Page 27 of Liars

Of course, it had. My father was nothing if not thorough. I pushed to my feet. “Then I guess we’re done here.”

“Maddox and Mason… Are they going to be a problem?”

I let out a quiet scoff. “When aren’t they?”

He inhaled deeply, the ember at the tip of his cigar glowing brighter. Then, after a long, savoring exhale, he said, “Point taken.”

I turned, heading for the door.

“Kreed.”

I glanced over my shoulder.

His gaze was heavier now, shadows lurking beneath the usual control. “Leave the drinking to your brothers. Find another way to deal with your stress. There are too many eyes at the club. And I don’t know who we can trust.”

My fists clenched at my sides, but I gave a single nod. Having my life dictated by my father wasn’t new. It was old. So fucking old.

And I was tired of it.

This life.

The goddamn games.

If it weren’t forher, I wouldn’t be spending the last months of my senior year playing babysitter.

9

KAYLOR

Iwoke up with a string of text messages on my new phone. “Shit,” I mumbled, scanning through them.

Hello?

Kaylor? You good?

Where are you?

I’m starting to worry.

Should I be worried?

They were all from Carson, but I could assume Kenny had been with him when he started blowing up my phone. I’d been so disappointed, angry, and exhausted when Evan hauled me upstairs that I’d gone straight to bed, kicking off just my shoes, not bothering to change out of my clothes.

I quickly sent him an apology, letting him know I got caught sneaking out. He replied to my message seconds later.

Carson:We waited for hours, and you never showed. Do I need to call the cops? Are you being held hostage? Have you been sex trafficked like those other two girls? Should we be worried?

His response shouldn’t have made me smile, but it was just like Carson to jump to the worst-case scenario, but in this instance, he wasn’t that far off. Or I was being paranoid. The mention of those two girls who had been missing for months unsettled my stomach, a tragedy that hit too close to home.

Me:No, I’m okay.

Carson:Seriously?

Me:Seriously. I’ll call you later. We can talk.

Carson:If you don’t, I’ll be on your doorstep, raising hell.

Me:I’d expect nothing less. Tell Kenny not to worry.

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