47. JJ #2
“I can make you sit the fuck out,” Hux growls through gritted teeth. “I can lock you in the basement like it’s a jail if you don’t agree with this ‘keep them safe’ plan. You have to promise me, Macklyn.”
Mack rolls his eyes, grabbing a few more grapes.
“Yeah, Yeah. I fucking promise. I’ll be an angel tonight.
No bruises or injuries. Jesus, you’re like the dad I never fucking had.
Nagging asshole,” he grumbles the last part.
“Besides, you need me to corral the other fuckheads that are helping us do this. They listen to me. I’m like their God.
” He grins, puffing out his chest like an idiot.
“Yeah, because you’re an unpredictable asshole who throws beer bottles at them,” I grumble, checking my phone again and her location. Fuck. She still hasn’t budged from Malic’s house. What the fuck is she doing there? “And you’re not their God. You’re deluded. Power-hungry moron.”
“That’s rude as fuck, Jasper,” he quips.
“If you can’t dodge a fucking beer bottle, then you have no business being with the Syndicate.
It’s that easy,” Mack quips grumpily, standing.
“Now, I’m going to shower before either of you ruins my damn buzz for the festivities tonight.
See you assholes later.” Mack stomps up the stairs and slams the bathroom door closed.
“I’m aware,” I say to Hux’s silence, looking up from my phone before setting it down and watching him like a hawk as he stares after Mack with an expression I can’t quite understand.
There’s worry there, I think. But we’re always worried about Mack and his unpredictability, which only gets worse as the days go by.
Some days, I wish I could tell him Olivia still exists and he’d settle down. But I know the moment he realizes I’ve kept a secret from him. Especially one this big, he’s going to blow a gasket and do something he can’t come back from.
“You’re freaky sometimes,” he says, finishing off his coffee. “And not in a good way. Stay out of my head.” He glares.
“Well, I’m perceptive, and you’re predictable. So it’s easy to know what you’re going to say.” I raise a brow, smirking when he rolls his eyes because he knows I’m right.
“He’s at a weird breaking point,” Hux murmurs, putting his mug into the sink and turning to look at me. “Tonight will be a challenge for him. If he actually hurts someone…”
Like her. Olivia. Oliver. Whoever the fuck she’s presenting to the world. Fuck.
A sweat breaks out on my brow. I can’t let him hurt Olivia because I know he’ll try. He’s already vowed vengeance against Oliver. Multiple times. All because he suspects her of ruining the treehouse because he saw her coming out of the woods. Which is fair, because I know she did it, too.
Discreetly, I check Olivia’s whereabouts again and internally groan, wishing she’d go back to her dorm.
Great. This is great. She’s still at Malic’s house, which doesn’t sit well with me.
Especially since she’s been there since last night.
Doing things I don’t want to think about.
Fuck. My head hurts. My heart hurts. There’s nothing I can do to stop that, though.
She asked me to trust her, and I’m trying so hard not to track her down and kill Malic for putting his hands on her.
No matter what, though, I have to go get her and warn her that tonight is the night she needs to sleep in her binder and loose clothes.
“We won’t let him. But it’s odd you’re giving him a slight advantage in the situation.
Simon is Oliver’s roommate, after all. Who is to say Mack doesn’t sneak in there and take him?
” I have to bite my tongue several times to avoid slipping up.
The name is too close to hers, and the urge to say her instead of him has me watching every word that comes out of my mouth.
Hux sighs. “I didn’t have a choice. One of the newest members is grabbing Oliver.
You know how it goes. It all gets drawn out of a hat at random.
He knows the rules. If he hurts one of them, he knows Franco will kick his ass or worse,” Hux grits out.
“Not only that, but I’ll be the one to deliver it.
” He shakes his head and blows out a breath.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to beat my fucking frustrations out in the basement before this day can get any fucking worse. ”
Any worse? Has something bad already happened? His head hangs as he leaves the kitchen and goes into the basement. It doesn’t take very long for the music to pump through the speakers, and the sound of his fists hitting the swinging bag floats through the air.
Wonderful. Two pissed-off best friends and another that I need to track down. Without stalling any longer, I secure my laptop in my room and check my phone one last time, praying to whoever in the sky that Olivia has left Malic’s.
But no such luck.
Either I’m getting ready to walk into something I don’t care to see, or something has happened. Something bad. And the way my stomach rolls when I walk into the sunshine tells me I’m about to witness something I don’t want to.
But I’m going to have to, whether I like it or not.