Page 162 of Mad As Hell

My gaze shot to the clock. “Um, okay.”

He hung up without a word.

“Call Ryan,” Bex ordered, her hazel eyes big.

“And tell him what?” I demanded. “He’s across campus, and we want Gary to think I’m on his side.”

“He’s going to lose his shit,” she warned me. “Even I know we need backup.”

I bit my lower lip and checked the clock. Four minutes.

Shit.

“Okay, can you call Ryan? I need to meet Gary.” I scrambled off her bed.

“Maddie…”

I paused at the door and looked at her before forcing a smile. “It’s going to be fine, Bex. He just wants to talk.”

“He’s a sociopath!” Bex whisper-shouted at me, standing up. “Maddie, come on.”

“What do you want me to do? If I don’t show up downstairs in three minutes, he’ll probably come up here and drag me out. And while I’d love to tell Gary to fuck off, I don’t want to blow the progress I’ve made or get kidnapped again.”

She huffed as she wrung her hands. “Fine. Go. I’m calling Ryan right now.”

“Thank you.” I quickly left her room and hurried down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. I made it outside and down the steps as a black town car pulled up in front of the dorm.

The driver stepped out and rounded the car to me, his expression almost bored. “I need your phone.”

I slowly handed it to him and watched curiously as he tucked it into his pocket.

“Arms up.”

I stepped back in surprise, which quickly turned into suspicion when he pulled a thin wand out of his back pocket. “Seriously?”

He simply stared at me until I lifted my arms, then he waved the wand across my body. When nothing beeped, he opened the back door and leaned in. “She’s clean, sir.” Then he stepped back and gestured for me to get into the car.

Here goes nothing.

I slid into the back seat, where Gary was waiting. His cool gaze swept over me, his mouth pulling down with disdain.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” he demanded.

“Clothes,” I snapped without thinking. When his brows slammed down, I quickly added, “I’m sorry. I’m on my period and bloating is a bitch, you know? I wasn’t expecting to go anywhere other than Bex’s room and my bed.”

He seemed slightly mollified at the answer. “You’re on birth control?”

I nodded slowly.

“Pill?”

“IUD,” I answered, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.

He hummed, the sound almost disapproving. “I’ll make an appointment for you to have it removed.”

My brows shot up to my hairline. “Excuse me?”

He glowered at me like I was an idiot. “If Ryan knocks you up, we can use it.”

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