Page 82 of The Unravelings

“Huxley! Baby,” Amanda coos, running a hand down his chest. Her eyes dilate as she stands closer to him. “Jasper. Macklyn,” she greets in a monotone voice, like being in our presence is such a displeasure to her.

The way she says my entire first name has me wanting to drown her in the toilet. A used toilet. Maybe she could choke on some toilet paper. Used toilet paper. You know what? That’s not a bad idea. I wonder who would really miss her. And it’s not like her daddy could take us down. Then it would be obvious who Preston, the congressman, was aligning himself with.

Yes. Yes. So many plans run through my mind, and so little time to do them. Hux only has until May before he’s walking down the aisle and saying I do—when he really wants to say hell no.

I grin and then grunt when an elbow meets my ribs. Rude.

“Fucker,” I grunt, rubbing my side. You’d think all the alcohol would tame the pain, but it’s failing me on all levels. Double rude.

“I know what you were thinking about.” JJ’s gaze darts to the woman we all want to drop in a hole and forget about.

“Doubtful,” I scoff. “Unless murderous toilet plots are on your mind, too?”

JJ blinks several times as he digests my words and shakes his head.

“Amanda,” Hux grits between clenched teeth, forcefully removing her hand from his chest and stepping back. Something he doesn’t usually do. He’s all about keeping up appearances. Even if those appearances are poisonous.

She pouts. Literally. Sticking out her bottom lip with watery eyes.

“I came by to say hi,” she sniffles, swiping at a rogue tear. “Can’t I do that?”

“Well, you said hi.” Hux makes a shooing motion with his hands, sending her a scathing look. “You can leave.”

JJ snorts, covering his expression. We’ve always been so careful around her. Trying hard not to show too much disdain. Her status is important. Like ours. Plus, she’s close to Franco, too. Moving pieces that benefit her. Like Huxley. He’s always been hers in her delusional eyes. Now, she has him in her grasp, and it’ll be hard to tear away her claws.

Too bad, though.

“Bye, bye now!” I grin, waving at her.

“I’m not leaving,” she scoffs, crossing her arms. She wobbles and shifts her weight as her glossy eyes lock on us. “I came to hang out,” she slurs and giggles.

“You’re drunk.” Hux frowns, not bothering to hide his disgust.

“Yeah? So what!” she hisses, thumping him on the chest. “Daddy asked me to come over here and talk to you.” She tilts her head as a dreamy expression crosses her face. “To talk about our engagement party.”

“Engagement party?” I choke on my spit.

“What party?” Hux practically vibrates with rage, curling his fists and puffing out his chest.

Amanda is in the danger zone and doesn’t suspect a damn thing.

“Our party,” she says, wobbling her head. “Duh! We’re engaged now. Marriage soon, silly. We have to have a big party to celebrate. Everyone is invited!” She gives him a dreamy look, like he’s the damn sun in her orbit.

Gag me with a damn fork, then stab me in the eyes.

“Right. Our party,” Hux says with a straight expression, getting his emotions in check.

“We’ll have a chocolate fountain with strawberries and cheese!” She claps her hands together drunkenly, babbling about their engagement party menu more.

“Cheese?” I grumble. “With chocolate? That’s a crime all in itself.”

JJ snorts at my remark, but doesn’t respond.

“Thank you, Mr. President and Congressman Devalle, for your endorsement of my run for mayor of this amazing city! And thank you all for coming out to enjoy my fine establishment,” Franco’s booming voice overtakes our conversation, briefly silencing Amanda’s drunk ramblings. For at least a second or two.

I swear, if she continues talking about her impending marriage to Hux, steam might come out of his ears. On second thought, maybe watching him show any emotion would be interesting. The dude holds so much to his chest. Especially since Liv.

Franco makes a sweeping gesture with his arms toward the audience, pride emanating from his face. “You will all see a lot more of me these next few months, and don’t forget to vote for Franco.” He chuckles one last time before stepping back and waving to the crowd.