I rush to where the guys are gathered with Harper, making last-minute preparations. Carnage takes one look at my face and goes on alert.
“What is it?”
“Maddy called. Something's wrong. She needs me at the library.”
“The game starts in two hours,” Vatican points out, checking his watch.
“I know, but—” My voice cracks. “She sounded panicked. I have to go.”
Carnage doesn't hesitate. He tosses me the keys to the Suburban. “Take the car. Go. We'll drop Harper at the rink after she makes introductions with the guys coming to help.”
“You sure?” I ask, already moving toward the door.
“Positive. Just be careful, Tor. And call us if anything feels off. Take your gun!”
I nod, my mind already racing ahead to what could possibly be waiting for me at the library. What could have Maddy so panicked that she couldn't even explain over the phone?
As I climb behind the wheel and start the engine, my hands are shaking so badly I have to grip the steering wheel just to keep them steady.
Saturday was supposed to be the beginning of everything: the game, the operation, the kidnapping.
The start of our war.
But as I pull out of the driveway and speed toward the library, I can't shake the feeling that something has already gone horribly, catastrophically wrong.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
TOREN
My heart is already racing before I even reach the library doors.
I sprint through the hallway, my shoes echoing against the linoleum like gunshots, and yank the door open so hard it slams against the wall. Maddison is standing behind the desk looking like she's about to throw up, her face drained of all color, her hands trembling.
The library is completely empty, either everyone is already at the rink, gearing up for the game, or she didn't bother opening today. Something tells me it's the latter.
“Maddison, what's wrong?” I gasp, rushing toward her.
She whirls around to face me, and the dazed panic in her eyes makes my stomach drop. But then something shifts—the panic morphs into pity, and that's somehow infinitely worse.
“He took my keys, didn't he?” Her voice is hollow, defeated.
I freeze. “Who took your keys?”
“Xaden!” she snaps with such unexpected venom that I physically recoil. “Who the hell else would have taken them?”
“I'm not following?—”
“I thought I lost my keys earlier this week. I couldn't open up the library.” Her words come out rushed, frantic. "I thoughtI dropped them somewhere, thought I was just being careless, but?—”
“Okay, but you're here now and everything is fine?—”
“You fucked him in the office.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My face falls, all the blood draining from my cheeks. “Maddison, I can explain?—”
She waves her hand dismissively, cutting me off. “I don't care, Toren. I really don't. The point is, you two weren't the only ones in here that night.”
The world tilts sickeningly beneath my feet. “What?”
