But death was the easy way out, andnothingabout this would be easy for Sutton Rausch.
Her downfall would be a slow and methodical dismantling of everything she cares about, until she had nothing left to cling to but her misery.
Only then would Addie offer her the sweet relief of death.
Maybe.
She hadn’t quite decided yet.
She continued to trail after Sutton, ducking into hiding spaces when the other woman would turn to check behind her. Addie was impressed by Sutton’s sixth sense for knowing when she was being tailed, but she also relished in the knowledge that Addie wasbetterthan her in every way. That Sutton wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
When they completed the loop of the concourse and Sutton stopped near the stairs to her seat with the Lawless family, pressing her back against it and closing her eyes, Addie took that as her cue to leave.
Whistling a jaunty tune, she walked out of the stadium, prepared to wait until the right moment to execute the next phase of her plan.
nineteen
. . .
LANE
When Addie was gone,Mama reached over and smacked me surprisingly hard.
“Lane Roderick Lawless, what in the fresh hell is wrong with you?”
On her other side, one of the twins—likely West—oohed, and I leaned forward to scowl at the pair of them. Mamararelyswore. That combined with the use of my full name was bad news for me.
“Nothing is wrong with me,” I replied. “I just didn’t want her here.”
“And why is that?” Mama asked, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at me.
I gave her an imploring look. “Youknow.”
Crew leaned forward from the end of the row, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Share with the class, big bro.”
“Mama,” I murmured. “Don’t?—”
She held up a hand, stopping me. “I get it, Lane,” she said, dropping her voice and sliding a bit closer so only I could hear her. “But it seems to me thatshedoesn’t.” She waved in the general direction of where Addie had disappeared.
“I told her!” I hissed.
“What exactly did you say?”
Fucking hell. This was both the last place wherein and the lastpersonwith which I wanted to be having a conversation about my love life. Even if Mama was clued in on the fact that there was…somethingbrewing between me and Sutton.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
“I talked to her before she left last night. Told her in no uncertain terms that we werenothingand that she needed to leave me and my family alone.”
“Seems pretty cut and dry to me,” Finn supplied, and Mama nodded.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wouldn’t have invited her to sit down had I known.”
I covered my mom’s hand with my own. “It’s not your fault. I don’t understand why she keeps pressing the issue.”
“She’s obsessed with you,” West supplied. “Can’t imagine why. You ain’t nothin’ to look at, and your personality sucks too.”
