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Crew and I watch as he gets back on his feet, his bloodied fists balled at his sides, teeth bared.
“That’s not the way to pay him back for what he did. You break his face and he can’t speak. You kill him and we get nothing.”
“You’re right,” Jude mutters, but it’s loud enough for us to hear him. We all silence ourselves, not making a single sound. With his chin to his chest, he chokes and sputters, but manages to say, “Elias Stanton is dead.”
Chills shimmy down my spine at his admission. We knew this to be true, but hearing him say it out loud makes all the hell we’ve been through worth it.
“See,” Neo quips, “that’s why I did what I did. And that’s why I’ll continue to do what I’m doing until the truth climbs out of his wretched throat. From one beating to the next.”
Neo walks over to Jude with a slow and steady swag, chest inflated, fists still locked. “Why’d you try to kill my sister?”
Jude lifts his head, blinking rapidly. “Your sister?”
Neo howls, getting right in his face. “Don’t play dumb with me, kid.”
“I…I swear. I didn’t do anything to Maddie.”
Crew and I share some unspoken words, but I know he’s thinking the same thing I am, so I ask, “Then how do you know her name?”
“I know who she is. I know who all of you are. I’ve memorized everything there is to know about The Blue Bloods. But I didn’t hurt her.Never wanted to hurt anyone. I just…wanted to be one of you.”
Neo sputters a laugh. “One of us? You did all this shit because you want to be one of us?” His voice rises with each word that leaves his mouth. “You will never be one of us. You’re an inbred. A half-breed. The worst kind of Beckett because you were created as a pawn in this war waged on The Blue Bloods years ago.”
Everything Neo is saying is true. In Betty Beckett’s diary, she pleaded with her predecessors to do whatever it takes to bring down The Blue Bloods, even if it means impregnating female members to taint the bloodlines. That’s exactly what Jeremy Beckett did to Kenna Mitchell. Jude was born to destroy us and he’s been trying all school year.
Jude sobs some more, snot and tears mixing together and running down his mouth. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I swear.”
Neo straightens his back before punching him, sending Jude’s head thrashing to the right. “Yet, someone did.” Flexing his fingers, he turns around and heads for the door. He stops in the doorway, hands pressed on either side of the frame as he looks out into the tunnels. “See if you guys can get anything out of him. Otherwise, tape his mouth and we’ll try again tomorrow.” Then he leaves.
Crew starts interrogating Jude, much less aggressively than Neo did. While he’s working on him, I pull out my phone and listen to the voicemail Scar’s mom left.
“Uh. Yeah. Jagger.” Her voice is low, panicked even. “It’s Luna Sunder. I’m trying to reach Scarlett. It’s imperative that she call me immediately. I just heard about poor Maddie Saint and I’m beside myself. My husband informed me she’s been kidnapped. If Scarlett doesn’t return my call within the next hour, I’ll be forced to come there to pick her up, so I know she’s safe.”
I end the call and immediately blurt out, “Fuck!”
Crew’s eyes shoot over his shoulder. “What?”
“We’ve gotta go. Tape his mouth. Make sure the ropes are secure.”
“Dude.” He throws his hands up. “Tell me what the fuck happened.”
“Scar’s mom called. If she doesn't return her call within,” I glance at the timestamp of the call on my phone, “twenty minutes. She’s coming here.”
Dammit.I knew I should have just answered the call. There’s no other reason Mrs. Sunder would be calling my phone unless it was important. Word about Maddie’s disappearance seems to have leaked, which can only mean one thing, Sebastian Saint is going to lose his shit. He’d offer up his children before letting the public see him in a negative light.
ChapterSixteen
SCAR
“You have to do it,Scar. Just seduce him and force the truth out.”
The straw sticking out of my glass of iced tea dangles between my teeth. “Easier said than done.”
I hear what Riley is saying, but she doesn’t understand how hard it is to pretend with Neo. I tried. I climbed on his lap and gave it my best shot, and as soon as he opened his mouth, letting his venomous words fall out, I retracted. I forfeited. I quit. Because I knew there was no way in hell I could keep up that charade. The thought alone makes me feel dirty.It’s Neo, for fuck’s sake.
“Well, you have to do something because this nightmare needs to end. I’m ready to wake up and enjoy the rest of my senior year. Tie him to his bed if you need to. Leave him there until he spills all his secrets.
Now she’s talking.I might not be able to seduce Neo, but I can torture the hell out of him. I won’t hurt him physically, but I can sure as hell fuck with him emotionally. This could work.
