Page 16 of Dangerous Silence
“Whoa there, cowgirl,” a woman said. She set down another cooler full of beers, then adjusted a few of the cans so their labels were facing up. Reddish-brown hair rested on her shoulders, too fire-engine red to be natural. She blinked her emerald eyes at me. “There are plenty of sodas and non-alcoholic beers in the fridge. Gerard’s stuff, since he went sober. Or tried to, anyway.”
Who was Gerard? And why was she talking to me?
“And you are?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Maddie,” she said, holding out a hand. Then she smirked and wiped the cool condensation off on her black shirt, and held it out again. “You must be Demi.”
“Did Axe send you?” I asked.
“He might have said something.”
There was a playfulness to her smile, but I balled my hands into fists, annoyed at the situation. Why hadn’t I grabbed the bottle like a normal rebellious college student? Why couldn’t I break a damn rule?
“If I want a beer, I should be able to get a beer,” I said. “It’smydad’s funeral.”
“I believe you were reaching for tequila,” she said, “and I also believe your host has a strict policy about that.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “I’m sure there are worse things going on here, than an eighteen-year-old drinking a little.”
“Huh. Well,” she laughed. “You’re probably right.” She grabbed my arm. “Come with me.”
She took me through the house to an empty room at the front with a large window pointed toward the street. An elegant wood-carved couch was situated near the view, with white and floral cushions, reminding me of teacups. Maddie sat down on it, her hips hanging off of the couch. I hesitated, but then sat down next to her. It didn’t seem like the kind of couch you were allowed to sit on.
But why did I care? I didn’t even know who lived in this house.
“So,” I said, unsure of what to say. “Did you know my dad?”
“Hah, no.” She smiled, grabbing an unlabeled bottle full of blue-green liquid. “But I know the Adlers. I work for them.”
The lines on her forehead made her seem older. Maybe she was in her thirties? Part of me was irritated that AxeandMaddie thought it was necessary to safeguard me, but the other part was relieved. I had seen what happened when my roommate got drunk; that probably wasn’t the best state for me to be in at my dad’s funeral reception.
But again, why did I care?
She handed me the bottle. It must have been alcohol. That was probably why we were in this room, away from everyone, including Axe.Screw it,I thought. I took a swig.
“This tastes like juice,” I said.
“I know,” she said.
Was it juice, then? I guess that didn’t matter either. “So what do you do?” I asked.
“Cleaning. Concierge. Shopping. Picking out dresses,” she eyed my black dress with fluttering eyelashes. “Whatever the brothers need. And I see the dress fits perfectly.”
I looked down at the dress. Black material covered all the way up to my neck and down over the tops of my thighs, with a sheer material covering my arms. How had she known my size? She was right; it was perfect.
“Thanks,” I said.
She smiled, then gestured at the bottle. I handed it back to her and she took a drink.
“You want to talk about your dad?” she asked.
“Not really,” I said. I looked at the muffin in my hand, slightly squished from carrying it. I hadn’t had an appetite at all lately, and somehow, even the chocolate chip muffin didn’t seem that great. I should have eaten it right when I picked it up. Maybe then, I could’ve stomached it.
“You want to talk about what’s going on with Axe?” She watched me carefully, her eyes pinned on mine. I shrank down. “He can be hard to deal with.”
“Don’t want to talk about that either,” I said. “But thanks anyway.”
“There you are!” a woman said. Short hair surrounded her round face, and a man followed behind her. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
