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Madison isn’t offended in the slightest. Her attention focused and decided on me. She isn’t moving.
I can only hear Eli snort because he’s blocked. The length of her hair fanning as it dangles between her arms like a curtain between us.
An unusual pinch sets in the corners of her eyes the longer she keeps her attention on me. There’s something strange about it but I don’t understand what or why that is.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s jealousy. My mind must be off though, thrown through the mess of Finn and Cole’s stuff that it’s making me delirious.
Speaking of… “Eli, I’m ready to leave.”
“Alright,” he acknowledges, rising from his spot. “I think we’ve wasted enough time.”
A swirl of new emotions flashes across Madison’s eyes this time. It almost resembles hurt, but then she blinks and it’s gone. Eli had been talking to me, but somehow the comment wasn’t meant for me.
Madison’s frown deepens but she refuses to move her head in the other direction. Not even after Eli leads us both out of the restaurant does she look directly at him. Stuck to that spot at our table like she’s frozen.
It wasn’t until later that night, while I lay awake tucked into Cole’s side, I realized how quiet Eli had been on the drive home. A stiffness settled in the air that wasn’t there before Madison showed.
sixteen
Cole
Ifhatewasasin, my father would have found a way to weasel his way out of hellfire in a three-piece suit and a permanent scowl.
In my entire life, I could count on a single hand the number of times I’d seen him crack a smile. Every single time it was twisted and limp. But then again, if you don’t come prepared, bedrock is hard to break when you have a pick and not a sledgehammer.
Life’s brutal like that.
Never expect anything, especially from Silas Kellet. If you do, it’s a complete waste of your time or a trap. Being fair is for the mediocre.
Something he’d gladly remind anyone of right before he mangled you to a nice, flushed pulp.
“Okay, so you remember the plan?”
Never assume. Plan for everything. That’s the only motto that matters when it comes to surviving this life.
Finn rolls his neck and wiggles out his shoulders before they stiffen back in place. He’s wired, but so am I.
We both know the plan. Be swift, but indirect. We’re already going into this with our guards up, but Silas will expect that, so it’s not unreasonable. Us pretending to be unfazed by the news that we’re brothers a small leverage.
One I plan on using to my every advantage.
“Why hasn’t he shown yet?” Finn mumbles out the side of his mouth like someone might overhear.
“We’re early,” I remind him, spotting in my peripherals how his knee hasn’t stopped bouncing since we arrived.
We should be at school right now, but we came here instead. We figured this was the best time since we needed the extra practice after school let out.
Also, I’m not sure Finn could handle a whole day’s worth of school and then come here afterward. Too much time for his mind to fester, more so than it already has.
“What exactly are we trying to get out of him?”
“Anything.”
“Right,” Finn says, tone bitterly cold.
Both our focuses stay ahead. The world outside the windows of Silas’s office has no idea what’s going on. Living their lives unknowing of anything different. While mine is constantly on the move.
Never stand still, altering as much as it is turning.
