Page 22 of Mad As Hell

“Pretty big talk for someone who has zero pull around here.” Brylee sneered at me, her lip curling. “Honestly, I’m shocked you even came back.”

“Well, I just live to surprise you,” I drawled, rolling my eyes.

Bex snorted, which unfortunately drew Brylee’s attention.

“What the fuck are you still doing here, Vapors? Fucking disappear like the useless waste of space you are.”

Bex flushed, and I took that as my cue to step forward.

“You need to walk away,” I ordered her flatly, refusing to budge when her eyes flashed with warning.

“And you need to remember your place,” she spat back at me. She eyed me up and down. “I’m going to really enjoy what happens next.”

If Brylee thought I was afraid of her, she was terribly mistaken. Was she an annoying bitch who could make my life hell? Sure. But she was ultimately a spoiled princess in Prada, and I had spent years standing up to girls who carried actual guns and knives.

The urge to punch her was tempered only by the reminder that my actions could have a direct impact on things that happened to my mom.

Or, I realized with a horror that was like waking up in bed with a snake, Bex.

My heart was thundering in my chest, but I swallowed my nerves and dipped them in steel. The worst thing I could do was show any signs of weakness. Especially if I couldn’t even back up my bark with a decent bite.

Brylee sniffed delicately and stepped back. “Let’s wait for the next elevator, ladies. This one is full of trash.”

The doors slid closed and I turned to Bex. “I’m so sorry.”

She waved me off, but I could see she had gone a little pale. “It’s fine, Maddie. I’m used to Brylee’s bitchiness. It’s been getting worse since… Well, you know.”

I flinched. I couldn’t help myself. The reminder of that night evoked a visceral reaction every single time.

The doors opened on the ground floor, and we hurried from the elevator and out the front doors, starting down the winding path to the dining hall.

Bex didn’t speak until we were a few yards from the building. “He may not be here.” She barely lifted her voice as she spoke.

I paused and looked at her.

She gave a small shrug. “The team has been meeting in the mornings, coming up with new plays since the playbook was... compromised.”

I barely bit back a groan. “Well, at least I won’t have to worry about where to sit.” Ryan couldn’t make me sit with him if he wasn’t here.

“Definitely a plus,” she murmured, but there was something in her gaze that snagged my attention.

“What?” I demanded, stepping to the side and into the grass as a group of people came up behind us.

More glares were shot my way.

Awesome.

Bex huffed a laugh and moved into the grass with me. “It’s not you. It’s just… the guys have been pretty relentless since they realized they messed up.”

I could feel my brows climbing. “I guess that realizing they were actually wrong about something would be pretty cataclysmic for them.”

She smiled. “Yeah. Court and Linc have been apologizing like crazy.”

“But?” I prompted when she hesitated.

That fierce glint returned in her eyes. “But they acted like jerks, and I’m not so sure I’m ready to forgive them. Are you?”

“No,” I said bluntly. “I know that I’ll have to talk to Ryan at some point because Gary ordered me to fix this mess. I guess it’ll be easier since Ryan knows that I didn’t really set him up, but that doesn’t change the fact that he broke my heart. I’m not going to give him a chance to do it again.”

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