretend to be friends with Taylor Biggins.”
“That obnoxious girl from the pageants?” Jules asked, vaguely remembering Dee mentioning Taylor’s explosive tantrums.
“Yes.”
“Why would you have to pretend to be friends with her?” Jules noticed her arms were shaking, probably from keeping her muscles tense for so long. “From what you’ve told me, I would’ve run whenever I saw her.”
“Mrs. Biggins does the best hair.” Dee’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Courtney said I had to be friends with Taylor or her mom would drop me, and then I’d get stuck with Mrs. Papadopoulos, and she burns me with the curling iron when I don’t sit still.”
Everyone besides Dee sucked in a horrified breath.
“Does Courtney know that this woman burns you?” Ty asked. Each word was carefully precise, making him sound like Tio. When Jules glanced at him, Ty’s face was tight, and he was staring at Dee with intense focus.
“Sure.” Dee’s casual tone made the answer so much worse.
“What did she say about it?” Jules asked, even though she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Sit still.”
When her fingers started cramping, Jules realized she was strangling the steering wheel again. “I’m sorry y’all had to leave your friends—except for Demon Taylor—but I’m not sorry I kidnapped you.”
“Me neither.” Dee was the first to agree.
Ty was next. “Nope. Kidnap away.”
“It’s not the ideal situation”—Tio never used one word when he could use a dozen—“but it was necessary under the circumstances.”
“Thanks, J-J-JuJu.”
To her shock, Sam reached over and patted her forearm. It was a quick movement, his hand landing for just a second, but he’d actually touched her voluntarily. Her eyes burned, and she blinked hard to wrestle the threat of tears into submission.
“Okay,” she said a little too loudly. “Enough talking about our real past. Let’s make up a fake one. Where should we tell people we’re from?”
“California,” Ty suggested, making Jules snort.
“Only if you can control that drawl of yours.”
“Drawl?” Ty protested. “I don’t have a drawl!”
Even Sam laughed at that.
“We could be from Texas,” Dee suggested. “From a ranch with horses.”
Tio vetoed Texas. “The accent is wrong. Georgia would be a better match.”
That made Jules shift uncomfortably in her seat. “Georgia feels too close. What’s the most Northern state with a Southern accent?”
“Arkansas?” Ty suggested doubtfully, just as Tio said, “West Virginia.”
Either one was fine with Jules. “Let’s vote. Who wants to be from West Virginia?” Tio was the only “yes.” “Arkansas?” Ty, Sam, and Dee all gave their enthusiastic approval.
“Arkansas?” Tio repeated disdainfully. “Really? Y’all want Arkansas to be our homeland?”