“Haze Adams opening doors. What a gentleman.” I don’t move, ignoring his hand.
“Well, I can’t exactly let you sleep in my brand-new car, can I? I have a ‘no drool on my leather seats’ policy.”
I look down at my phone. Ten missed calls from Maria. Seven from Kendrick. Five from Kass. This is really bad.
“Listen, thank you for what you did. But I really need to go home now. Kendrick’s probably worried sick, and my aunt will literally murder me if—”
He cuts me off. “I can’t. As much as Kendrick hates me, he’d much rather have you here than back at the party, trust me.” His hand hasn’t moved. He’s waiting for me to take it. “It’s too risky being out in the streets after the attack. I’ll drive you home tomorrow. Come on.”
I stay still for a few seconds, hesitating. Then, after mentally making a list of every option presenting itself to me, I step out of the car while making sure to ignore his hand held out in my direction.
Do I trust him? Never in a million years.
But I don’t have a choice.
I turn off my phone to save the battery as Haze unlocks the front door to his castle—I’m sorry, his house. I follow him as he casually walks into the impressively big living room, making it clear that he’s used to it. It’s an everyday thing for him.
I can’t stop myself. “You are literally the definition of spoiled, you know that, right?”
He turns around and flashes a smile. Only this one is tainted with a distant sadness. “Yeah, well, it’s not all it’s cut out to be.”
Kicking off his shoes, he removes his jacket and sends it flying onto the leather couch next to him. My eyes instantly connect with the lean back muscles peeking through his T-shirt. Oh freaking hell, is the perfect body necessary? As if the pale blue eyes, perfect smile, and undeniable charisma isn’t enough.
Winter, stop checking out the enemy.
“Come on. Your room’s this way.” We pass through the kitchen to reach the stairs. As I glance around the high-ceiling room that’s surprisingly clean, I wonder if he has a maid. Probably.
The second floor is as spacious as the first. But the lack of decoration and white walls give it an impersonal vibe, like no one lives there at all. That’s what differentiates a house from a home.
Haze finally stops in front of a door and pushes it open. Behind it is a very empty room with, yet again, white walls. A bed and a nightstand are neatly placed in the center of the room.
“Your parents won’t mind that I’m spending the night?”
He scoffs. “It would require for them to be here in the first place.”
I look down, so many possibilities colliding in my mind.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Winter, stop.” He half-smiles. “They’re not dead. We just don’t live with them.”
“Oh.”
Oh is also code for “I have no idea what to say, but I have to say something before it gets awkward.”
“Wait, you said we?” I remember what Kendrick said. Haze is the best fighter there is, and his brother is next in line.
“My brother and me.” His eyes become cold, an obvious sign that he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be nosy.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Whose room is this?” I narrow my eyes, still analyzing my surroundings.
“That’s my brother’s.”
I frown. His brother’s? Unless his brother is a ghost, I can’t believe anyone actually sleeps in here.
“Is he okay with me taking his room?” I look up at him.
“Of course. I hope you don’t mind sharing the bed though.”
My mouth drops.
He bursts out laughing. “Chill, I’m kidding. It’s a guest room.” He mocks, “You should’ve seen your face.”
“Jerk.” I mutter the first insult that comes to my mind under my breath.
“Prude,” he says right back.
I sit down at the edge of the king-sized bed.
“I’ll get you a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.” He walks out. Shortly after, he’s back with clothes that look very comfortable although they are clearly way too big for me. I get up, taking the clothes from his hands.
“I swear to God, if I wake up tomorrow and you’re not here, I will kill you. Don’t think I won’t.”
“Oh, so you want me to stay?” He gives me an annoyingly charming smile, tilting his head to the right.
One step is all it takes for the distance between us to disappear. I don’t step back, refusing to let him think for even a second that he has any control or effect over me.
“Because that can be arranged,” he whispers.
Oh, he’s good.
I’m sure that trick usually works for him.
“I’m just saying. I don’t want to wake up alone in this completely unknown house. Plus, I don’t know where I am and…”
“Relax, Winter. Of course I’m staying. What kind of guy would I be dropping you at a stranger’s house and taking off?”
“I don’t know. Let me see. You’d be the Haze kind of guy.”
He smirks. “Point taken.”
“One night, Adams. That’s all. Then you drive me home first thing in the morning.” I try to sound as threatening as I possibly can, well aware that I’m probably doing a very bad job. He nods, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Under one condition.”
I sigh. “What?”
“I want a kiss.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. A thank-you kiss if you will. I mean, I did save your ass. As cute as that ass may be, it was still a lot of work.” He steps forward until I can smell his cologne.
Smooth, Haze. Real smooth.
He stills smells disturbingly good. Just like I remember.
He offers me his Colgate commercial smile. I place my hands on his chest and force him out of the room.
“Of course. I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”
His eyes widen.
“Really?”
“No.” I slam the door in his face.
“And they say I’m mean,” he says from the other side.
I suppress a laugh. “Good night, Haze.”
“Good night, Kingston.”
The sound of his footsteps fade out down the hall, a sign that he’s going to bed, too. I quickly throw on the clothes he got for me and, just like I expected, they make me look like I’m wearing a potato sack. I can’t help but wonder how the hell I went from bored and drunk at the party to sleeping in Haze Adams’s guest room. As I crawl up under the cold covers, my eyelids so heavy it’s a miracle I didn’t fall asleep midconversation, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, the all-powerful leader of the West Side isn’t as bad as he’d like people to think he is.
MY EYES FLY OPEN AT THE sound of a door closing. My vision takes unbearably long to adjust to the light. I glance around the white room as questions invade my brain. Where am I? How did I end up here? What happened? I rub my heavy eyelids, looking down at the clothes I’m wearing, and my memories come rushing back.
I’m at Haze Adams’s house. He saved me yesterday. I’d hoped that this was a dream. Or should I say, a nightmare. I wince at the pounding in my head. Alcohol and I do not get along. I reach for my phone on the bedside table. Problem is, there’s nothing to reach for.
Where the hell is my phone?
Panic takes over me. I get out of bed, my mind racing. Haze is the one who took it. It has to be. I throw on the clothes I was wearing yesterday, neatly fold his T-shirt and sweatpants and step out of the room. No one. I can’t hear a single sound. The house seems empty.
Haze didn’t leave, did he? I need to get home before my aunt calls the police and files a missing person’s report. I go down the stairs. Still no sign of Haze. I enter the spacious living room, taking in my s
urroundings.
“You must be Winter.”
I jump, startled, and quickly turn my head to see a guy looking at me. Casually sitting on the leather couch, he’s analyzing me carefully. I instinctively bring my hand to my chest as if it’ll somehow steady my frantic heartbeat.
“I’m Tanner. Haze’s my baby bro.” He stretches his arms and flexes his muscles, making me want to roll my eyes. Yeah, definitely in the same family these two. Tanner seems older than Haze—maybe twenty-two—but I can totally see it: the smirk, the messy hair, the muscled body. Tanner’s hair is darker and his eyes are green, but apart from that, he has that same “I’m going to break your heart and destroy your innocence” look to him.
Guess it runs in the family.
“Hi.” I shift uncomfortably. “Where’s Haze?”
“You just missed him, actually.” I think back to the slammed door that woke me up. If I’d just been up ten minutes earlier, I could be on my way home right now.
“He had an emergency,” Tanner adds. “Told me to tell you not to go anywhere. He’ll be back soon.”
I curse under my breath. God damn it, Haze. Sticking around for breakfast wasn’t part of the plan.
Although, I must say I am not at all surprised that he went and did exactly what he promised not to do.
“This might sound weird, but have you seen my phone by any chance?”
“Yeah. Haze took it. Said it was to make sure you waited for him.”
Bastard.
“Oh. Well, I really have to go. I think I’ll just walk.” I nervously fidget with the fabric of my clothes, wondering how the hell I’m going to find my way back home.
He tenses up. “I can’t let you do that.”
“What am I? A hostage?” I force a laugh and spot the closest exit.
The seriousness in his eyes dissipates gradually. “Listen, I don’t know what my brother wants with you, and you clearly don’t either. So why not stick around and find out?”
I sigh. I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Plus, as crazy as it may sound, something about the way his eyes darkened when I tried to leave tells me he’s not the right person to mess with.
“Thanks for letting me spend the night.”
“Don’t thank me. Haze is free to bring home whoever he wants.” He grins, insinuating that I did more than “spend the night.”
I’m about to tell him he’s wrong when he speaks again.
“So what exactly are you to my brother?” He narrows his eyes, staring at me intently. “Friend? Special friend?”
I make a face. Even the word friend sounds like too much.
“We’re not sleeping together if that’s what you’re asking. And I don’t really know, to be honest. We’re acquaintances at most.”
“So he invited you over because you’re nothing to him?” He frowns, clearly not buying my story.
“I was in trouble, and he offered me a place to stay. He was trying to help. Nothing more. Is the interrogation over?” I try a joke, and he laughs faintly.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…” He pauses. “My brother never, and I mean never, brings a girl home. You can’t blame me for being curious.”
If I was drinking water right now, I’d probably be choking.
“Oh, come on. You can’t seriously expect me to fall for that?” I shake my head, the conversation I overheard between Bianca and him yesterday coming back to me. Haze is no saint.
“I know what you’re thinking. You’d assume with all the girls throwing themselves at him, he’d bring a different girl home every night. Well, he doesn’t—he goes to their place. But bringing them here? Don’t even think about it.”
Well, that’s weird.
I don’t reply, smiling awkwardly.
“Do you know about him?” He raises an eyebrow.
“You mean, do I know about the fights? Yeah. I do.”
He nods. “Good. I thought I’d have to make up stories.”
The familiar sound of a text message coming through interrupts us. Tanner reaches for his phone in his pocket and unlocks it. I can’t tell what he’s looking at, but when uncertainty crosses his face, I know something’s wrong. Realization seems to hit him. Then he looks up as any trace of kindness quickly drains from his emerald-green eyes.
“Hold on. You said my brother offered you a place to stay because you were in trouble last night. What kind of trouble?”
I mentally debate on whether or not I should tell him.
“Listen, it was great talking to you, but I really have to go. It’s getting late,” I stutter, walking toward the kitchen where the closest door is screaming my name.
He gets up as well, a hatred I’ve never seen before occupying his gaze. Then he says the two most dreadful words I’ve ever heard.
“You’re her.”
“What?” I step back, desperately analyzing my surroundings for an object I could use as a weapon.
“You’re the East Side girl.”
I don’t even have time to react when he rushes toward me, his eyes as dark as night. The oxygen is knocked out of my lungs when he pushes me against the wall, his hands circling my throat roughly. I hit him as hard as I can to get him off me, but it’s no use. He’s a good six foot five of muscle and obviously stronger than me.
“You’re that girl he made the deal about, aren’t you?” he hisses, barely an inch from my face. “Listen, I don’t know what the fuck is going on with Haze or why he’s messing with the enemy, but this is never going to happen again. You stay the hell away from my brother, do you hear me? You tell the East Side their pathetic attempt to screw us over is not going to work.”
Then I do the only thing I can think of. I lift my leg up and knee him as hard as I can where the sun doesn’t shine. He lets go of me almost instantly, groaning in pain. I sprint to the exit, slam the door open, and rush out onto the street. I have never run so fast in my entire life. Unable to see my feet hitting the ground, I look back to the Adams house that keeps getting smaller.
In the end, I was right. What I was running toward turned out to be so much worse than what I ran away from.
F I V E
The Point Of No Return
“Where the hell were you?” Kendrick throws a million questions at me the very second I get into his car. I don’t have it in me to answer. Not after everything I’ve been through.
As soon as I got far enough from Haze and his psycho brother’s house, I found myself on a hunt for a good citizen willing to let me use their phone. The nice cashier at the convenience store turned out to be my savior. Kendrick picked up on the first ring, and I’ll admit, when I heard his voice, I almost cried in joy.
“Winter, answer me. Where were you?”
I don’t speak, completely drained from the rush of adrenaline I previously had.
“What happened to you? Are you okay?”
“I’m alive, aren’t I?” I let out, not bothering to look at him.
“Gee, Winter. Do you have any idea how scared we were? I had to tell my mom you were sleeping at a friend’s place, and she wasn’t easy to convince. I thought something horrible happened to you. You could’ve called—I was worried sick.”
“I lost my phone,” I mutter.
“Oh please, cut the crap. You treat that thing like it’s your child. Someone stole it or something?”
“Something like that.”
Haze just had to take my phone. Asshat.
“I’m going to ask again. Where the hell were you?”
“You really want to know? Fine. I was at Haze’s.”
Color drains from his face. “What?” he shouts. “What did you just say?”
“I slept at Haze’s place, and if you really want to know, he’s the one who took my phone.”
“How could you let that happen?” Kendrick’s accusing eyes are pointed right at me.
“I didn’t let anything happen. I didn’t have a choice. He saved me when
you guys left me to fend for myself. Thank you for that by the way. A heads-up about the gangs coming after me would’ve been appreciated.” I can’t stop the resentment from growing.
“He…” He pauses, in disbelief. “He saved you?”
“Seriously? That’s the only part of my sentence you remembered?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. We have no idea how it happened. No one was supposed to know about you. Haze might be a piece of trash, but he usually keeps his word.”
“It wasn’t him,” I whisper.
“Is that what he told you?”
I nod faintly.
“And you believe him? For all we know, he’s the one who set this whole thing up.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Gee, I don’t know. Let me see—to get you killed?”
“Is that why he helped me escape? Or maybe that’s why he found me a place to sleep? Because he wants me dead. Are you even listening to yourself?” I rest my head against the car window. The headache is officially here to stay.
“I don’t know why he did it, Winter. All I know is, no matter what he did for you last night, you can’t trust him. Ever. It’s all a game for him. Nothing he does is out of the kindness of his heart.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. He’s bad. Do we have any idea who did it?” I wince and shift in my seat. I know from the burning sensation that they must be quite obvious under my hair.
“We’re on it. We suspect the North Side, but it doesn’t add up. Ian is Haze’s ally. He wouldn’t pull the trigger on an attack like that without consulting him first.” He glances at me. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
I’m slightly amused by the way Kendrick talks to me like I’m supposed to know who the hell this Ian is. I need a “street fighters for dummies” lesson fast.
Kendrick’s car pulls up into Maria’s driveway, and I’m relieved to see her white car is nowhere to be seen. I’ll have a lot of explaining to do when she comes home from the hospital tonight. My cousin shuts off the engine and we walk to the front door side by side. Kendrick tells me about Kass not coming home either. Apparently, she texted him not to worry. He says he suspects it has something to do with a boy.
“Good for her,” I reply. After everything Blake put her through, she deserves it. Of course, I refrain from saying the last part out loud as Kendrick isn’t aware of Blake and Kass’s secret.
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