Page 124 of Kade

Axel scoffed, shaking his head. He leaned back on the couch, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Whatever, dude. She’s not you. She has good parents. She’s not like us in that vein.”

“But I am,” Sam spoke. She gestured to me. “So is he.We’relike you guys.” She lingered on Steele before adding, “I’m not sure about you. Are your parents…” She hesitated and began chewing on her bottom lip. “What are they like?”

Steele sat up and his head rose. His chest filled. “They’re good parents. I swear to God, Sa—Mrs. Kad—I don’t know what to call you.”

“Sam,” she said, huskily. “Sam or Samantha. I’m not Mrs. Kade to you.”

He held her gaze before swallowing and nodding again. “Yeah. You’re right. Sa… Sam. Samantha. My mom and dad are good parents. They really are. They didn’t like what was happening and Dad, he—he tried to stop it. He really did. It’s why he stopped talking to you. It was their condition. If they were going to leave you alone, then he had to as well. It’s…” He stared at her, that stricken look returning. “He loves you. He does. It’s why he left you. I swear it.”

Sam and I shared another look. Both of us were confused.

“Who are you talking about? Who, Steele?” She moved away from the door.

He stiffened, his pupils dilating before he shook his head. As much as he’d opened before, the opposite happened now. He folded in on himself. If he could’ve balled up and disappeared, he would’ve. He croaked out, almost too quietly to hear, “I can’t tell you about them. I’m not supposed to even know, but I do. I…” He was back to hesitating. “I can’t be the one to tell you.”

Beltraine ripped away from the wall, stalking to his friend. He touched his shoulder, but turned so he was shielding him from us. “That’s fucking enough. He told you what he could.”

No. It wasn’t enough.

I stalked forward, meeting the little shit’s gaze. “He tells us everything—”

Beltraine jerked his chin up, drawing to his full height to stand against me. “Or what?” His eyes turned mean. Glittering from heat. “You going to make us do shuttle runs too? Beat us up? What are you going to do?”

This was a kid, going toe to toe with me.

I didn’t want to like this kid, or respect him, but I did. It came in, grudgingly, but it was there. He was protecting his friend. I made sure to soften my voice, but he had to know the ramifications. “There’s a whole side to his story that I didn’t know about, but we will hear it all. You hear me? What he’s withholding threatens my family. I get that you consider him your family. That’s obvious, and trust me, I do get that, but he’s saying there’s someone out there that wanted to come after my wife. That’s Maddy’s mom. We have you in our home. She was making up beds for you so while it’s cool you want to protect your friend, you need to think long term. My wife still hasn’t heard all of it and I’d much rather she hear it from him, than me. He might be able to offer up some understanding for why he did what he did.” I moved to the side as I spoke, my eyes falling on Steele as I said that last piece.

Blood drained from him. He grabbed onto the couch, just before his entire body wavered to the side.

Axel cursed, shifting over. He grabbed hold of Steele, keeping him from toppling over.

Beltraine whipped around too, also cursing. Both righted their friend simultaneously.

“Fuck this.” Axel looked up.

“Axe,” Beltraine warned.

“No. Fuck this, Traine.” His gaze skirted between Sam and me. “You need to call his sister. She’s behind all of this. Whatever all of this is, it’s her. Guaranteed. It’s her.”

Something shifted inside of me. He was giving me a new target. “What are you saying?”

“You want answers, you get them from her. Fuck. She’ll probably gloat about it.”

Beltraine and Steele didn’t argue with what he was saying. Both remained quiet.

Axel added, almost as a curse, “She’s the mastermind behind whatever this is.”

I took out my phone and tossed it to him. “Call her.”

47

MADDY

I.

Was.

Going.

---