6. Mallory
MALLORY
This was the first time I’d seen them side by side. The resemblance was uncanny, but despite their similarities, I could still tell them apart.
Just my fucking luck.
Of course, I would run into them when I wasn’t prepared, when I didn’t expect it, when I hadn’t bothered to do anything but the bare minimum of makeup.
Mason spotted us immediately, and his lopsided grin locked into place. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Freckles?”
I sighed, heavy and put-upon. “Trust me, if I’d known you were here, I would have insisted we go somewhere else. And don’t call me Freckles.”
“I absolutely will,” he replied, delighted by my annoyance. “It’s endearing. Gives you character. And you do have the most adorable freckles.” He flicked the end of my nose, and I had the urge to snap my teeth at his finger.
“I have plenty of character without a nickname.” I scowled at him.
Mason’s dimples appeared as he smirked. “You never texted or called.”
“I would take that as a sign.”
“That you lost my number.”
I snorted. “Try deleted.”
Maddox’s gaze found mine over his brother’s shoulder, and my pulse reacted before my brain caught up, kicking into overdrive, and I hated how predictable my body was being about this. Or the fact I couldn’t bring myself to look away from him.
“Are you stalking me, Freckles?” Mason purred, his eyes bright with amusement. “Because if so, points for commitment.”
“You would like that, but sadly, I haven’t thought about you at all.” It was his brother who I couldn’t get out of my head. “We’re getting dinner,” I stated flatly. “It’s called a coincidence. You know what that is, don’t you? Or do I need to use smaller words?”
Maddox’s lips twitched.
“Don’t you have some girl’s life to destroy?” Paisley snapped, eyeing Mason with annoyance. “It’s what you do best.”
“I have a better idea. How about a party instead?” Mason’s grin widened. “At the abandoned church out by the old cemetery. You know the one,” he said to Paisley as if she’d been there before and winked.
“Are you serious right now, Mas?” Maddox grumbled under his breath, his light-green eyes capturing mine. “We don’t know her.”
Mason held Paisley’s death stare, unaffected. “No, but we know Pais.”
“And she never comes,” Maddox pointed out, frowning.
Mason eyed Paisley, and I didn’t like the gleam in them. This one was too much fucking trouble. “What do you say, Pais? You want to have a little fun like old times? Because I’m starting to think the universe wants us to be friends.”
“The universe has terrible judgment,” Atlas muttered, shifting so he was slightly in front of Paisley, protectively.
Mason’s attention darted to Atlas, sizing him up with the same casual assessment he’d given me the first time we met.
Paisley’s posture shifted, her spine going rod straight. “I’d rather bathe in a tub of snakes than be caught dead at one of your parties.”
Mason picked up a curl of Paisley’s pink-tipped hair, twirling it between his fingers. “Colorful words just like your hair.”
“Fuck off, Mason,” Paisley spat, smacking his hand away from her.
“I always liked you. Why haven’t we hooked up?” Mason asked, despite it being obvious to everyone that Paisley would rather suck a lemon than be near him.
Hatred shone in her eyes. “Because I despise you.”
“Mas, enough,” Maddox warned, sounding exhausted as if this was a constant battle between them. “We don’t need the drama.”
Mason’s brows lifted at his twin. “Did you forget what we talked about?”
Maddox’s gaze flicked to me briefly, and I suppressed the urge to shiver under his stare. “I block out ninety percent of the things you say.”
Paisley’s lips twitched, and I felt this irrational stab of jealousy when her eyes locked with Maddox’s.
What the hell?
Why was I jealous just because he looked at her? Get a grip, Mallory, or you’re not going to have any friends at this rate.
Mason turned to me. “Okay, look, I’m going to be straight with you. Maddox needs to get laid.”
“Mas, what the fuck are you doing?” Maddox growled.
Paisley lifted a brow before I raised my hand and volunteered, because the temptation was definitely there. “I fail to see how that’s her problem. It’s not like there aren’t a dozen girls at your parties just waiting to be picked.”
“True, but let’s just say he’s looking for something new to try.” With a dimpled grin, Mason’s focus came back to me.
Paisley’s answer was immediate. “Absolutely not.”
It took me a few seconds to catch on, realizing that something new was me. This was definitely the most forward and unusual way I’d ever been approached to have sex. Actually, it was the only time a guy had approached me about sex.
“As if we’re going to let you corrupt our Mallory. Hard pass,” Atlas said, backing up Paisley while I remained too stunned to speak.
Mason’s smug lips were lethal as he shoved his hand into his front pockets and rolled back on his heels. “Why don’t we let her decide? So, what do you say, Freckles? Want to see what Elmwood really has to offer?”
“God, everyone here is just so friendly,” I said sarcastically, finally finding my voice again.
Maddox chuckled, and I warmed inside.
“Careful who you hang out with,” Mason said, his tone light, his eyes moving between Paisley and Atlas, the insinuation obvious. “Not everyone in Elmwood has good intentions.”
Paisley’s mouth flattened as her arms snapped over her chest, chin lifting a fraction. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”
Mason was enjoying the tension he caused Paisley, the verbal sparring that got under her skin. It made me wonder if they had history, and if so, what had happened?
Atlas broke the intense stare neither Mason nor Paisley seemed inclined to release. “Well, this has been delightful and vaguely threatening, but we’re starving.” He started to steer Paisley and me into the restaurant.
“If you change your mind, Pais knows where to find us. She’s been before, isn’t that right, Pais?” Mason baited.
Her cheeks bloomed pink.
Maddox’s frown deepened as he held my gaze for one more second, long enough for me to feel it in my chest, in my pulse, in the space behind my ribs where breath was supposed to go smoothly but wasn’t.
They moved past us, Mason’s shoulder brushing mine as he went. Deliberate or accidental, I couldn’t tell. “Careful. Elmwood is full of predators, especially at night,” he muttered.
My thoughts drifted to my mom on her date. He had no idea.
Atlas leaned nearer to me, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Tell me why the hot ones always look like they could ruin lives?”
“Because they can,” Paisley murmured, her gaze trailing after Mason. “And they have.”
Atlas glanced at me, eyebrow raised. “Still hot as fuck. Undeniably hot. The kind of hot that makes you stupid.”
He wasn’t wrong. I actually already felt like I had lost a few brain cells from the encounter, and it had only been a few minutes. I didn’t want to imagine spending an entire day in Maddox’s presence. “I’m starving.”
Atlas and Paisley grinned. “I just bet you are.” Atlas smirked, opening the restaurant door. “For some Corvo trouble. Not that I blame you. Maddox’s ass is edible.”
Paisley snorted as we walked in and waited for the hostess to seat us.
Atlas pursed his lips. “Tell me I’m wrong. Even you, Miss Ice Queen, can appreciate what a fine pair of gluteus maximus is on him.”
“What did I tell you about using big words around me?” Paisley replied dryly, holding three fingers when the hostess asked us how many.
“There’s more to life than lattes and cappuccinos, isn’t that right, matcha?”
“Did you date one of them?” I couldn’t refrain from asking Paisley.
Atlas laughed. “Date? That’s hilarious. My girl, Paisley, doesn’t date. And not because she doesn’t have any offers.”
“It’s a choice,” she said as we followed the hostess, weaving through the restaurant, the smell of garlic bread and marinara hitting my senses, and my stomach growled.
We slid into a booth with a window view. Paisley sat beside me, and Atlas scooted in across from us. “But you’ve been to one of their parties?”
“Crew parties are—” She paused, searching for words. “They’re not for people who don’t know the rules yet. And even when you know the rules, they’re still a bad idea ninety percent of the time.”
“I haven’t been to many parties,” I admitted, fumbling with the rolled napkin on the table in front of me.
Our server came by and dropped off a basket of bread on the table. She took our drink orders.
“You’re not missing much,” Paisley said after our waitress left. “I much prefer getting drunk at home instead of at some creepy church where you have to worry about someone slipping shit into your drink.”
“Why a church?” I reached for a breadstick because I was starving.
Atlas shrugged, plucking one from the basket after me. “It’s where the crew hangs out. I think their dad owns the place.”
“Crew?” I asked, taking a bite.
“Yeah, your crush, Maddox, he’s like the boss’s son. A bunch of the kids at Public are Raven spawns, born into the crew. Mason, Maddox, Hudson, Levi, Torin—”
I coughed, nearly choking on my breadstick as I processed what Atlas was telling me. “Mason and Maddox are in a gang?”
Beside me, Paisley nodded, picking her bread apart into pieces before popping one into her mouth. “Their father is the head of the Ravens. He is not a man you want to cross.”
These two were a wealth of information. I wasn’t sure what to do with all that I’d learned today.
Our server came back and set down our drinks.
We hadn’t even opened the menus yet, so she gave us a few more minutes to decide.
None of us reached for the menus. Paisley angled her body slightly in toward me, lowering her voice.
“Last year, there was this girl who transferred to Public in the middle of the term. She lived with Mason and Maddox, which in itself created quite the stir at school. One day, she stopped showing up, and everyone speculated she was the next girl to go missing until she showed up at school again.”
Holy. Fuck. “What happened to her?” I asked, almost afraid to know the truth.