Finn rubs his shoulder. "What's going on with Lily, Maddy?"
Maddy exits the elevator. "She met this guy from northside. His name is Will. He talked her into going to The Dark Shadows of Northside Club. She says she saw him drug her drink, so she told him she had to go to the bathroom. Then she locked herself in there. I'm pretty sure I know the Will she's talking about, and he's bad news, like being involved in drug trafficking bad news. And this club, it's sketchy as hell. Bad shit happens out in the open."
And just like that, my already panicked state flies through the roof.
"We need to get Lily the hell out of there then," Finn says in a panic. "Tell her to leave."
"She can't. It's too dangerous if Will is still around. And calling the cops won't do shit. Trust me." She tucks a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear. "We need to go get her." She wavers, eyeing both of us over with her pretty eyes. "Maybe I should do this alone. You two won't blend in. You're way too," she dithers then pulls a face, "Polished."
"Like hell we're letting you do this alone." Finn inches toward her and nudges her toward the elevator door. "Let's go."
Maddy digs her heels into the floor. "I swear I can handle this." She squares her shoulders. "I can get Lily out of there."
"I'm sure you can, but that doesn't mean you should." Finn puts a hand on her side and pushes her toward the elevator again.
"I've been dealing with this type of shit all of my life, Finn," Maddy protests, refusing to budge, her legs locked, her expression firm.
He grows frustrated, huffing out a frustrated breath. "Again, that doesn't mean you should have to. River and I are going with you. That way we know you're safe too."
Maddy glares at him, then directs her focus to me. "River, you know I'm perfectly capable of doing this." She steps toward me. "And besides, the last time you went to northside, you got shot."
I absentmindedly touch my side and then wince. "I remember. But as Alpha as Finn is being right now," I glance at him and lift my brow. "Which I don't know the hell that's about, but whatever," As he simply stares at me, his jaw tense, I direct my attention back to Maddy, "He's right. You shouldn't have to deal with this on your own." She opens her mouth to protest, but I place a finger against her lips, shushing her. "You were already taken once tonight. We don't want to risk that again. All of us will go, and Finn and I will hurry and try to look unpolished, so we don't stand out."
"Whatever that means," Finn grumbles, throwing his hands into the air.
Rolling her eyes, Maddy reaches toward him and repeatedly rakes her fingers through his hair.
He cocks his head to the side and bites down on his bottom lip. “As much as I love getting a head massage, don't you think it's kind of a bad time to be doing this?"
"I'm messing up your perfect hair.” She lowers her hand. "Hoodies, T-shirts, sneakers." She counts on her fingers. "Put those on, and we can go." She points at me. "Same goes for you." Then, she reduces the space between us and drags her fingers through my hair.
Finn’s right. It’s like a massage, and my eyelids lower…
"You keep doing that, and my brother's going to come in his pants," Finn remarks, causing Maddy to smack his arm. "Oh, shit, that hurt," he whines.
My cheeks are warm, so I hastily clear my throat and mutter, "I'll go change." Then, I spin on my heels and hurry toward my room.
It's only then, when I'm alone, that the reality of everything crashes over me.
My mom is missing.
Lily is in danger.
And my father is a dangerous man who can ruin anything he wants.
CHAPTER 3
FINN
I almost lostit when River suggested I fake date Maddy. I wanted to. Desperately. But deep down, I know that'll only complicate things more. River likes Maddy. A lot. I like Maddy. A lot. River doesn't know about my feelings for Maddy. If he did, he might not have suggested it.
Besides, my feelings are mostly lust.
Okay, that's a lie. Most of my life, I've felt pretty empty. But with Maddy, something is different. I'm not even sure what it is, other than I care about her.
When she ran her fingers through my hair while we were in the foyer, I almost came in my pants, which is why I cracked the joke about River. I wanted the attention off me, and it worked.
Sort of…
