24. Maddox #2
I stepped off the porch and immediately spotted the car parked across the street. Two houses down, tucked against the curb in almost the exact spot as the other night sat a car.
My whole body went rigid, every muscle locking as recognition slammed into me. It was the same make and model that I’d clocked the other night and chased through the streets.
Same asshole.
“Motherfucker,” I hissed between clenched teeth, moving, but, of course, the second I came into full view, stepping off the porch, the brake lights flared as he shifted the car into drive. He pulled away from the curb, lurching forward and blowing a stop sign.
I froze as the vehicle sped past the house, glaring at the silhouette of the driver, making note of his broad shoulders, baseball cap pulled low, and face turned deliberately away, but it was his plates I paid attention to, burning the letters and numbers into my memory before I hopped into my Jeep.
Had he been here all night, waiting, watching while I slept upstairs?
I quickly pulled out my phone and sent Kreed a text. All it said was the plate number. I’d explain the rest when I saw him.
I didn’t bother going home, and I was definitely going to miss my first few classes.
As soon as the car peeled away from Hales’s street, I jumped in my Jeep and headed to Kingsley University. To Kreed’s place.
I needed to talk to my brother.
He and Kaylor had an apartment on campus, not something incoming freshmen were allowed to have, but as always, Corvos didn’t follow rules, and my father was the king of bending them to his will.
A phone call and a sizable donation, and Kreed had his apartment.
As much as my brother wanted to be away from our father’s reach, away from the constant pressure of being Corvos, it wasn’t easily escaped.
And I needed information fast. Raine was over two hours away at Dalton, so that left Kreed.
Besides, if I needed someone who could make things happen without asking too many questions, there wasn’t anyone better to go to than Kreed.
He might not love being part of a crew, but he lived the life too damn well.
I pulled up outside his building, my Jeep sliding into a spot near the entrance. The complex was newer, all steel, glass, and brick facade. I slipped inside as two girls were leaving the main entrance, presumably off to their first class, which was where I should have been right about now.
I took the elevator to the top floor because nothing but the best for the son of Donovan Corvo. I’d only been inside once, the day Mason and I helped Kreed and Kaylor move in, and that was weeks ago now.
I found his door and knocked once and knocked again when there was no immediate response. I was about to rap a third time when something thumped inside. A lock clicked, and the door swung open, revealing my brother, one hand braced on the frame, the other rubbing sleep from his eyes.
I’d definitely woken him up, which meant he was going to be grumpier than his usually grumpy self.
He hadn’t bothered to toss on a shirt, and I should be grateful he wore a pair of sweatpants. His dark hair stuck out in a dozen directions like he’d lost a fight with his pillow…or with Kaylor, more likely, given the faint marks I saw on his neck.
I didn’t want to think about the two of them in bed or what they did all night besides sleep.
His eyes traced over me once, taking in my appearance with an assessment that came from years of being brothers. “Why are you shirtless?” he asked. “I just woke up. What’s your excuse? It’s not that hot outside, and I sure as hell know you didn’t run from the house to campus.”
He had me there. I wasn’t a runner, but Kreed was. I never understood the urge to intentionally run for fun or fitness. It wasn’t my kind of grind. I glanced down at myself and grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t want to know where you spent the night. It could have been the street for all I care.”
I grinned. “Liar. You care, and that’s your biggest problem. You care too much while pretending not to give a shit about anything.”
“How much do I owe you for the therapy session? Better yet, bill Dad.”
“You going to invite me in or make me loiter in your hall like a homeless person?”
“What the hell are you doing here so goddamn early?” He stepped back, pulling the door wider to let me in. “And where’s Mason?”
“For some of us,” I said, stepping past him into the apartment, my shoulder brushing his as I moved through the narrow entryway, “this isn’t early. Not all of us get to sleep in and show up to class at noon. And Mason’s probably at school.”
He snorted, shutting the door behind me. “Shouldn’t you be there?”
“I’ll get there eventually.” I moved into the main living area and noticed little touches of Kaylor everywhere. Candles. Hair clips. Her shoes. More throw pillows than Kreed knew what to do with.
I shoved the ache out of my chest, facing Kreed. “I need a favor.”
His posture shifted, shoulders squaring, sleep falling away from his features like a mask being removed. He sauntered into the kitchen area to the coffeepot. “What kind of favor?” he asked as he put grounds into the machine.
I reached down into my sock, fingers closing around the handle of the knife I’d tucked there before leaving Hales’s and dropped it onto the kitchen island between us.
He stared at it. “What am I supposed to do with that?” he asked flatly.
“I need any info you can find out about it. Where it was bought. Who bought it.”
His steely eyes narrowed. “Why? What’s so special about this knife?”
“Oh, and I texted you a plate number,” I added, pulling my phone from my pocket and checking to make sure the message was sent. “Run it. I need to know who owns the car and their address. Anything you can find on this guy.”
The coffee started percolating behind him, dripping into the glass carafe. “What’s going on?”
“Just some shit at school,” I said, forcing the words to come out unconcerned. “Nothing you need to worry about. I’m handling it.” The lie tasted bitter.
Kreed’s mouth flattened into a thin line.
“That’s what’s making me nervous. You handling it.
” He picked up the knife, turning it slowly under the light.
His fingers moved over the blade, checking the edge and the hilt.
His expression shifted subtly, almost imperceptibly, but I’d known him long enough to read it.
“I’ll let you know what I find out,” he said finally, setting the blade back on the counter.
“But when I do, you’re going to tell me what’s going on. ”
“Fine. The sooner, the better.” I was fucking pressed for time. I needed a name before this asshole decided to strike again. The state of his escalation made me nervous.
He nodded, moving to the coffeepot, too impatient to wait for it to fully brew, and poured a mugful. “Does Dad know you’re here?”
I snorted. “No. And he better not. Don’t give me that responsible adult bullshit.”
“What’s got up your ass?” He watched me over the brim of his Peaked In High School mug. Obviously, a gift from Kaylor.
I dragged a hand through my hair. “When does this shit get easier?” I muttered.
He pushed the cup of coffee across the counter. “You need this more than me.”
“Thanks.” I shoved off the wall and strode to the steaming mug.
“You’re a Raven. It doesn’t,” he said simply. “This life doesn’t get easier. It doesn’t get less complicated. That’s the price.”
I pressed my palms against my eyes until I saw stars. A headache was on the horizon. “Fuck me. I’m starting to get why you want out,” I admitted, the confession quiet but honest.
“Maddox?” Kaylor’s voice drifted from the hallway, thick with sleep.
I turned before I could stop myself.
She stood there with one hand braced against the wall, silvery hair messy from sleep, one of Kreed’s shirts hanging off her shoulder. Her eyes were still heavy-lidded, confused as she tried to piece together why I was standing in their kitchen at sunrise.
Even half asleep, she looked…dangerous.
Not in the way most people meant.
Dangerous to me.
“Sorry,” I said quickly, straightening a little. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She rubbed at one eye with the back of her hand, blinking the room into focus. “Is everything okay?” she asked softly. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just about to leave, actually.”
“You sure? You look like you haven’t slept.” Even half asleep, she still saw too much.
And she wasn’t wrong. I’d gotten a few hours at most, but it wasn’t the problem either.
Seeing her always fucked me up inside.
I’d hoped, stupidly, that last night with Hales might have changed something. That maybe if I crossed that line, if I let myself want someone else for once, the hold Kaylor had over my head would finally loosen.
It didn’t.
Standing here, watching her tuck a piece of hair behind her ear like she’d done a thousand times before, my chest still did the same stupid tightening it always did.
My brother’s girlfriend…and somehow, she could still fucking tear me up inside with just a look, without even trying. She didn’t have to. Her mere presence was enough to send me spiraling.
Coming here had been a bad idea. I should have just called Kreed and sent him a picture of the knife. Saved myself this whole mess.
Hindsight was a bitch.
“I’ve got class,” I said finally, tossing back half the coffee before setting it on the counter and stepping back toward the door.
Kreed snorted quietly behind me like he knew why I was bolting.
Kaylor tilted her head slightly. “Since when do you rush to class?”
“Since I’m failing most of them,” I muttered, grabbing the door handle before anyone could say anything else. Because the longer I stayed in that room with Kreed watching and Kaylor looking like she’d just stepped out of a dream I’d never be allowed to have, the worse it was going to get.
“Text me when you get something,” I said to Kreed.
“I will,” he replied.
I pulled the door open and got the hell out of there before I made another mistake.