Page 8 of The Revenge Agenda

His footsteps pause, and I glance over at him. His red hair is a mess, and he’s also shirtless, but unlike Madden, Seven’s wearing black sweatpants riding low on his hips. “Whiskey time?” he asks.

I try not to pout. “I need to cry. And throw up. And then maybe cry some more.”

“Jesus. Whiskey, it is.”

Madden steers me over to the couch, and I collapse onto it. Molly and Xander join us, and Xander drops to his knees in front of me, crossing his arms over my thighs.

“Are you dying?”

“I wish I was.”

“It doesn’t feel nice, you know.”

Seven whacks him gently over the back of the head when he reappears with a bottle of whiskey tucked under his arm and a large bag of candy in both hands. “You’ve never died.”

“I almost have.”

“Not almost. Not even close to almost.”

Molly reaches over to smooth Xander’s blue hair down. “Don’t listen to him, baby. Your life is very dramatic.”

Xander preens, and Madden clears his throat. “Can we get back to Rush now? Why the hell are you dressed like an elf?”

“It’s Christmas.”

“Yeah, but you don’t see any of us in slutty festive wear.”

“I’ve been called that enough tonight, thank you.”

Silence ripples over them, which is a real feat, considering my roommates are never quiet. Seven opens the whiskey and has a long drink before handing the bottle to me, and I copy him, cringing as the liquid burns my throat.

Then I look at the floor and say the words that are all too familiar to me. “I’m such an idiot.”

That earns me a swat to the skull. “Try again,” Seven warns.

“My brain cells are limited enough as it is, thanks,” I say, rubbing my head. “Why are you being mean?”

“Dude, you’re sitting here dramatically falling apart, and I’m just waiting to find out who I gotta kill. What happened?”

“He … he cheated.”

“That creep!” Molly flies to his feet. “Seven, get the car. Where does this guy live? I’ll kill them both!”

I shake my head. “He cheated on me with his fiancé.”

“Fiancé?”

I glance up at Xander’s small voice and find him looking at me. I’m too vulnerable to meet his eyes, but the split second of sympathy is enough. “They threw me out. I was so excited for our anniversary, and we were supposed to spend the whole night together, but I must have mixed up the days, or he mixed up the days, and there were all these people there staring. I didn’t have my phone, and it was cold, and?—”

“Well, that explains why you didn’t answer when I called,” Madden says. “Stop for a second. Who threw you out?”

“Ian. And he said some nasty things.”

“And who else was there?”

“Hunter. He gave me a coat and ordered me a car.”

Seven and Madden exchange a look. “Who’s Hunter?”

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