I hated that he was right. Micah would see to my safety first, but my gut told me that Sterling’s plan was to take me during the chaos. That was why he drugged me, right? To make me more compliant and cover up my cries for help. The liquid form of the drug would hit my system faster. I figured I had only a few more moments before the effects started to make themselves known.
Everything in me screamed at me to run, to get up now while I still had my wits about me. I squirmed on the hard surface.Fuck it.All I had to do was bolt down about a dozen rows of bleachers. No big deal. I could do this.
I moved, but before I could even lift my ass, a hand clamped down my arm, keeping me seated.
Sterling tsked. “Not so fast, Splash.”
My butt fell back onto the bleachers. “I hate you.” I didn’t know how many ways I could say it, but I doubted the truth of my words would penetrate Sterling’s thick skull.
“Hmm.” He pursed his lips. “I’m a firm believer in there being a thin line between love and hate.”
On the field, I watched as the offense switched players, sending Micah to the sidelines for a few plays. Brock stayed in as quarterback. From under his helmet, his sharp aqua eyes scanned the stands, looking for Josie. One of the coaches blew a whistle, and Brock’s gaze passed right over me, returning to his teammates. Anguish pitted in my stomach.
“If you’re trying to justify me having actual feelings for you that don’t stem from contempt, I have news for you—you’re way off base.”
“It matters little to me.” The fingers on my arm remained firm, tightening even. “That was a nice little touch, having your friend leave me a message. Colorful and bold. Makes a statement when you slap it on the front of the house. Although, I don’t think the school board will agree once I send them the video.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? What message?”
Everything about him was so damn cocksure. His demeanor. His tone. His attitude. He seriously thought he’d bested the Elite. “Oh, this is better. You don’t know. Here, take a look.”
My phone buzzed in my hand, and dread ribboned around my ribs. I didn’t want to look. At the same time, I had to. I had my suspicions even before I played the video Sterling had sent me. It had Kenna written all over it, metaphorically speaking. In bright pink letters, she spray-painted the Chi Sigma house, just not with her name.
House of stalkers and horrors. S is for stalker, not Sterling. Say cheese for the camera.
Sterling’s video wasn’t all that incriminating. It was fucking weak. Not once did the camera pick up Kenna’s face because my girl knew what the hell she was doing. It captured her back, the black clothes and hood concealing and blending her into the night. The slim figure and height gave away her gender, but that was all.
I turned my head to the side. “This could be anyone. And I can tell you for certain, it was not any of my friends. Perhaps you have a stalker of your own. How ironic. Smells like justice.”
“The lies just roll off your tongue. You might have forgotten about me for two years, but I know a lot about you and your friends. Including what they did last year to… what was his name?”
I was not going to allow myself to panic at the thought of Sterling watching me all this time. Or that he learned about Carter. I clamped my teeth together.Think, Mads. Think.I had to get myself away from him.
“You can leave peacefully with me, or we can wait until the fireworks begin. The choice is yours.”
And then what?I didn’t want to think about what would happen next. My brain couldn’t handle it. All I did know was that I couldn’t be alone with him. An absolutely terrifying thought. A deep shudder of revulsion rippled through me. “How far do think you’ll get? Micah won’t let you take me out of this stadium.”
His fingers pressed firmly into my arm, as if he was afraid I might bolt at any second. His worries weren’t unwarranted. “God, I hope not. I would hate for him to disappoint me.”
Was that what he planned? To get Micah alone? And for what? To beat the ever-loving crap out of him? “Tell me what you have against Micah,” I demanded, the drug in my system finally making its presence known.
Silence lingered from behind me until he finally spoke. “He hurt my family.”
I blinked, shocked that he actually answered, even vaguely. The Elite had hurt a lot of people. What had they done to Sterling’s?
Micah’s eyes collided with mine as he jogged back onto the field after sitting out for a few plays. Twirling the football in his hands, the hotshot grin faded when he noticed the panic on my face. I hadn’t been able to keep up the facade, not after our eyes connected. I let Micah see my mouth moving. He might not be able to make out the words, but he could catch on that I wasn’t alone up in the stands. “So, this was always about him? Even then, when we first met?”
The rim of his ball cap grazed the back of my head as he leaned in close. Too fucking close. “It was no coincidence that you found me that night outside. I was waiting for you, Splash. But I’ll admit, you took me by surprise. I figured it would take weeks for me to gain your trust and seduce you, but you were ready to go. How could I say no to such a sweet opportunity when it all but fell into my lap?”
“You bastard,” I hissed as a glow started to form in the center of my gut, spreading out like a vine and infecting my arms and legs until it felt like I was lit up like a damn field of fireflies at night.
Micah’s jaw had gone taut, and the muscles in his body coiled as he ignored his team, slowly walking toward my side of the field. His eyes were hard and remained locked on mine.
Sterling touched the brim of his hat and tipped his head. A signal, I soon realized, as one by one the Chi Sigma members stood up. To everyone around, it didn’t seem that weird, not until they each cracked a slim, small tube. Some used their knees to break the seal, others just their hands, but each one led to the same reaction—smoke. It hissed and curled from the tubes, engulfing the stands.
“It’s showtime, Splash,” he whispered in my ear, gliding a hand under my elbow to assist me to my feet.
I resisted at first, but Sterling dragged his lips across the back of my neck, enticing sensations I’d never felt before. Warm. Loose. Light like I was floating on my own personal cloud. My reality softened. A part of me was still conscious that I loathed Sterling with every molecule in my body, but the sensory section of my brain was having the best time of her life.