Page 52 of Toxic Obsession

With one hand on the steering wheel, I rubbed my shoulder with the other in a vain attempt to ease the tension from my muscles. Last night with Wynter had gone off the rails, and I wasn’t sure how to fix it. My palms grew sweaty, and I wiped it on my jeans before I pulled away from her house.

“This is ridiculous. No girl has ever made you nervous.” I continued to remind myself that she was Kyler’s sister and responsible for the world losing Bell. But the girl I’d spent time with over the last few days wasn’t mean or vindictive. She wasn’t out to hurt anyone. My thoughts drifted to the file. In fact, I wasn’t sure she was the same girl the media and cops had portrayed her to be.

I white-knuckled the steering wheel while I recalled my meeting with Sutton yesterday, desperate for answers. Hopefully I would have the truth soon.

You already have it in the police report, asshole. The truth is right in front of you, so stop making excuses. It’s time to make her pay.I growled at that stupid inner voice.You’ve only known her a few days. She’s playing you like a fucking fiddle.You’re losing control!

I really had to quit talking to myself, but sometimes it was the best way for me to put crap into perspective and shut down all of the questions swirling around in my mind. “Focus on the plan. Fact, Bell is gone. Fact, Wynter could have stopped everything. Fact, she was close to Kyler and should have talked to him before my world turned to shit.”

Conjuring up my hatred for her again, I pulled into my driveway. I wondered if Adam was up yet, but it wouldn’t matter if he saw me waltz into the house early in the morning. I did it all the time. If he’d caught Wynter here though, all hell would have broken out. It was simple; I refused to give Adam the privilege of scaring the crap out of her. That was my job, and I couldn’t allow him to upset my plan.

After locking my car, I strolled through the front door and slipped into the entryway. I wanted to shower before I headed to an early class, but first I needed a gallon of coffee to keep me going.

I shoved my key fob into the front pocket of my jeans, then reset the alarm before I made my way to the kitchen. The closer I got, the more a hint of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air.Adam.Squaring my shoulders, I spotted him at the table reading his newspaper.

A quizzical expression crossed his face as he eyed me. “Morning.”

I tipped my chin at him in acknowledgment while I made myself a double espresso.

“I was hoping to catch you before classes.” He glanced at me briefly.

I grabbed a coffee cup from the cabinet, still ignoring him.

“Quinn.” His tone was stern.

I turned slowly and looked at him. “Yeah? Can’t I wake up before you start with your shit?” Until I was strong enough to defend myself, I never talked crap to Adam. Times had changed, and I no longer had to offer him respect that he didn’t deserve.

“Not today.” He glowered at me, his fingers balling into a fist, then relaxing.

Whatever was going on had Adam in a fucking tizzy.

“How can I help you?” Sarcasm dripped from my question. I hid my smirk behind my cup before I took a drink, willing the caffeine to kick in fast.

“I wanted an update on Wynter.” He removed his black reading glasses and set them on the table.

“What about her?”

Adam leaned back in his seat and adjusted his navy jacket. When Adam worked at the office, he always looked sharp as hell in his tailored suits and expensive shirts. At least when I was younger, he made a big impression on the ladies. Too bad he didn’t make a good impression on his family.

His lips pursed, and he nodded slowly. “She’s getting to you. You fucked her, didn’t you?”

A couple times, twice at the society and once in your own house.

“That’s none of your business, but no. I’m stringing her along.” I should have felt guilty for flat-out lying to him, but I didn’t give a shit. The asshole would probably imagine us fucking and get off on it. He was clearly obsessed with her online pictures.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this, but you’ve left me no choice.”

My pulse skyrocketed. When Adam was up to something, it was rarely good. I just had no idea what that something was.

“Sit down.” He wasn’t asking.

Since I needed to hear what he had to say, I kept my mouth shut and joined him at the table. Once I was in my chair, he cleared his throat.

“Quinn, I mentioned to you that I worked with Drew, Wynter and Kyler’s father.”

“Yeah, and?”

“There were several times when we lived in Washington that Drew and I would meet for business. You were knee-deep in football. It was when you were taking private coaching lessons. You and Bell were about thirteen. Anyway, you weren’t home that day and Bell didn’t want to watch Brody on her own, so I took him and Bell with me. It wasn’t a big deal to take them with me since Drew also had kids.”

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