Page 19 of Liars

No. That wasn’t entirely accurate. I was losing myself, piece by piece. And transferring to Elmwood Public?

Elmwood Public!

Was he serious?

I wouldn’t last a week at Public.

I hadn’t even gotten to address the whole guard thing. I had a mind to march right back into his office. Perhaps he should make sure his sons stayed away from me. Not the other way around. How would Donovan feel about Maddox stumbling drunk into my room in the middle of the night?

I was itching for a fight.

I wanted to scream. Yell. Curse. Break shit.

I had to get the fuck out of here. That was clear.

After a quick sulk in the shower, I formulated a plan. I did my best scheming in the bathroom. I spent the rest of my day roaming the house, learning the layout, taking note of the exit points, the security cameras, and the number of staff, which, surprisingly was less than I initially thought. I only noted Evan, Amelia, and two men outside.

I was no expert at casing out a joint or whatever thieves did. I’d never done something like this before. Never had to. My parents had been easygoing. As long as I told them where I was, they were cool. No lies. That had beenouronly rule. They didn’t lie to me. And I didn’t lie to them.

Glancing at the notes I took in my new phone, courtesy of my oh-so-generous godfather, I reviewed what I’d jotted down. I only had the second floor left. Jogging up the stairs, I bypassed my room, inspecting the ceiling. I wouldn’t put it past Donovan to have cameras or audio devices in the bedrooms. I plannedto do a sweep of mine once I finished here, just to be sure. I wouldn’t be able to sleep under this roof if I thought someone might be listening or watching me.

Creepy as fuck.

I made it halfway down the hall when I noticed the door at the end had been left open. The other three, excluding mine, were closed.

My curiosity was going to get me in so much trouble. I shouldn’t go anywhere near Donovan’s sons’ rooms. And yet…

A force beyond rationality pulled me toward the door. I hovered over the threshold, my fingers bracing on the frame as I glanced inside.

Chewing on my lip, I stared at the deep-gray, moody room. The bed was unmade, but whoever’s room this was had left the dangling pendants overhead on, creating a warmth in the otherwise cold space. Books lined the wall across from the bed from floor to ceiling, and a loveseat in a slightly lighter gray sat in front of the shelves with a laptop tossed onto a cushion.

As an avid reader, I couldn’t stop from walking inside. It was like a magnet pulled me toward the books. I scanned the titles, finding such a range of genres, some of them surprising. My finger ran along the spines, stopping on a book that had been on my TBR list for some time. I pulled it out and thumbed through the pages.

“Don’t let Kreed catch you in his room.”

I whirled, and the book fell from my hands, thudding to the floor and nearly landing on my toes. An injured toe was the least of my concerns. At first, I thought it might be Evan who I’d spent the last hour dodging in and out of rooms, yet he constantly found me. He never questioned me or interfered, but I felt his eyes.

It wasn’t Evan leaning on a wall, watching me.

Ugh. The drunk jackass from last night.

“I’m Mason,” he said, a twisted smirk on his lips.

Mason? Was he fucking with me? Did he think I wouldn’t remember last night? Or maybe it was him who couldn’t remember. “I’m not stupid, you know. I’m good with faces.”

His brows drew together, an expression of confusion descending into his handsome features. “I never said you were stupid.”

“Maddox. That’s your name. I’m sure you were too drunk last night to remember what happened.”

He chuckled in a carefree way. “So, you’ve already met my brother. Mytwinbrother.”

I blinked. He looked so much like Maddox. “Wait. There are two of you?”

He winked. “Double the pleasure.”

“I was thinking more like double the trouble,” I mumbled.

“That too. But I usually let Mad create the problems. I’m the nice one.” He flashed a grin that I didn’t doubt made panties drop all over the world.

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