Thinking it caused a pang in my gut.
But first, I had to convince Carter I was willing to help himifhe stopped harassing my friends. He was never to touch Mads or Ainsley again or the deal was off. That part needed to be very clear.
If he had a problem, then he came directly to me.
It was a dangerous game but the only way I could see to pacify Carter long enough to come up with a way to take him down. Nothing so far had worked. Like the Elite, Carter had money and a powerful father in his corner. But I had the Elite.
Nothing about this would be easy. And I realized the Elite were putting a lot of trust in me.
I had to do this not just for them, or myself, but for the sister I’d never met. Kenna deserved justice and closure.
I thought about Kenna often, particularly when I was alone with my thoughts. It had only been a little over a week since I found out my life was nothing but a lie. That rage at being deceived and taken from my family still burned bright inside me, and I knew my silence on the matter wouldn’t last much longer.
There were answers I needed from Angie, answers only she could give me.
To say I hadn’t yet dealt with being kidnapped as a baby was an accurate statement. How the fuck did someone cope with that? On one hand, my parents were all I knew. They raised me; however good or bad that had been was debatable. But to me, they were Mom and Dad.
Then there were the Edwardses. It was stupid but a part of me was afraid of how they would react when they found out their dead daughter wasn’t dead after all. Logically they would happy. Shocked, for sure, but happy. Right?
The whole thing was so fucked-up.
There was too much shit in my life to dissect it, compartmentalize my feelings, and know what the right way to handle Angie, Dad, Grayson, Kenna, and my birth parents.
One problem at a time, and right now, Carter took precedence.
My stepbrother was smart. I refused to do anything that might jeopardize his faith in me. I had to convince Carter that while I was living with the enemy, I wouldn’t double-cross. He would expect that of me because it was no secret how much I hated him.
I couldn’t fake that shit.
The hatred was real.
But it was a mutual animosity he would trust.
It took two hours of arguing on Sunday during my first Elite takedown, which Mads demanded she be a part of, before I finally got Brock to agree to let me meet Carter alone. The fact he wanted to hook me up to a wire shouldn’t have been a surprise. Nor should my refusal.
We came to an agreement. The Elite would give me space to talk to Carter, but it had to be in a public place. The Academy was our best bet. In between classes. The lunchroom. Anywhere but the parking lot. Carter and I had history with parking lots and I wasn’t keen on having those memories in my head when we talked.
Third period had just ended when the announcement of a mandatory assembly echoed through the school. A unanimous groan went through the halls. “Any idea what’s going on?” I asked Fynn, who had been waiting at the corner for me.
Fynn shrugged, seeming unconcerned. “Probably some lecture on safe sex or bullying. They usually do them once or twice a year.”
Sometimes when I walked down the halls of Elmwood Academy, I was still struck by the unusual and gothic design. Huge cathedral ceilings hung overhead as I passed into the auditorium. The doorway was arched, black carved wood framing the entrance.
I spotted Carter walking in from the other side. “I’ll catch up with you. There’s something I need to take care of,” I told Fynn, catching his eye.
Fynn’s gaze narrowed but only briefly when he noticed Carter. Fynn gave me a short nod and took off down the aisle to find the Elite.
When opportunity strikes, you take it. This was the safest place to talk to Carter, in a crowded room with lots of noise and witnesses, including the Elite.
“Carter,” I called out as I rushed to the other side, catching him before he turned down the aisle leading to rows of black seats. “Carter!” I said again, this time louder to be heard over all the voices talking.
I finally caught his attention. My skin immediately crawled as his eyes ran over me. It was the first time I’d been at school without a guard dog since my stepbrother decided to get gangster and take me hostage. Despite all the crowds, my veins tingled with unease. “Hey, you got a minute?”
Carter kept his eyes trained on mine. His lips slanted into a spiteful grin. “For you, sis, always.”
Gag me.
I kept my face neutral even though my stomach felt like I’d eaten an entire bag of pop rocks and washed them down with a case of pop. It was all fizzy and crackly inside. “Look, you’ve made your point. I don’t want to see any of my friends get hurt, okay?”