Page 41 of A Dose of Pretty Poison

“Oh, fuck off!” she sneers. “You knew damn well I wanted nothing to do with you. But your ego just couldn’t handle that, could it? Just like it couldn’t handle getting kicked off the hockey team.”

That strikes a nerve, and I watch as Isaac’s jaw locks. “That wasmyfucking team, and he stole it from me. He deserved a little payback.”

“So, you try to rape me to get it?” she roars.

“Keep your goddamn voice down,” he snarls as he steps closer. “It wasn’t even about you. Sure, you’re hot, but you’re way too much of a handful for me. I just wanted to fuck you so Cam could hear all about it. Rumor is he’s had a thing for you for a while now, and I knew he would justloveto know all about how I watched you come apart on my cock. Not nearly enough justice, but it would’ve pissed him off. But him spending the next few years in prison? That’s so much better.”

I can’t see Mali’s face, but when I see her fist clench at her side, I know exactly what’s coming next. She rears back and punches him in the face, right on top of the bruises that intensify the pain of it.

Isaac stumbles back for a moment, then his eyes pin Mali with a vicious glare. “You’re going to regret that.”

She steps toward him. “What are you going to do? Press charges on me and have me arrested, too? Do it! I fucking dare you!”

But something tells me that isn’t what he has in mind, and as he moves, so does Hayes. He steps in front of Mali and pushes her back before getting in Isaac’s face. While Mali is much shorter, Hayes is his height as they square up against each other.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Hayes growls. “You’re going to get the fuck out of here. And I don’t mean out of my face. I mean out of fucking town. You’re going to take your little trust fund and you’re going to leave because this is the only out you’re going to get. If I see your face around here again, I’ll slit your throat with the bottom of my skate and make it look like a goddamn accident.”

Isaac stares back at him, but no matter how hard he tries to hide it, his fear is evident. He didn’t stand a chance against Cam. Hayes could do more damage on a normal day, but when he’s defending someone he cares about, I can’t be sure that he’s bluffing. And neither can Isaac as he steps back and walks away.

Hayes watches him leave for a moment and then turns around to march past us. “Let’s go.”

Mali and I start to follow him back to the car when she leans closer into me. “You’re going to jump his bones tonight, aren’t you?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

There’sa sort of helplessness that you feel when someone so close to you is hurt or in trouble. I felt it every night I listened to my mom cry after my dad left. I felt it when Devin finally broke down after realizing he was never coming back. And I feel it now, while Cam sits in prison and Laiken looks like she’s aged ten years in the last few hours.

Her hair is piled on top of her head, and she looks like she wants to sleep, but she can’t. None of us can. Instead of going back to her house, we got my truck and came to mine. It’s the only place where we can figure out how to help Cam without worrying about someone hearing us.

“I’ll press my own charges,” Mali says.

Laiken shakes her head. “You couldn’t even say what he did out loud tonight. You would have to relive that in front of an entire courtroom.”

“I don’t care,” she spits back. “This is my fault.”

“Mali,” I warn, but it’s too late.

Laiken glares at her best friend. “Say it’s your fault one more time and I’m going to duct tape your mouth shut. You. Did. Not. Ask. To. Be. Assaulted.”

“No, but I’m the one that called Cam.”

“To get out of a dangerous situation!” Laiken snaps. “Stop beating yourself up for this! It’s not doing anyone any good.”

Mali drops her head, and I can tell Laiken feels bad for yelling at her, but I’ve been watching her patience thin every time Mali says something self-degrading for the last few hours.

“Besides,” I add. “Even if Isaac went to jail, it wouldn’t get Cam out.”

It’s well past one in the morning when my phone vibrates, showing a text from Owen.

What’s going on? Any updates?

The girls toss a few more ideas back and forth as I type out my reply.

He’s stuck in jail until his bail hearing. Should be within the next week or so. It doesn’t look good tho.

Damn. That fucking blows. Is there anything we can do? You know we all have his back.

Always, but I don’t think so. We’re trying to brainstorm now.

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