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Prologue
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Istared at Grayson in shock. A quick glance around the room confirmed that I was not alone. Knix was the first to recover—of course, he would be. “What exactly was her threat?” he demanded. Already, I could see his mind scouring through thoughts and would-be possibilities. Always thinking of the next step—what todo.
A threat hung over us, a goddamn knife clinging to the slenderest of strings, waiting to drop. Harlow was being threatened, and none of us would stand for that, especially not me. Not now. Notever.
“She didn’t exactly say she’ddoanything to her.” Grayson’s face was ashen as he stood before us. His eyes didn’t bounce around the room like someone who was nervous. No. Instead, they stared right through us, seeing something that was obviously not there as he answered Knix’s question. “But she did imply that unless I bent to her will, Harlow wouldn’t exactly besafe.”
“Safe?” Bellamy echoed, glancing around. “She’s not exactly safenow. I mean, think about all those fucking accidents that have been happening. The car that nearly ran her over. The bike accident—she ended up in the hospital!” Bellamy’s gaze widened and he turned, sharpening his look on Grayson. “It was her, wasn’t it? Yourmotherwas the one who made all those accidentshappen!”
I had only heard that depth of absolute fury in his voice a few times in the few years that I had known him. Because of it, and the fucked up situation, I found myself doing something I never would have predicted. I stepped between Grayson and Bellamy and faced my friend down, effectively stopping Bellamy’s forward momentum when he started towards Grayson, probably with every intention of pounding him to a bloody damnpulp.
“This isn’t the place to do this,” I said sharply, glancing to Knix forbackup.
Knix met my gaze and nodded. “He’s right, Bell.” Knix moved towards Bellamy and put what I was sure was supposed to be a reassuring hand on hisshoulder.
Bell shrugged it off and kept his gaze focused on me. “You’re protecting him now?” he demanded. “Of all people, I didn’t thinkyou—”
“Things have changed,” I interrupted. “We don’t have room for enemies between us anymore.” I glanced behind me and was thankful that Grayson seemed to have come back to himself. His eyes were more aware, though a bit clouded. With what, I didn’t know. “Besides,” I turned back to Bell, Knix, and Texas—the former who had yet to say anything, “Harlow has made it clear that she prefers himaround.”
“She didn’t know what she wanted. She was drugged and had been through an ordeal,” Bellargued.
“Do you want to go ask her then?” I asked harshly, irritated. Shoving a hand through my hair, I grabbed a chunk and tugged. A deep, dull throbbing started at the back of my skull. Even my damn bones felt tired andachy.
“Then Grayson’s gonna go back and talk to her,” Bellamy said, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ll go and we’ll make sure this bitch doesn’t think that she canjust—”
“Whoa, hold on there, Bell.” Knix’s gaze darkened and he pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration clear. “It’s not that easy. We can’t just go to the home of Teddi Vandersen-Caruso and demand that she back off Harlow. That’s not how the socialite world works. She wouldn’t even acknowledge that she’s done anything.” Knix sighed, obviously disturbed by this whole conversation. “There’s no proof, either, that she’s been the one behind the accidents or attacks or whatever is going on with Harlow,” he continued. “All we have is Grayson’s account of a threat that was really too vague to be arealthreat and photographs. She could just say that she was making sure her son wasn’t dating a gold-digger.”
Knix’s eyes cut away, looking somewhere that seemed to be off in the great distance. I knew he was just thinking, analyzing, examining the possibilities of this new information. It was what made him such a good leader. He wasn’t a hothead like Bellamy...or me, if I was being perfectly honest. He was athinker.
“Her side of the story will hold up,” Knix said with finality, turning back to us. “She’s a paragon in her community—donates to charity, has loads of money, lives in a nice place, is seen practically everywhere. She’s a part of the Charleston Country Club.” The longer Knix spoke, the harder he pinched the bridge of his nose. When he stopped, he dropped his hand away, but there was still a slight red mark where his fingers had boredown.
“If she’s implying that Harlow is—” Bell’s face flushed red with outrage and pure fury bubblingup.
Finally, Texas stepped forward and put a hand on Bellamy’s arm. Though he wasn’t much shorter than the rest of us, he definitely looked small next to Bellamy as Bell huffed and puffed and swelled with anger. Texas leaned up and whispered something too low for me to hear. Even if I had a chance to lean forward and try to listen, I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t invade their semi-privacy. Those two had a relationship that was a bit more complex. They were like brothers. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed that Grayson was no longer stationed behind me. Instead, he had moved to my side, facing the others aswell.
Bell turned a frustrated look on Texas who stood quietly and waited—for his reaction or his reply? Maybe both, Idecided.
“Fine,” Bell finally said, “but if she comes close to Harlow, all bets are off.” Before he stalked away, Bell turned back to the rest of us, his eyes landing on Grayson again. “Make sure you get fucking proof next time,” he snapped before stompingaway.
I couldn’t blame him. It almost seemed that he had taken all my anger and frustration and left me sounding like the sensible one for a change. I wasn’t sure if I liked the new dynamic, but I didn’t fault him for being protective. If I hadn’t been so tired, I likely would have reacted the sameway.
Texas looked after Bellamy and sighed before turning to the rest of us. “What now?” heasked.
“Good fucking question,” Isaid.
“Are you going back?” Knix directed his question to Grayson. Texas and I turned our gazes to the man who had dropped the bomb on all ofus.
“I can’t,” he said. Unlike how he usually was, Grayson was sedate, perhaps just as tired as the rest of us. But there was also anger in the tension of his shoulders and…was that guilt in hiseyes?
“Where will you go then?” Texas asked, still quiet, stillunreadable.
What had he said to Bell?Iwondered.
Grayson shook his head, looking much older than his nineteen years. “She’s wrapped up all my funds. My trust won’t kick in until I turn twenty-one,” he admitted. “I’ve got some of my own savings. I’m not an idiot. I have some assets—stocks, bonds, those kinds ofthings.”
I wasn’t surprised. In our lifestyle, you either made money or you blew it—while his brother obviously blew it, Grayson was a make money kind of guy. Not unlike myself. I cursed myself for being so thick headed. What he had told me all those years ago, I knew something had seemed off. I had let my anger and frustration cloud my judgment for toolong.
