“I didn’t get shot,” she whispered, opening and closing her mouth a handful of times. “But it should’ve been me. It should’ve fucking been me, Maddie.” Allie sobbed into Maddie’s shoulder as someone shouted from the entrance doors.

João slammed his hands on the front counter. “Where the fuck is she?!”

“Sir, I don’t—” the nurse began.

“Hey!” I called so he—and the rest of Poison—wouldn’t harass the poor nurse.

João stormed over to us and grabbed me by the collar. “The fuck is she?”

“In surgery,” I said, shaking him off.

He picked up an empty chair and hurled it across the room at the wall. The chair dented the wall, nearly hitting someone in the process, then fell to the ground. João went to pick up another chair, but Landon rushed into the waiting room and caught it from him before he could hurl it.

João grabbed his shirt collar, too, like he had with mine, and shoved him back by it. “I will kill them. I will fucking kill who did this to her. I don’t give a fuck who it is. I’m going to snap their fucking neck.”

Kai walked in a moment later, holding an open laptop in his hand, staring down at them and shaking his head. He collapsed next to Jace and rubbed his forehead. “Will you let me fucking concentrate?” Kai growled at João. “Please.”

As Poison began quarreling with each other about God knew what, I collapsed in the seat across from Jace and Kai, gaze on Maddie. My hands tightened into fists by my sides, and I shook my head, still in disbelief that this had happened.

Why did she even leave school today? Why did she put herself in danger?

Tears welled in my eyes. I could’ve lost her.

And if I had lost her, then there would have been no point for me to go on in this life anymore. I would have no reason to live. She was the only woman who could’ve ever gotten me through what she had, and I’d almost … I’d almost fucking lost her.

“Man the fuck up and stop crying,” João growled at me. “This is fucking serious.”

Landon punched João square in the jaw, sending him backward. “Shut the fuck up and sit down. I remember you crying your fucking eyes out when your mom died. His girl almost died today. Why don’t you worry about finding out who the hell did this to Imani?”

A door near the front desk opened, and Mrs. Abara stepped out.

“Vera is out of surgery and stable,” Mrs. Abara, Imani’s mother, said softly. “Room 401.”

Immediately, Blaise and Maddie hurried toward the elevators. Mrs. Abara lingered in the waiting room, pausing for a moment, and then a wave of distress washed over her face when her gaze met Poison’s.

“We didn’t do anything this time,” Landon said to her. “She skipped herself.”

Mrs. Abara sucked in a sharp breath, glancing at Kai, who nodded, and João, who paced the waiting room with a pissed-off expression written all across his face.

After nodding, she headed toward the back. “Imani will be out soon. She’s fine.”

Once she disappeared behind the door, Landon slumped his shoulders forward and hung his head. “Thank fuck.”

“We’re not thanking fucking anyone,” João growled, grabbing Landon by the front of his jacket again and pulling him forward. “Imani was shot, and we’re going to find out who the fuck did it so we can kill them.”

Landon shoved him away. “You think I don’t fucking know that?”

As they began to quarrel again, Kai turned back to his laptop and continued typing away on it. And I had a feeling that hewasn’ttrying to finish any essay or schoolwork. His brightness was all the way down, so I couldn’t even see his screen.

Allie crossed her arms and paced the waiting room near the entrance, the doors opening and closing, letting cold air into the room. I ran a hand across my face and wished that Maddie had just stayed in school and forgotten about this Girl Gang that they were trying to run.

Because if she wasn’t careful, she’d get killed one of these days.

CHAPTER75

MADDIE

Vera had been lying unconscious in the hospital bed for the past few hours. Time passed so slowly in the hospital, every moment feeling like an eternity until she came back around. I sat next to her on one side of the bed, Blaise on the other, Vera’s mom and Blaise’s dad by the door.