“Didn’t Grayson tell you what happened?” I shot Brock an accusatory glare.
Maddy Clarke was no dummy. Her eyes darkened upon seeing the bruise that was just beginning to form under the skin on my cheek. “He said you were fine and with Brock. As far as I knew, they were keeping you hostage here.”
“He more or less is,” I replied, firing him a smirk.
Brock rolled his eyes as he closed the door. “I’m considering handcuffing her to a chair.”
Mads ignored him. “When I didn’t hear from you…”
“I’m sorry. I lost my phone, and when I finally found it, the damn thing was dead. I planned to call you later tonight,” I explained, knowing how lame of an excuse it was. I’d been too shaken last night to deal with anyone.
“Now there’s no need,” she said, brightening her tone until her eyes skimmed over my cheek again. The bruise was like a beacon that drew the gaze. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”
Only Mads and Ainsley would be so blunt. I loved her for it. “Same.”
Brock’s hand went to the doorknob. “Okay, you’ve seen her. Thanks for stopping by,” he said dryly in an attempt to shoo Mads back out the door.
She scrunched her freckled nose at him. “I need a moment with my best friend. Alone,” she emphasized and grabbed my hand, leading me to the staircase. She made her way upstairs like someone who knew where she was going. It was still weird to know that Mads was best friends with my sister—the girl who used to pretend date Brock—the girl who was at the center of this entire fucking mess.
Kenna.
Could things get freakier?
Then I realized it could.
Mads was my cousin.
Holy crap.
The temptation to pump Mads for information about Kenna lingered in the forefront of my mind as we climbed the stairs. There was so much I didn’t know; so much I wanted to know about her. She left two years ago because of my asshole stepbrother.
Let’s set the record straight. She wanted it. If anything, she was using me, trying to get back at Brock for discarding her, just like he does with every girl. You’ll be no different.
That had been Carter’s warning last night. God, what a sicko. The defense of a rapist, of a guy who got off on hurting someone he considered weaker, on making them feel powerless. The fact that I looked like Kenna probably got Carter hard.
Had it really only been last night?
“Firefly,” Brock called after us.
I paused halfway up the stairs and glanced over my shoulder. He gave me a look that conveyed everything on his mind—a crystal-clear warning.Don’t tell Mads anything.
He seemed to want me to keep secrets from everyone but him.
And despite the warning, the sight of him filled me with security. Carter might know where I was hiding out, but he wouldn’t dare come here, not alone. Not unless he wanted his ass beat again, which he might if it meant getting Brock in trouble. Wouldn’t that be the perfect setup? And Carter was desperate and crazy enough to put himself intentionally in danger to accomplish removing Brock as an obstacle.
The Elite no longer had to pretend Carter didn’t disgust them. It was all out in the open. Battle lines had been drawn.
Mads shut the door to Brock’s room, turned, and said, “Okay, now tell me what really happened. I don’t want any of the glossed-over crap my cousin fed me.”
I had to sit down for this. Waiting until she joined me on Brock’s bed, which had been made by one of the staff, I gave Mads a quick rundown. The words came out robotic as I tried to keep myself detached from the events that replayed so clearly in my head. Was it healthy to keep suppressing my emotions? No. But I didn’t want to lose control.
Mads didn’t seem surprised when I finished. “Oh God, Josie. I can’t believe it. Okay, that’s not true. Of course, I knew what Carter was capable of, I just never thought… We never should have—”
“I don’t regret it,” I interrupted before she added any more guilt to the pile I could tell she already felt. “Only that our plan didn’t exactly work. What happened isn’t our fault.” And that was the truth. The blame belonged entirely on Carter.
“I get why they are being so cagey about where you are, but it wasn’t hard to figure out,” she said, toying with her thumb ring. “All Grayson told me was that you couldn’t go home.”
I crossed my legs on the bed, surprise fluttering in my chest. “That’s all he said?”