Page 14 of Mad As Hell

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“You mean other than scared and angry?”

“I meant your injuries.” Her gaze moved across my face and exposed skin. “I don’t see any lingering bruises. Not visible ones, anyway. How are your ribs?”

“Still aching, but better.” The first few days, it had been hell just trying to breathe. The kick Gary had delivered had likely cracked a couple.

“Your face looks… Well, you look like you,” she finished, but seemed satisfied.

“I wouldn’t know,” I muttered.

Regret shadowed her eyes. “Yes, well, your father didn’t want to take chances by leaving a mirror in the room for you to break. Not after Madelaine…”

“Tried to kill herself?” I snorted. “I’m not suicidal. Though if I’d had one to break, I might’ve used a shard on him or Adam.”

“You’re a fighter,” she said. “Good. You’ll need that for what’s to come.”

“I’m going to stop him,” I declared.

Mrs. Delancey gave me a small, sad smile. “I believe that you’ll try. I also know that you’ll fail. Madelaine spent a lifetime learning her father’s moves, studying his ways, and ultimately not even she could escape.”

“Maybe she did. Maybe she was smart enough to fake her death and get out. Maybe I was just the idiot she tricked into taking her place.” A bitter taste flooded my mouth and soured my thoughts.

“She’s dead.” Her soft words barely penetrated.

I glanced up to see real grief in her eyes.

“Do you honestly believe that your father would simply let her get away? Let her get the best of him?” She shook her head. “He would have used every dollar just to teach her the lesson that he can’t be crossed. It’s why his companies are in so much debt—he lets his emotions get the best of him.”

My hand lifted to my jaw, remembering how swollen it had been after he’d hit me. “I’m well aware of his anger-management issues.”

“Then you also need to accept that your sister is dead. There is no alternative here, Madison. There’s no reality where you escape the future he’s laid out for you, and there’s no way to save yourself.” Pity glistened in her eyes. “All you can do now is try to protect your mother.”

My chin lifted, the last lingering traces of defiance still simmering in my blood. “And how do I do that?”

“Play his games and accept what’s going to happen next. Do as he commands.” She forced a smile. “If you can prove that you’re an asset, he might be more lenient with you. When Madelaine played along, she wanted for nothing. He gave her whatever she asked for and then some.”

Dread coiled in my stomach. “And when she didn’t play along?”

Mrs. Delancey looked away. “Let’s just say that her death wasn’t the worst consequence her actions ever had.”

* * *

It was dark as the town car rolled through the gates of Pacific Cross. On a random Thursday night in the middle of the semester, no one was around as we drove over the winding road to the academy dorms.

Adam turned to me, a smile on his face. “Want me to walk you up and tuck you in?”

My hands balled into fists on my lap. “I’ve got it from here.”

I felt oily and gross after riding in a car with Adam Kindell for the last four hours. My muscles ached from being locked up and tense as I prepared for an attack that never came. Adam would occasionally flash me a smile, loving when I flinched away from his leering smirk.

I still wasn’t sure where I’d been for the past week. A cabin, I assumed, considering the forest, mountains, and polished wood siding I’d managed to glimpse as I was escorted to the car.

When Adam had climbed in beside me, I’d plastered myself to my side of the car and clutched the small purse Mrs. Delancey had given me. It had my keys, a new cell phone, and my ID. Well, Madelaine’s ID.

Once she’d handed me the purse, she’d ushered in a new woman, who’d waxed me within an inch of my life before giving me a facial and deep conditioning treatment for my hair.

The skin and hair treatments I understood, but the waxing felt like overkill. And when I’d opened my mouth to ask Mrs. Delancey what the fuck, the look she gave let me know I didn’t want the answer.

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