Page 164 of Mad As Hell

“Oh?”

“He tracks my phone.” That probably was a fairly innocuous detail. “The only reason he’s not coming to find me is you came to the dorms. If you’d driven away, he’d be chasing us down.”

He frowned. “Noted. Well, tell him it’s a fitting for your wedding dress. It isn’t a lie. The seamstress has some follow up questions, and I can’t exactly send Adam.”

I snorted before I could stop myself, sarcasm dripping from my words. “So sorry about that.”

He gave me a sharp look. “Yes, I’m sure you’re devastated by his loss.”

I gave him my full attention, letting my indifferent mask slip because I wasn’t going to hide my real feelings about that asshole. “I wish I had thought of cutting the brakes to his car myself.”

His brows slammed down in suspicion. “His brakes weren’t tampered with. I checked the reports myself.”

I froze. “He was drunk, right? That’s what the news said.”

“Hmm,” he agreed, rubbing his jaw. “Was he drunk when he was with you?” Accusation lingered in his eyes.

“I was more focused on him pawing at me to care about if he was drunk or not,” I snapped.

His eyes narrowed, his gaze probing as he watched me closely.

I didn’t say anything.

Finally, Gary sighed and settled back in his seat. “He was a tool. Sometimes a liability, but I didn’t have to question his allegiance. Although he’s one less loose end for me to tie up when this is all over, so I suppose whoever killed him did me a favor.”

“K-killed him?” My voice shook. There was no way he could know it was Ryan, right?

Gary simply met my eyes, not speaking.

Someone tapped on the glass beside my head, and I jumped to see the driver standing there.

“You should get back to your friend before you’re missed. I’ll see you next week when you’ve returned.” Gary’s hand clamped down on my wrist and squeezed hard, grinding the delicate bones together.

I sucked in a sharp breath and forced myself not to jerk away.

“Don’t disappoint me, Madison.”

“I won’t, Dad,” I added with a bitterly mocking bite.

A smile ghosted across his face and he released me. I opened the door and got out. The driver handed me my phone without a word and closed the door before spinning on his heel and going to the front of the car.

I moved back and watched the car disappear down the drive and into the night. It wasn’t until the taillights faded from view that I let out a shaky breath and my knees started to tremble.

An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me backward into the shadows of the dorm before I could say anything. Another hand clamped around my mouth, silencing any protests as I was dragged into the night.

CHAPTER 42

MADDIE

Fear spiked through me, saturating my blood until it ran cold. I managed to suck in a breath through my nose and sagged in relief when I inhaled the scent of sandalwood and spice.

“I wouldn’t relax if I was you,” a very pissed off Ryan growled in my ear. As soon as we were around the side of the building, he let me go.

“You scared the shit out of me!” I hissed, slapping his chest.

He grabbed my wrist, the same one as Gary, and I winced. He froze instantly. “Maddie?”

I tugged free. “I’m fine. Gary grabbed me there, and I bruise easily.”

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