Page 74 of Mad As Hell

Hands clenched at her sides, Brylee turned to me. Hate sparkled in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Madelaine.”

I glanced up as Bex and Ash joined us. Bex stared in amazement as she lowered herself to the seat beside me.

“Apologize to Bex,” I ordered.

Brylee looked like she was swallowing shards of glass. “I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t seem sincere,” Linc mused, rubbing his jaw.

“Probably because it wasn’t,” Court agreed. “Maybe she should beg on her knees.”

“Not a bad idea,” Ryan chimed in, still grinning.

Brylee’s jaw dropped, and I noticed her friends were trying to edge as far away as possible. As if that could stop them from being included in her punishment.

“M-my knees?” Her voice came out as an astonished squeak.

One of the guys farther down the table laughed. “Don’t act like you haven’t spent a lot of time there.”

A ripple of giggles spread through the room, and I actually started to feel kind of bad for her.

Then I remembered the smoothie she’d had dumped on me. The condoms. Harassing Bex and countless other people she deemed beneath her.

“I’d do what they say,” I chimed in, folding my arms and giving her a bland smile. “Unless you want to make things even worse.”

I wasn’t sure how they could get worse, but Ryan’s brain was twisted, and clearly his friends shared the same mindset. Testing their creativity wasn’t high on my list of things to do.

Brylee must have come to the same conclusion, because she slowly lowered herself to her knees, an act that took some work, since she was wearing a tiny brown skirt. Cell phones appeared as people started to record the event.

Tears gleamed in her eyes as her gaze met mine. “I’m so sorry, Madelaine, for what I did to you.”

I arched a brow.

“And I’m sorry for being a bitch to you, Re—Bex,” she amended quickly. The hate in her dark eyes was nearly dulled to something that looked like defeat.

Ryan gave a perfunctory nod. “Just so we’re clear, if anything else happens to Maddie or Bex, I’m coming for you.”

Her eyes widened with comical innocence. “I wouldn’t, Ryan.”

The ice in his glare was enough to freeze the fires of hell. “I mean, if anyone else, including you, does something, I’ll know, and you’ll pay.”

Brylee’s forehead wrinkled. “I can’t control what other people do.”

Ah. There was the loophole she’d been planning to exploit. And Ryan had just tied it into a neat little bow.

Or a noose to slip around her skinny neck.

“If Maddie trips on air in the hallway, you better be ready to throw a pillow under her to make sure she doesn’t scratch her knees. I see any shit happen to my girl or her friend, and I’m holding you responsible. Am. I. Clear?” He ground out the last few words.

“Yes,” she whispered, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Ryan stood slowly, his hand on my shoulder as he addressed the room. “That goes for everyone in here. This campaign against my fiancée ends now. If you come for her, you’re coming for me.”

More than a few people looked like they were going to piss themselves.

“Oh, my God,” Bex breathed beside me, her eyes wide.

I nodded, not sure what else I could add. What Ryan was doing was…

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