Page 87 of My Brother's Best Friend

“To talk to your brother,” Vera said. “Will you ask him to talk to me, Ana?”

With her head resting on Vera’s shoulder and her eyes closed, Ana pointed at João. “Talk to Vera. She’s my best friend. If you’re mean to her, then I’m not going to talk to you for an entire week.”

João rolled his eyes and hiked his thumb back to the hallway. “Put her to bed.”

Vera smiled at João—which made Blaise growl—and then hurried into the back hallway. When Vera disappeared, Maddie stepped forward.

“I need your help, and I’m willing to pay for it.” She poked a finger into his chest. “But you’re not screwing me over like you did with Jace.”

“We didn’t screw Jace Harbor,” João said, leaning against the back of his couch. “Jace paid for a service. We delivered. He valued that information at the price we provided him.”

“Well, I’m not paying two million.”

“You’re right. You’re going to pay more,” João said. “If you want your brother back.”

Maddie stared at him through bewildered eyes. “H-how’d you know he’s gone?”

“Kai saw Spencer take him on the town’s security cameras.”

Maddie balled her hands into fists and screamed, “I hate him!”

“We’ll do it for four,” João offered.

“Two,” Maddie countered.

Nerves built up inside me, making my chest tight. I didn’t like Poison—hated them actually—and I loathed the way this conversation was going. Working with them could hurt us—badly—in the end.

“Four.”

With flared nostrils, Maddie glared at João. “Two, and we’ll help you.”

João snorted. “You’ll help me like you helped with Carter earlier?”

Maddie tensed and glanced over at me.

“What happened tonight?” I asked.

“The girls beat the shit out of Carter. Almost killed him,” João said.

She had mentioned it briefly earlier, but …

I seized Maddie’s hand and squeezed it, heart breaking. “You did?”

Blaise chuckled next to me and leaned against the door, his lips curled into a smirk, as Vera walked back into the room, tucking some hair behind her ears.

“Asshole deserved it. He’s been a dickhead since elementary school.”

“Vera knocked him out,” Maddie said.

“That’s my girl,” Blaise said.

“Maddie,” I said, pulling her toward me, “you should not be kicking anyone’s ass.”

Maddie pressed her lips together. “He deserved it for what he did to you.”

“What he did to you?” João asked, rubbing his hands together. “Getting interesting now.”

“He didn’t do anything,” I said between my teeth. I tugged Maddie. “We’re leaving.”

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