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Chapter One
Kenz
Well, I’m fucked.
If only I meant it in a more literal way. Instead of me getting to finally ditch my virgin status, however, I was just in trouble.
Again.
Hayden, Tor, Char and Vance hadn’t said anything else to me on the ride home, but had they really needed to? Hayden had uttered my most closely guarded secret, calling me by myrealname, Mackenzie Williams.
The silence in the car crushed me. I struggled to breathe deeply, as if the air had thickened until it became too heavy to draw in. Despite that, even when the car pulled to a stop in front of the house, I didn’t move.
I didn’t reach for the door, didn’t make any attempt to exit. Even when the others got out, I sat there, frozen, staring down at my own lap because I couldn’t bring myself to look anywhere else.
Was this it? They knew who I was, knew how they could use that. If only I’d moved faster, avoided Jarrod, left that damn bugged reader behind, I wouldn’t be here. Now I’d potentially put Nem and the others in danger because I hadn’t been smart enough.
Here I am again, screwing up everyone else’s life.
The door opened, and I expected to find Hayden there. He was usually the one who escorted me, who watched out for me.
Instead, a dark hand appeared in front of me, waiting. I glanced up to find Tor staring down at me, his expression unreadable.
I’d caused enough trouble, so I set my hand in his and got out of the car. The slamming of the door felt like a warning shot.
We went inside, and I knew damn well I wouldn’t be allowed to go to bed. No matter how tired I felt, how much I wanted to lie down and sleep, it wasn’t possible.
Interrogations are better done when the subject is tired.I recalled Dane telling me that once, when he’d been trying to find out where I’d hidden some candy I’d stolen from the kitchen.
The memory made me smile, even as my eyes stung.
Tor released my hand and gestured at the couch. I’d done enough to piss them off, so I did as he asked, sitting like a good girl.
Why do I keep failing at that? Even when I want to do well, I still don’t measure up.
It seemed my path in life.
A mug was set on the table before me, the wonderful scent of coffee streaming from the top. Char pushed it toward me on the table with a single finger.
“Thanks,” I whispered and picked it up. The warmth seeped through the ceramic and into my palms, easing that tightness in my chest.
The others filtered in from the kitchen, one at a time, each with a cup of their own. It seemed weallneeded the caffeine.Then again, I had no idea when they’d realized I was gone, so I didn’t know if they’d slept at all.
When they sat, however, the juxtaposition struck me. How many times had we done this?
“What are you smiling about?” Char asked, an edge to his voice.
“I was just thinking about how we’ve sat here just like this so many times. It’s weird to think it’s only been a few weeks.”
“And we almost never did it again,” Vance muttered, anger simmering in his tone.
“Getting right to it.” I took a sip of the coffee, the taste of the sugar substitute familiar and welcome. “So you know who I really am?”
Hayden nodded, the look on his face already a familiar one. He had the expression he wore when he was trying to stay calm, to be the adult in the room. “Yeah, we know.”
“How much do you know?”
“Enough,” Char snapped. “Even this far away, the Williams family is well-known. Of course, as far as anyone knew, Mackenzie Williams, the last legitimate heir, was killed about a year ago.”
