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This can’t be happening.
“Sorry to interrupt your fun, Fort,” I say, trying to distract them from what they just saw. “I thought it was something else.”
No one says anything about the news broadcast, thank God. I’m sure they’ve got a lot of questions.I have a lot of questions.I know Cece and Grim know who my parents are, and I’m pretty confident the rest of the club does too. It’s hard to be anonymous when I’m paraded around as the good pastor’s daughter.
Luckily, everyone has avoided that topic. Grim still questions me daily about what happened to me, and who did it, but I won’t budge. His club has done enough to help me, and I won’t let Brad destroy them like he has me.
My shoulders sag in defeat, and my heart plummets to my stomach. Keeping a small smile on my face to hide my inner turmoil, I slowly lower onto the couch and try to drown out the noise of the clubhouse.
The more I think about it, the more hurt I feel. And Brad standing withmy parents,pretending to be a loving fiancé… that’s laughable.
I don’t understand anything my parents said. My car was found totaled? They think I was in a car accident? But yet, they haven’t sent one text to me. If they thought their only child was hurt or lost, why wouldn’t they try to reach me on my phone first? Even the devil himself hasn’t messaged me about where I am. Nothing makes any sense.
Cece sits next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Violet, you okay?” she asks.
“I’m good,” I lie and nod at Lock and Fort, who’ve resumed their struggle over the remote. “So, who do you think will win?”
CHAPTER16
GRIM
FOUR MINUTES EARLIER…
Abyss continues to sign dramatically,but I’m not really paying attention to what he’s saying. Instead, I’m hyper-focused on the heat-seeking missile directed at my back from Violet’s stare.
But then he freezes mid-sentence, and his eyes dart toward the couches. I turn around and see everyone’s attention on Violet for a moment before it shifts to the TV. On the screen is a live news conference featuring none other than Violet’s parents and fiancé.
Rather than try to read their lips, my eyes dip to the bottom of the picture where the closed captions are scrolling.
“She’s been missing for over a week. Her car was discovered totaled on the side of the road, just a few miles from her apartment, but she was nowhere to be found. The local hospitals have no records or reports of my daughter, or anyone listed as Jane Doe.”
“We just need to know that she’s okay. She’s my baby!”
There’s a pause in the captions, and I watch as Brad Coventry hugs Mrs. Simpson while also leaning forward to speak.
“If anyone has any information, please come forward. We’re supposed to get married next month, and I want her to come back to me.”
My gaze darts to Violet, and she’s standing frozen, her entire body stiff, and she’s clenching her good hand, no doubt digging her fingernails into her palm. I want to go to her, to wrap my arms around her and offer comfort, but I have no fucking clue how to do that.
And she’s engaged.
Unable to stop myself, I start to walk toward her, but then she turns to face Cece, and I get a good look at her face.
Huh?
Rather than angry, all I see is sadness and pain. The pain makes sense, but the sadness? I don’t understand that.
A tap on my shoulder elicits a groan, and I swivel to see Malice, who I didn’t even realize had come into the common room. His expression bleeds concern, and that feeds my confusion.
“What’s wrong, brother?”
What’s wrong? Every fucking thing.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” He darts his eyes to Violet and back again. “You’re obsessing over her.”
