Page 78 of Secrets of Euphoria

Okay, he swallowed hard, his eyes trained on me.

What? Shit, okay. No problem. Be right there.

He ended the call with a frustrated toss of the phone onto the bed. “Fuck!” he spat, yanking the blankets back, throwing himself to a sitting position and running a hand through his hair.

I sat up, placing a comforting hand on his leg, shaking with anticipation. He leaned on his elbows, burying his face into his palms.

“What’s wrong?!”

“Mila’s in the hospital,” he whispered as he shot up from the bed, striding to the closet. “We have to go there now,” he called out over his shoulder.

I propelled myself off the edge of the bed. The floorboards creaked under my weight as I landed and quickly made my way to the closet. “I’ll go wake Maddie.”

“No!” he snapped, his voice tense and insistent. He hastily pulled on a pair of black jeans. “Go wake Gia and tell her she’s coming with us,” he hissed. “We’re taking Maddie to my parents’ house, so I’ll just try to carefully get her to the car without waking her so much. Ian said don’t tell security where we’re going.”

“We’re needed back at the club?” I asked louder than normal, hoping security roaming the house may have heard.

Squinting, he offered a smirk. “Yeah!” he replied loudly before he brought his voice back down to a whisper. “Good thinking.”

“Thanks.” I threw on the first thing I could grab in the closet; a Tiffany & Co. hoodie and a pair of navy-blue jeans.

My mind raced as I processed his words. We were taking Maddie to his parents’ house, but something about the different urgency in his voice made me extra uneasy. I rushed out of the room, heading toward Gia’s door down the hall.

Mila?! Why Mila?! I asked myself over and over. Did Dante do it?! Was it an accident?! I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to the most innocent person who hung around us; her bright smile and kind heart, making her loved by anyone who ever met her.

She may have been the complete opposite of Tyler, but he loved her and those kids more than anything on the planet. The thought of anything happening to her sent a chill down my spine. Nothing good happened at this hour.

“Mila, please be okay,” I sighed, tapping rapidly on Gia’s door before risking indecency and pushing it open. “Gia,” I whispered just loudly enough for her to hear.

“Yeah?” she groaned, the covers rustling around her. “Come in.”

I stepped into the room, taking in her disheveled state. The hallway light spilled into the room, casting a faint glow on her features. Her hair was mussed, and her eyes were barely cracked open as I closed the door behind me.

“We have to leave, and you have to come with us,” I said in a quick, hushed tone. “We’re taking Maddie to Luke’s parents.”

She shot up to a sitting position, her naked breasts falling out over the top of the blankets. “What’s wrong?!”

“Shhhh,” I lifted a finger to my lips, giving her a look that told her to please play along. “We’re handling an emergency at the club.”

She nodded, her expression full of concern.

“There’s been an accident with Mila,” I muttered.

“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed in a loud whisper. She jumped out of bed and hurried across the room, not bothering to cover her naked body. The tension in my voice had clearly gotten through to her. She quickly slipped into a tank top and jeans, grabbing a coat from the chair in the corner. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling a knot form in my stomach. “Ian called Luke and all I know is we have to get to the hospital as soon as possible and not alert security.” My heart raced as I thought about what could have happened.

Luke opened the door just as she was brushing through her hair with her fingers, pulling it up into a messy bun on top of her head. “I’m going to get Maddie up,” he mumbled. “Meet me downstairs. Ian doesn’t trust anyone, but Ice Man or Nico right now, so avoid all questions if you can if we’re approached.”

Giovanna put her hands on her hips. “Not to be disrespectful or anything, but if someone’s behind this, wouldn’t they know exactly why we’re leaving, regardless? The timing… I mean.”

Luke paused for a moment, darting his eyes back and forth between us. “Shit. You’re right, but we’re sticking with the story, anyway. It might not have made it this far yet.”

With a single nod, we did as we were told and met him downstairs.

17

BAD SIDE

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