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“Okay, then,” I mutter, half-stunned as we turn back to the front door. I have to remind myself that I’m dealing with a master manipulator. Aside from the many things Emmett’s guilty of, his father was a monster, so he’s used to detaching from his emotions to save face.
The smell of simmering meat and spices wafts through the air as we step into the warmth of my home. “Ophelia?” my mother calls out as soon as the front door opens.
My mom is a nurse, and had no trouble finding a job when my scholarship brought us to Jameson. My stepdad Brendan works on power lines. They both do their fair share around the house, with the cooking and cleaning and constant worrying about me. She has been especially overprotective since I went missing for those few days.
Her face drops the moment she rounds the corner and sees him standing there next to me. “Oh,” she gasps.
“Hello, Mrs. Lopez,” Emmett chimes brightly, with a polite smile.
“Ophelia…” My mom is speechless. She didn’t expect to see me with him again after I told her I’d decided he was a bad influence.
“Emmett just needs s
ome help with his homework,” I offer as calmly as I can. “We’re going up to my room, but he won’t be here long.”
She looks unconvinced, and won’t stop looking him up and down with a seething, distrusting glare.
“Mrs. Lopez, I owe you an apology.” He steps forward to interject just as her lips part and she seems to be gathering her words. “I can’t imagine how worried you must have been when Ophelia was gone with me for those couple of days. I should never have allowed us to get so carried away.”
The sincerity of his tone chills me. He is too good at lying, and any time I see him doing it to other people, I am reminded to be cautious of every word he says to me. I never ran off with him. He and his fucked-up family, along with the rest of the Elites, held me hostage in an attempt to get my estranged father to back off, but you’d never know that looking at us both now.
“Don’t worry, Mom,” I assure her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere this time.”
She looks at my hand, and then back at Emmett’s face. She’s not going to be so easily convinced. I see the rage building inside of her as her brow furrows and one fist rises to her hip. “You’ve got some nerve showing back up here,” she growls, scowling. “And you expect me to trust you this time? Just like I did after you wrecked your car with my precious Ophelia inside?”
“That was an accident,” he blurts, his lips pursing immediately at his poorly chosen words.
“An accident,” she scoffs. “How do I know she won’t ‘accidentally’ go missing again for a few days in your company?”
“Mom, really, it’s okay,” I interject, knowing Emmett can’t hold up to an interrogation right now. “I promise you I’m not going anywhere. Just a quick study and homework session in my room…that’s all.” The confidence and assurance in my own voice surprises me. I am getting good at lying, too, now. Something I’ve picked up along the way in Jameson, I suppose.
Her face twists up with doubt as she looks us both over with narrow eyes. I’m thankful for her wariness. If Emmett is up to his old games, it could save me. But I straighten up under her gaze, holding strong to convince her I am fine. Everything is fine. I am working to convince myself of just as much.
“I don’t want you two leaving the house together,” she commands, her voice low and defeated.
“Absolutely,” Emmett shoots back eagerly. “We won’t go anywhere.”
He is already turned away from her, racing up to the privacy of my room, but I linger for a moment and hug my mom tight. “It’s okay, I promise,” I whisper to her, side-eyeing Emmett boldly. I need him to make sure my words stay true.
“Please eat dinner with us tonight,” she says dryly in reply.
“Of course,” I chirp, sounding too cool and normal. I have to break away from this now, or I’ll lose my nerve. I turn to follow Emmett, wishing more and more that I had just told him no, that I couldn’t help him.
Our rented duplex is just big enough for the three of us. It’s cozy and has become my only safe haven in this hellhole. And even then, sometimes the danger has found ways to seep inside. Like right now, with Emmett Jameson in my room yet again.
The second we start up the stairs, his panic returns. He’s walking so fast, he stumbles as his sweaty hand pulls me along behind him.
His sister is missing, and he thinks he’s being watched. He has good reason to be afraid. He has just played a part in taking down the Elites, the old money organization that founded this town and the owners of the Jameson Automobile Company, which employs just about everyone in the city. With his father dead and the rest of the Elites facing time in prison, he is the new king of it all. The only one, aside from his sister and mom, who got out of the scandals free and clear with his life and wealth intact. You don’t pull off something like that without dredging up at least a few enemies along the way.
I can see all of this new reality written all over his face. The perfect ending my father promised him isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and it’s only just begun.
1
Chapter One
Emmett storms into my room and plops down on the edge of my bed as if it’s all so natural. But all I can think about is the last time he was here. His Elite buddies, Trey and Vincent, were with him. He pinned me to the wall before dragging me downstairs and sweet-talking my mom and stepdad into letting them take me out to the movies. I didn’t come home that night. Or the next night. My heart surges with anger as it all replays in my mind, and his pathetic, slumping posture only enrages me more.
“Okay, so spill it,” I demand, crossing my arms at a safe distance. “You got me here. What’s going on?”
