Page 51 of My Brother's Best Friend

Alec grabbed my arm. “Maddie, you don’t want to get messed up in Poison’s business.”

“Spencer should’ve been thrown in jail for what he did to me,” I said. “Someone raped you and got away with it. Shit is happening every single day in Redwood, and nobody gives a fuck about it. I want to do something about it.”

Kai turned around with a smirk painted on his lips. “I like the attitude, but João would never allow that. He’s barely allowed Imani to get involved in our business. He wouldn’t want a rich girl and her rich boyfriend to be added to the mix too.”

“But—”

Instead of letting me finish, Kai walked toward his bike, started it up, and disappeared down the street, leaving me alone with Alec Wolfe. I swallowed hard and glanced over at him, hoping he wouldn’t be mad at what I had said to Kai.

I wanted this town to burn for what it had done to us.

“Maddie,” Alec said, pushing some hair behind my ear, “you don’t have to do that for me.”

“Yes, I do,” I said, gently cupping his chin. “Because you would’ve done it for me if you had known what Spencer did when he did it. You would’ve burned this entire town to the fucking ground. And I promise to do whatever I have to do in order to get whoever did that to you thrown in jail, no matter how corrupt the police force is or the connections that she might have to the rich.”

We stared at each other for a few moments until he drew me in for a kiss.

“Don’t get yourself into trouble, Cupcake. Not for me.” He leaned his forehead against mine, his lips barely brushing on mine. “We have a life that we’re going to build together.”

Warmth exploded through my chest. “A life?”

“Eighty years together,” he murmured. “And I can’t have that cut short. I’ve waited too long.”

My cheeks tingled, my breath quickening. Had he really just said that? Part of me didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t. Alec Wolfe—more than once—had admitted to having feelings for me, to wanting to spend forever with me. How could that be?

“Promise me,” he murmured, “that you won’t get caught up in their business.”

I curled my fingers into his chest, desperately wanting to fix this for him, to get back at all the people who had hurt him, hurt Vera, hurt all my friends. But I … I wanted exactly what Alec wanted. I wanted to be together with him.

“Okay,” I whispered, “I promise.”

After pecking me on the lips again, Alec started the car. “Good.”

He drove us the long way back toward the stadium so I could get my car. I stared out the window at the dead and desolate winter beaches and stopped humming to myself when I spotted a black Jeep Wrangler with tinted windows parked near the Overlook.

My breath caught in the back of my throat, my body stiffening.Fuck.

I only caught a glimpse of the man’s back as he slipped into the driver’s seat, the tattoo on the back of his neck of a black snake, drifting around his shoulder and slipping down to his biceps. One that I had seen too many times.

Spencer Katz.

CHAPTER31

MADDIE

On Monday morning, I walked toward Redwood with a smile on my face. I had spent all weekend talking to Alec Wolfe, and, God, it felt so good. I felt like I had been on top of the world since Friday night, like nothing could stop the feeling of warmth spreading through my body.

Not even Spencer.

Wind seared my cheeks, so I pulled the hood of my coat up and trudged toward the front doors. It had been an odd occurrence, seeing Spencer in Redwood, but I had pushed it to the back of my mind. He wouldn’t dare fuck with me again after what the hockey team did to him.

At least, that was what I told myself. That was what I forced myself to believe.

Everything is fine.

And while I hoped that everything really was fine, as soon as I stepped through the front doors of Redwood Academy, Tiffany—one of Sandra’s best friends—shoved herself into my shoulder. It was almost as if she had been waiting for me.

My books fell, and I hurried to pick them up.

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