Page 7 of Mad As Hell

“I didn’t tell you to keep hanging around her,” I pointed out like the asshole I was. I’d known it was a dick move, having him take Bex home that night, but I also knew their history, and no way would he have let anyone else do it.

“Fuck you,” Court spat. “You knew exactly what you were doing. And none of us can afford a distraction right now.”

“So, what? You want me to give up Maddie?” As I spoke them aloud, the words left a cold, hollow void in my chest.

His head tipped back as his jaw clenched. “No, of course not. I’m just saying, we need to be careful.”

“Good,” I snapped, “because Maddie is mine, and I’m not making the mistake of letting her go again.”

His eyebrows lifted. “That’s if you can convince her to take your sorry ass back.”

My eyes narrowed. “She will.”

“You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

“That’s because I am,” I forced out, my irritation spiking. “Now can we go talk to Bex, or do we need to call the guys over for a circle-jerk while we discuss our feelings?”

Rolling his eyes, Court turned and kept going. Sure enough, the alarm on the glass doors of the basement walk-out had been disabled. We crept quietly to the house, sticking to the walls as we ascended to the top floor where the bedrooms were.

Court led the way, his steps sure even in the dark. Then again, he had practically grown up in this house before things went to shit between his family and the Whittiers.

“This one,” he murmured, stopping at the last door in the hall.

I took the lights shining under the door as a good sign that Bex might be up.

Court hesitated.

“If you want me to do this alone—”

“No,” he cut me off harshly. “I’ve got this.” He lifted his hand and knocked softly.

It took a second, but the door cracked open and Bex’s face appeared. Her hazel eyes went comically wide and her mouth dropped open to say something, but Court surged forward. He pushed the door open and grabbed her, pressing his hand over her mouth and walking her backward into the room by wrapping his other arm around her waist. I followed them inside and closed the door. I locked it for good measure.

“Can he let you go without you screaming?” I asked her.

She glared at me and then Court and then back to me. Finally, she gave a jerky nod.

“Let her go,” I told him.

He lowered his hand but made no move to release her.

Bex slapped at his chest until his arm went slack and he stepped away, his face stony and unreadable.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” she demanded hotly. Her hair was twisted into a messy knot on top of her head, and her tiny shorts and tank top made it look like she was ready for bed. The glasses perched on her nose were an adorable touch. I’d forgotten she wore contacts.

“Looking for Maddie,” I replied.

Her cheeks flushed with anger, pink suffusing the porcelain skin of her face. “Like I would tell you.”

It took everything in me not to grab her and demand she tell me what she knew. I was still working on controlling my tone when Court spoke up.

“Becca, come on,” he said softly.

Her jaw dropped a little in surprise. “Don’t call me that,” she ordered, her tone quivering. “We’re not friends, remember? You made that perfectly clear years ago.”

“You know things have changed,” he reminded her, speaking gently like she was a deer that might startle and run.

Her brows lifted and she folded her arms. “Bullshit.”

---