Page 80 of Mad As Hell

“I’ve hired a designer for your wedding dress,” he informed me. “She’s in Milan, so you’ll need to video call her for your measurements. Adam will assist with taking measurements.”

“No way,” I shot back quickly, glaring at Adam while he smiled.

“I wasn’t asking,” Gary ground out. “He can either assist you in your room, or he can go down to the fifth floor and assist me in finding the measurements we’ll need for the box they’ll bury your friend in.”

My blood ran cold and I wanted to throw up. I could taste acid and bile even as my mouth dried up.

Adam, clearly knowing where this was going, went as far as to open my door and prepare to walk out.

“I’ll do it,” I managed to get out.

Triumphant, Adam closed the door and flipped the lock.

“Good. Now, since I’m feeling generous, I’ll give you an extra present while he sets up.”

I warily watched Adam go back to the couch and lift up a computer case I hadn’t noticed. He pulled out a laptop and began turning on lights, chasing away any shadows where my pride might have gone to hide.

On the other end of the phone, I could hear mumbles and then a low moan.

“Hello?”

I’d know that slurred voice anywhere.

Tears sprang to my eyes. “Hi, Mom. Are you okay?”

“Maddie?” She hiccuped. “Wh-where are you?”

“At school,” I replied, wishing I could see her in person. I needed to make sure she was really okay. Or as okay as someone hooked on who-knew-what could be.

“Mmm.” The noncommittal noise was encouraging and dismissive. “Your father’s here. I forgot how… how lovely he is.”

My eyes closed and a tear squeezed free. “Mom, you can’t trust him.”

“Ungrateful girl,” Mom spat, her stupor turning to ire in a heartbeat. “Always mouthing off.”

Before I could figure out what to say, Gary took the phone back.

“See? You listen, and I reward,” he said smugly. “Keep this up, Madison, and things might be a little more bearable for you. Now, I expect to hear you obeyed Adam. He’s been instructed to keep things professional. I expect you to do the same.”

Translation: Don’t fuck this up, little girl.

“Got it,” I uttered quietly.

He hung up without another word, and I let the phone slip from my fingers as the world spun around me. I kept my eyes closed, praying I wouldn’t topple over.

A thick finger traced the path of my tear and my eyes snapped open to see Adam lift his pudgy finger to his lips and suck the tear into his mouth.

“Tastes better than your sister’s,” he murmured absently.

I reared back and almost tripped over the chair behind my legs.

Adam turned back to the laptop he had set up on a shelf. He tapped a few keys, and then a voice with a heavy Italian accent came on the line.

“Where is the bride?” the woman snapped.

Adam shifted out of the way so I was facing the screen. A painfully thin woman with dark hair pulled back in a severe bun at the base of her skull stared at me with scrutiny. The light in the room wherever she was caught the sharp angles of her face. Variations of white fabric lined the wall behind her.

“Come closer,” she ordered me, waving a hand holding a pen.

---