Page 25 of On The Edge
“Figures. I call you on your bullshit and you ignore me like we’re still in high school.”
“But we aren’t anymore, are we, Mel? We’re grown up now and we’ve been apart for a long time. Things can change.” His chocolate eyes glare at me through the mirror, and I so badly want to meet his challenge, but I realize he’s admitting something.
He’s admitting that we’ve grown. Now, I don’t know if that means these jagged, scabbed-over wounds have healed wrong as we grew, but I’m not going to let him know just how deep he buried his knife in my back all those years ago.
“That they can.”
“We’re here,” the driver says awkwardly, breaking our staring contest and the icy, uncomfortable tension in the car.
“Thank fuck,” Markus mutters from the backseat.
“Where are we?” I ask, trying to see out the window, but Kai’s wicked smile widens. Reis smirks, opens his door, and that’s when I hear it.
Jet engines.
“Where are we?” I ask again, louder. “Adam?” I turn, grabbing his hand that’s holding my leg.
“Melody, we’re–”
“Have you ever been to New York?” Markus asks, leaning forward on the seat as Kai opens his door, and drags me out with him.
“New York?!” I can’t fucking go to New York, I have work. I have responsibilities. “I can’t go to New York!”
“Tough shit. You’re going. We have too much unfinished business.” Reis steps around the car, yelling to be heard over the jet engines. “So unless you have a boyfriend–which I doubt– going on a quick trip should be an easy thing.”
This motherfucker…
Kai very pointedly laughsatme and I can feel my cheeks redden with angry embarrassment.
“I’m not leaving Oklahoma just because the guys Iused to befriends ask me to! And fuck, you’re not even asking!”
“You’re right.” Kai nods, pursing his lips in thought. “We’re not.”
Without warning, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.Again.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” I scream this time, kicking and hitting him as much as I can. Not only am I being fuckingkidnapped, but I’m showing my vag to the world because this neanderthal doesn’t care about covering me anymore. “Put me down! Adam! Markus!” I call out to them for help, but when I look back, I see that they’re in on this too. They might not agree with it, but they accept it and are going to let it happen.
Adam unties the flannel from around his waist and throws it over my ass so at least I’m not flashing everyone.
“Can’t have everyone seeing what’s mine,” he mutters and I growl at him, baring my teeth.
“Who says any of you are gettinganythingfrom me after this?”
Adam shakes his head, his eyes widening in shock, while Markus laughs boisterously. “We all know how this is going to end, Mel. Some of us are just going to fight it longer than others.” He looks pointedly at Reis, who’s already climbing the stairs to get on the plane.
Fucking confident, cocky assholes. The whole lot of them.
The engines make the air whip around us and the hairs that have come loose from my bun stick to my face haphazardly. With one final smack to Kai’s back, I go full dead weight.
He wants to carry me? He can. But I’m not going to make it easy work for him.
“That’s a good girl,” Kai coos, patting my ass twice before stepping up onto a metal staircase.
“Fuck you,” I snap, rolling my eyes. “You kidnapping fuckers better make sure to get my laptop and all the cords. And clothes. I’m not wearing my concert-going outfit for the foreseeable future.”
“Who says you’ll be wearing anything?” Markus winks.
“You’ll be in my clothes.” Adam crosses his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes at Markus.
