by Jordan Ford
We’re over halfway to Brazenwood now. Oh man, it’s going to be like a freaking fireworks display when Dad walks into that club and finds her. I feel sorry for Max already. And poor Cairo’s going to get it too. Yeah, Maddie confessed that little tidbit when Dad was towering over her, yanking out the truth like an expert interrogator.
Dad’s phone starts ringing. He grabs it off the dash, his face contorting as he answers it.
“You have some serious explaining to do!” he yells.
I flinch and Maddie reaches for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Oh, I am already on my way,” Dad grits out, then glances over his shoulder. “Yes, Maddie and Chloe have been very helpful. I’ve even brought them along for the ride so I can blast you all together.”
Maddie and I shrink back into the seat as Dad turns to face the road.
But then he goes still, the anger in his voice evaporating. “Are you okay?”
Fear spikes through me and I bolt up straight. Dad’s tone is off. It’s that cool, calm one he sometimes uses when he’s really scared.
“Max, what’s going on?” Dad winces like he’s just been punched in the stomach. “Max? … Max! … Shit!”
He throws the phone onto the passenger seat and floors it.
“Dad is everything okay?” Maddie leans forward in the seat.
“When we get to the club, you two need to stay in the car. Got it?”
“But why?”
“Maddie, just do as I say.”
There’s that fear again, that gruff mask he wears when going into battle.
“I will. I just want to know what’s going on.”
“Your sister’s got herself into some trouble. This is what happens when you lie and go off and do things you’re not supposed to do!”
His words make me cringe as we speed into Brazenwood. I really need to tell him about Vincent. Not tonight, of course. I value my life, and his. I imagine after this that Dad will not be in a very charitable mood when it comes to matters of the heart.
As soon as we reach the club, Dad finds a parking space across the street and repeats his order for us to stay in the car.
Maddie and I nod, anxiously watching him cross the road.
“What kind of trouble?” Maddie softly asks.
“I have no idea.” I lean around her so I can get a better look at the club. The Escapar sign is glowing in red neon above the entrance. It’s written in this cool scrawl-like writing. It’s obvious the club is new. Everything about the place has a cool, modern edge to it. People are milling outside the club, a large line forming, but Dad walks right to the front and is allowed in without a hitch. I don’t know what he said. He didn’t even flash his badge and they moved aside for him.
I frown and study faces while we wait. It feels like an eternity.
“Is that Cairo?” Maddie nudges me with her elbow. “Look, there!”
She points out the window as Cairo and the rest of Velocity squeeze out of the club. Mr. Hale is there too, and that must be his wife, Mrs. Hale. They all look sick with worry.
“What the hell is going on?” I whisper.
“I don’t know, but screw waiting in the car.” Maddie shoulders the door open and we race across the street to get some answers.
Cairo doesn’t even see us until Maddie’s beside him, demanding his attention and a whole heap of answers.
“She followed your uncle Conrad. He was being dragged out the back by these two guys. I don’t know what’s going on, but…” His expression is pure agony and my insides are reeling.
Uncle Conrad’s back? He was dragged away?
What the hell is going on?
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I shuffle from foot to foot, my imagination turning from one ugly scenario to the next. Thank God Dad has gone in to fix this. Worry nearly eats me alive until I’m distracted by a short Latina woman who struts out of the club with a plastic smile on her face. She’s in stiletto heels and a dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Her dark hair is perfectly arranged, as is her makeup. She looks like a model…and something about her is so familiar, but I can’t think where I’ve seen her before.
Cairo storms toward her. “Where is she?”
“She’s coming. Her father is bringing her out. Everyone is fine. Everyone is happy.”
Maddie scoffs. “I highly doubt that.”
The woman gives her a tight smile before leaning forward and saying something I can’t hear.
Cairo’s face contorts with anger. “I don’t know what the hell goes on back there, but if she even has one scratch, I am making it a big deal.”
“She’s safe, so don’t worry.” The woman’s voice takes on a hard edge as her eyes flash with warning. Then as if a switch has been flicked, she pastes on a charming smile and waves us a cheerful goodbye.
“Who was that?” I ask, staring after the woman as she struts back into the club.
“That’s Luisa Garcia.” Cairo scrubs his face with a sigh. “Her brother and husband own this club.”
“I take it she’s in charge of marketing.” Maddie’s voice is dry and unimpressed.
I glance at my sister and then look back to the club. Where have I seen that woman before? It’s bugging me that I can’t place her.
“There they are.” Maddie jolts away from me, running across to our family.
“I told you to stay in the car!” Dad thunders.
“Yeah, right.” Maddie brushes past him and yanks Max into her arms.
My poor sister looks lost and petrified. I know that expression. I felt it the night I was nearly raped. Alarm jolts through me and I race across to her, wrapping my arms around both my sisters and clinging tight to create a fortress around Max. I don’t know what the hell went on in that back room, but I’m nearly quaking with relief that Max made it out okay.
“Girls, get in the car!” Dad barks, but we all ignore him, still locked in a group hug that’s surging with unspoken emotion.
Cairo appears behind me, squeezing past so he can get close to Max and run his hand down her back. He leans his forehead against the side of her face and my heart melts. It’s so sweet. It makes me think of Vincent.
I want to see him so badly right now. I want to make sure he’s okay. I want to tell him about tonight.
Maddie and I pull away so that Cairo can hug her properly, but he doesn’t even get his arms around her before Dad ruins it.
“Get away from her.” He yanks Cairo back. “You are not to touch my daughter again.”
“Dad—” Max tries to intervene, but her argument evaporates when Dad points at her.
“You walk to the car and you get in. You don’t talk, you don’t look over your shoulder. You understand me?”
She looks devastated as she skims her eyes over Cairo, then nods and shuffles away. Maddie and I flank her, resting our hands on her back and guiding her to the car. She pulls in a shaky breath and as soon as we’re in the back seat blurts, “I’m sorry to drag you into this. I didn’t mean for it to…”
Her voice is cut off by this dry sob that tears at my heart.
“They’ve got Uncle Rad,” she sobs.
“What?” I whisper, but don’t have time to find out the truth before Dad slams into the car.
This creepy silence descends as Max shrinks in on herself. I glance over her shoulders to catch Maddie’s eye. Even she doesn’t have the nerve to speak right now.
But I’m dying to know what Max meant about Uncle Conrad.
Who’s got him?
Dad pulls away from the curb, muttering to himself, until he finally explodes.
“You could have been killed, Max!” He slaps the wheel and I can’t help flinching.
Max could have been what?
She whimpers and pulls in this raggedy breath. “Uncle Conrad came back to help make things right. He gave me a ride to the club, not knowing that the guys he was running from were going to be there.” She sniffs and wipes the tears off her face as she look
s between me and Mads. “Those gambling debts have caught up with him, and now they’ve got him! And they won’t give him back until Dad’s paid the money!”
Maddie gasps, and all I can do is gape at my sister. This is unreal.
“It’s okay, girls. I’m going to make it right.” Dad’s deep voice is so sure and confident. “Uncle Conrad will be safe and sound by 8:03 tomorrow night. Believe me.”
I lean back in my seat, tuning out Dad’s assurances while I try to process the fact that my sister could have been killed tonight and my uncle is being held hostage until my father can pay for his release.
Holy crap! This is heavy.
As we head for home, my mind jumps back to that woman outside of the club. Luisa Garcia. Does she have something to do with all of this? She came out assuring Cairo that everything was fine. Was she covering for her brother and husband, who own the club? How does she fit into the chain?
Man, something about her is really bugging me, and I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until I figure out who she is and how I know her.
30
How Not To Break Her Heart
VINCENT
Fighting with Diego was stupid. It gave away the fact that Chloe’s important to me.
Diego and Enzo beat me until I couldn’t fight back anymore. My body was radiating with pain and all I could do as they dragged me to my room was let out a whimpering moan. I woke up the next morning handcuffed to my bed. They were going to keep me in there until I fessed up. No food, no water until I told them who Chloe was.
I had no choice if I was going to keep her safe, so I told them the reason I wanted to keep things quiet was because she’s Chief Barlow’s daughter.
“He doesn’t know about me and we want to keep it that way.”
I thought they’d be livid, but instead they both laughed and told me we could use it to our advantage. I can use Chloe to keep tabs on her old man and report back any new investigations. I can be a spy.
So I guess that means I have to break up with Chloe.
Which is why I’ve been avoiding school. I could have gone back on Friday, as I can hide most of my bruising beneath my clothes, but I just haven’t been able to face her. I don’t know how to look her in the eye and tell her we shouldn’t be together.
Shit, I’m dreading it. But I’m not spying on her family. I’ll break it off today and tell Enzo she dumped me. Selena’s been covering with the school, calling in sick on my behalf, but I can’t keep hiding forever.
I have to get this over with today. I’d rather drink a vat of acid, of course, but I don’t know what else to do. My family is dangerous and I won’t have her caught up in that mess.
I walk up the front steps of Armitage High. My feet are lead weights as I shuffle to the office and hand over the doctor’s note Selena forged for me. The receptionist reads it and nods before giving me a pained, sympathetic smile.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Her eyes tell me that she knows I didn’t really have the flu. Her sad smile tells me that she knows I’m hiding bruises beneath my clothing and that the fading scratch on my cheek wasn’t just the accident I’m going to claim it to be.
“Thanks.” I move out of eyeshot quickly and head back into the hallway.
I don’t want her sympathy, and I don’t want her calling the cops about it either. They never do anything anyway, so what’s the point? The one time Nick wasn’t there to stop Diego going after me, he reported it to the police the next day. They popped by the house to have a chat with my uncle, who paid them off. The second they left, Nick got the beating of his life. He fought like a tiger and managed to do a little damage, until Uncle Enzo threatened to go after me again. Nick told him he’d kill him if he did.
Uncle Enzo just laughed and got Diego and the boys to hold Nick down so he could finish what he started. Nick and I were laid up for a week. But as soon as we were presentable and able to walk around without wincing, he put Nick back to work and sent me off to school with a warning to keep my mouth shut.
“It’ll only be worse if you tell.”
I’ve always heeded that warning.
Shuffling down the corridor, I flick my collar up and hunch my shoulders, keeping my glare on so that no one will talk to me. My stomach is sick with nausea as I try to work out what I’m going to say to Chloe.
This is going to kill me.
Rounding the corner, I spot her. She’s standing next to her sisters, looking pained and worried. My insides jerk to attention.
What’s happened to put that look on her face?
She’s rubbing Max’s back, obviously giving her some kind of speech to encourage her sister. I frown. Did that Cairo dude dump her? Chloe told me they were together, but it was a big secret.
I want to catch her eye, to find out what I can, but then I don’t want her to see me. It’ll just rush the breakup forward to now and I’m still not ready.
Spinning on my heel, I take off down the hall, hoping she doesn’t notice me.
“I heard her dad’s grounded her for the rest of the year.” I catch a trail of gossip as I head for my locker.
“She skipped out on the game and went to that new club in Brazenwood.”
“Oh man, I heard their dad screaming at them, and then they had to go with him to collect Max.”
I close in on my locker and catch one more piece of the puzzle.
“I’m surprised he didn’t arrest Cairo Hale. He was so angry.”
What the hell is going on?
I glance up and notice Roman Sanchez. He’s looking kind of glum as he shuffles past me, and I forget my locker and follow him. As soon as he hits the stairs, I thump after him. Glancing over his shoulder, he spots me coming and scowls.
“What do you want?”
Before he can get any farther, I grab his shirt and haul him down the last of the stairs and around the corner. Pushing him back against the wall, I keep him in place with my arm across his chest and demand some answers.
“What happened this weekend?”
“I’m not saying shit until you back the hell off, man. Let me go.” His scrawny arms wrestle me off him and I step back.
Tugging his shirt straight, he gives me another heated glare.
I step back into his space with a look of warning and he raises his hands. “All right. Chill out.”
“What happened?”
“I take it you’re referring to the Max gossip circulating. Why do you even care?”
“Tell me what happened,” I growl.
Roman sighs, running a hand through his hair before quickly mumbling out the truth. “Velocity had an audition at this new club in Brazenwood and Max skipped out on an important baseball game to be there. Her dad went nuts, and it only got worse when her uncle was dragged out back and beaten because he owes the owner big bucks.”
“Mendez?” I frown.
“Nah, the club’s owned by some Santiago guy. Came across from Reno. He must have some kind of understanding with the Mendez brothers or something, because I didn’t see any of them around.”
I scowl, my insides twitching as I think of Nick and the stuff he used to do in Brazenwood. He never told me who he was working for, but I always assumed it was for the Mendez brothers. What if it was someone else?
“Is Chloe okay?” I mutter without thinking.
“Chloe?” Roman frowns. “It was Max who got dragged into it, trying to save her uncle. In the end her dad showed up, and all Cairo’s told me is that deep shit went down and Max’s dad had to pay for his brother’s release. He’s now been shipped to Florida and she’s on lockdown until graduation.”
My eyebrows flicker with a frown. “Is she okay?”
“They’re both pretty gutted, but everyone’s safe, yeah.”
“Did the family get threatened?” My insides ping tight. The thought of Chloe getting mixed up with those assholes sends genuine fear spiking through me.
“Barlow dealt with it. Apparently everyone’s in the clear, but that
doesn’t change the fallout, you know?”
“Yeah,” I sigh, my shoulders slumping.
“Why do you even care?” His brown eyes try to read me.
I back away from him, shoving my hands in my pockets and growling, “I don’t.”
He can probably see right through my big fat lie, but I walk away before he can analyze me. Shit. I shouldn’t have asked him anything. Chloe could have told me what I wanted to know. But I’m going to be busy breaking up with her when we chat.
Fuck!
I don’t want to do it, but the shit that went down this weekend is just another reason to. Chloe needs to stay away from me and out of Brazenwood. Her father putting Max on lockdown is probably the safest move. I kind of hope he does it for Chloe too.
I hate the idea of her being anywhere near that kind of danger.
“Vincent?”
I jerk and glance to my right. Chloe’s standing at the bottom of the stairwell, her blue eyes glistening as she drinks me in.
The expression on her face stuns me and I can’t move for a moment.
She’s so freaking beautiful.
And I don’t deserve that relieved smile on her face.
Jumping off the stairs, she rushes toward me, taking my hand and pulling me into the private alcove where we’ve met before. As soon as we’re safely tucked away, she wraps her arms around my shoulders and clings tight.
“It’s so good to see you,” she murmurs against my neck.
I want to pull her close, envelop her in a hug that shows her what I’m feeling.
But I can’t.
Rubbing her side, I gently step back.
She gazes up at me, her expression confused and curious. “Are you okay? Where have you been all week? I’ve been worried sick. They didn’t hurt you again, did they?”
“I’m fine,” I rasp, gently plucking her hand off my face as I try to distance myself.
She’s making it damn hard.
I love how much she cares about me.
I don’t want to let that go.
But if I love her, then I have to.
“I wanted to see you so badly yesterday. I nearly drove across town to try and find your place, but… Max needed me, and my parents are being super strict about letting us leave the house. My dad had…” She shakes her head. “I have so much to tell you.”