Page 8 of Maddog

“I didn’t want to go, but he said if I wanted to be with him, I needed to get used to international travel and charity work.”

“He seriously told you that?” One of the other girls sitting near us questioned Andrea. “Those exact words?”

Andrea swallowed as comprehension washed over her. “He did.”

“Me too.”

“Me too.”

“Fucker.”

All the women on the plane other than me seemed to have been sold the same song and dance. And the motherfucker had been so cool and smooth, he’d managed to make it from South Carolina all the way to Rodadero, Columbia with every single one of them and no one knew the secrets he was keeping.

“What about you, Holly?” Andrea looked ashamed, but like she really wanted the answer to that question.

“You mean, did I betray you and try to take your boyfriend?”

She ducked her gaze then, her shoulders hunching. “I’m sorry I asked that question, Holly,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean it like that. Honestly.” She took in a shuddering breath. “OK, that’s not exactly true. I did mean it like that. But I swear, I’ve never thought you’d do that kind of thing. It never crossed my mind before this very moment.”

“Relax, Andrea. I understand. You thought you had something real with Chris, and everyone else said he played them too. You’re emotionally raw and still scared after everything. Wondering how I fit in is natural.” I tried to give her a smile, but the very last thing I felt like doing was smiling. “I’m here because I knew something was up with Chris but couldn’t put my finger on it. That’s why I tried to talk you out of going on this trip.”

“I should have listened to you.” Andrea was crying now.

I waved her off. “The heart wants what the heart wants. What I can’t figure out is what he planned to gain from taking all his girlfriends to Columbia. Together.Orwhy he welcomed me with open arms when I wasn’t in his… err… circle.” I almost said harem but knew it would only insult and alienate the women here. They were victims. Not polygamists. And Chris had played them like a fucking master. Which likely meant he’d done something like this before.

That’s when Andrea started crying softly. I put my arm around her, trying to console her. She shook her head and pushed away from me, crying all the harder. “This is all my fault.”

“Of course it’s not your fault, Andrea. How could you know we’d be attacked like that? Besides, Chris has done this before. Whateverthisis. You weren’t looking for it. I knew something was off, but never imagined he had a dozen girls he was stringing along. But had I been as close to the situation as you were, I probably wouldn’t have noticed either. He’s a pro at manipulating women. Man needs to be castrated.”

Instead of helping, my words seemed to make Andrea cry harder. “You don’t understand!” she wailed. “Stop being nice to me! I’m a horrible human being and don’t deserve anyone to be nice to me, least of all you, Holly!”

“What?” My internal radar started going off, telling me to leave it alone. Unfortunately, I’ve always been too curious for my own good, even knowing that curiosity killed the cat. “Why would you say that? You’re my best friend. I’m always going to have your back and, though I’m a first-class bitch and never nice to anyone, I’ll never be horrible to you. Especially not now.”

That seemed to make her cry even harder. She fell against me, her arms going around my neck in a tight embrace. I tried to comfort her, but now I was on guard.

One of the other girls sneered. “She’s upset she knows she’s caught.” This girl had been sitting quietly in the corner, but she seemed to have had all she could take.

“Caught?” I glared at the other woman. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“She’s the reason most of us are here.” This came from another woman who sat huddled in the corner, her feet on the seat with her knees drawn up to her chest. “It’s probably why Chris keeps trying to get off on his own, too.”

Still sobbing, Andrea clung to me like her life depended on it. I was stunned and wasn’t sure exactly what to say, but I knew I needed to hear it all, no matter how much I didn’t want to.

“What’s going on?” Jax approached us, a wary look on his face. His gaze landed on me first. Checking on me? Then he took in everyone and frowned. “What happened?”

None of the other women said anything. Even the two who had engaged earlier looked away, obviously not trusting Jax. Andrea continued to cling to me and sniffle, but stopped her loud weeping.

“I don’t know,” I said softly. “But maybe you better check on Chris.”

Jax gave me a long, assessing look, then turned and headed back the way he’d come. Not long after, there was a banging on the door to the room Chris had taken over after I left.

“Open up, Alistair.” I was relieved to hear Jax actively checking the situation. He might be an asshole, but Jax and I had a connection. It was like we were drawn to each other. No matter how many times I told him to fuck off, the annoying asshole was always there when I needed him. And me? No matter how many times I told him to fuck off… yeah. I always welcomed him with open arms. Eagerly.

“Andrea, please tell me what’s going on.” I turned and gripped her slim shoulders gently, pulling her away from me so I could get a good look at her face. When I did, I felt an overwhelming rage start to simmer in my mind. Despite all the weeping and wailing, Andrea’s eyes were completely dry. Her makeup was as perfect as always.

I gasped, standing abruptly and taking two steps backward, away from the woman I’d called my best friend since grade school. I looked at the other women. The ones who’d spoken out, especially, gave Andrea looks of scorn, all but rolling their eyes. How had I not seen these looks before? Had they been there since the beginning of the trip? Had I missed some really strong anger there?

“I’m curious.” The bold woman looked from me to Andrea a couple of times. “You hated Chris. You obviously didn’t want him for a lover or partner, so why did you come with us?”

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