Page 405 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“You have to get to Sean’s house likerightnow.” Why is he whispering? “They drugged her, Jude.”

I switch on the light, my eyes narrowing to slits at the brightness as I try to force my brain to make sense of this. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

But Alex just keeps talking. “I called the cops, but you know Sean’s dad won’t come break up a house party at his own fucking house.”

Party. Harper.Drugged.

I end the call without saying a fucking word. I hop into a pair of sweats, snag a hoody from the back of my chair, and race barefoot down the stairs. I pause at the back door to deactivate the alarm, but my hand hovers in thin air because it’s not turned on.

My heart’s in my throat as I ram open the door and race around the house to my Range Rover. I slam the car door and twist the key in the ignition. Gravel sprays from under the tires as I peel out of the driveway. I’m staring behind me, one hand gripping the passenger side headrest as I hold down the gate’s key fob.

“Open, open, open!” I mutter through my teeth.

The one side of the gate scrapes against my fender as I back the SUV out faster than the gates can open. As soon as I’m on the road, I throw the gear shift into drive, and slam down my foot on the gas. My tires screech, and there’s a moment of frozen time where they can’t adhere to the surface of the road.

Then they grip.

The SUV lurches forward.

I leave my stomach behind as my truck rockets down the road.

The party’s still in full swing when I arrive. Someone, I’m guessing Alex, left the gate open. I jump out of the SUV, not bothering to close the door behind me or take the key out of the ignition.

Barefoot, dressed only in a hoody and sweats, I run over the lawn and weave between the parked cars. I slam open the front door, and it crashes into some guy standing too close. I couldn’tgive a fuck if I’ve just broken his nose. Ignoring his yell of pain, I shove my way through the kids packed into the living room.

“Alex!” I bellow, but there’s no way I can compete with the blaring music. “Harper!”

“She’s upstairs,” a girl—fuck knows who—says.

I turn and race for the stairs, shoving the kids who are too drunk or fucked to move out of my way.

“Fuck you!” someone yells after me, but it’s all just white noise.

They drugged her.

I shove open every door on the second floor. I hammer on the first locked one I get to for a few seconds before moving on. My brain is screaming for me to slow down, to take stock, but there’s no time.

They drugged her.

I’m snarling, my hands in white-knuckled fists.

“Jude. Jude!”

Alex. I skid to a halt, carpet fibers scorching my naked feet. “Where?” is all I can manage through my tight throat.

He points to a door.

It’s closed.

My heart’s in my fucking throat, throttling me, suffocating me. I expect it to be locked, but the door opens. That’s how little they care about being discovered. About beingseen.

Three guys. Sean, Daniel, Eric. Two on the bed, Daniel to one side with a cell phone. He’s the first to notice me. He’s the first to yell. But it’s not him I’m going for. When I grab Sean’s shirt and haul him away from Harper, he makes a surprised sound. But he doesn’t put up a fight until he’s on the floor like his reactions are delayed.

They drugged her. Guess they had some too. Good for me, bad for them.

My foot slams into his side, and he curls around the pain with a groan.

Eric swings around, and shuffles for the side of the bed. He’s got his dick out, but it looks like I got here just in time because he isn’t even hard yet. Or am I too late…and it’s already over?

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