Page 179 of The Invite
“Jesus!” curses Kaid, expressing my sentiment. “Are you nuts?”
Maverick, standing behind Scarlett, bites down on his lip to hold back his laughter. Wolf legit does a face-palm. Beside him, Kenny, who’s curled on the seat like a cornered mouse, becomes scared for Daisy.
Meanwhile, I feel a headache brewing in my temple. I would rather bring Nessa breakfast in her bed than be stuck with this lot.
“He’s going to come after us either way,” I calmly state, returning their focus to tonight’s deadline. “Might as well throw him bait to draw him out.”
“Grayson’s right, Capri,” says Kaid, standing with his arms crossed beside me. “The sooner we catch him, the faster we make him pay for hurting Amber.”
The rest of the group is scattered around the room. One look and you can tell we’re divided into two: the rich and the poor. No matter how evolved our society becomes, some lines can never be erased.
“How can you be okay with risking our lives while they,” she utters with disgust, “stay tucked away in their highly protected ivory castles.”
“Man, you really hate rich people,” snidely remarks Maverick.
Her sharp gaze swings his away. “Then stop flaunting it in our faces. You people only have it because you mooch off on the backs of hardworking people like us.”
“Your little speech reeks of jealousy.”
“Not our fault you’re poor,” taunts Scarlett, her words disguised in a sweet tone. “Or that you weren’t born into a wealthy family.”
“You just proved my point.”
“Stating a fact isn’t bragging,” scoffs Scarlett.
“Funny you say that, Scarlett,” drawls Kaid. “Because I’ve seen you get offended when everyone calls you a bitch. Last I checked, it’s a known fact too.”
“Hey… watch it!” I threaten.
Maverick holds a ready-to-punch Scarlett back as she yells, “You asshole!”
Kaid’s face remains in a tight scowl, but there’s no missing the sadistic spark in his eye as he dares her to hit him.
“Oh, so you can insult our friend but we can’t say shit to you?” sneers Wolf. “Don’t dish it out if you can’t take the heat back.”
“You know what, I hope Anonymous kills one of you.” Pushing away from Maverick, my sister stands and stalks upstairs without a backward glance.
I don’t stop her because it’s for best.
Before the situation can escalate into a full-out brawl, I cut in, “Unless anyone has a better plan, we’re going with mine.” I stare hard at Capri. When her mouth stays shut and pressed in a thin line, I continue. “Then it’s settled. Before you interrupted, I was also going to suggest we all pair up into partners or trios, in case Anonymous decides to target one of us. We’re more than happy to invite you into ourivory tower, Capri.”
“We can protect ourselves,” grunts Wolf.
“Yeah, ’cause you did such a fine job with Amber.”
I see Kaid’s fist swinging my way and dodge it easily. Grabbing his neck, I shove him against the nearest wall and press my elbow into his throat. “Who can’t handle the heat now, huh?”
In my peripheral, I see Maverick and Wolf facing off. Kenny scuttles to a corner. While Crazy Daisy has her nose buried in her little book, not sparing us a glance. That girl is something else.
“What happened to letting your little sister fight her own battles?” Kaid taunts with a manic gleam, completely unbothered I’m restricting his air. “Your spoiled asses are too soft.”
I glance over my shoulder at an ashen-faced Capri and turn back to meet Kaid’s gaze. “By the looks of it, so are yours.”
Pushing me off, he glares and cracks his neck. Then switches the subject. “Who’s going to post whose secret at midnight?”
I back away, accepting the pseudo truce.
“We can draw names out of a bowl,” suggests Kenny, shocking us.
