Page 15 of Madness & Mayhem
And I tried to kill the masked man. I did.
“She’s right, Lakyn. Vienna wants nothing to do with you right now. Not after what you’ve done.”
I glance toward the stairs, seeing Eloise there, in baggy sweats in a t-shirt, her hair a mess, her makeup still smeared from the night before. Her hand is on the railing of the stairway, and she grips it tightly, her body tense as she glares at me.
I grow angry, because my very best friends are painting me like I was the one that held the knife and slayed all those people. As if I’m the one who caused Creed to fall to his death.
I’m not at fault, though they make it feel like it is.
“I stabbed him, you know.” I lift my hands, the stains of red still lingering against my skin. “I took his knife from him and turned it around, sinking it into his gut. Do you realize this? That I was going to kill him for Creed’s death? Even after I found out it was him, there was a part of me that wanted to end his life. Because I love Creed.” My eyes water, and I bat angrily at the tear that attempts to escape. “I loved him.”
I listen as the sound of heavy feet pound down the stairs. Vienna turns the corner, looking horrible with her puffy, red face, her blonde hair a mass of tangles on top of her head. She is wearing Creed’s clothes, and they flood her body as she makes her way toward me, hurt, vengeful.
She rushes me, and before I have a chance to react, she stands before me, her body trembling as her hand swings back, then forward, her palm connecting roughly against my cheek. I don’t move, don’t react as the rush of burning pain slips across my skin.
“You allowed your love to become more important than mine,” she whispers. “He stuck up for you, Lakyn, even when he didn’t need to, he had your back. Always. He didn’t think you were sleeping around, even when everyone else did.” She shakes her head, disappointment and rage in her gaze. “I guess he was wrong about you. We all were.”
She turns away, getting ready to walk back to her room, her eyes filling with another set of tears. The moment her foot hits the first set of stairs, she turns back at me, her cheeks damp. “I get it, Lakyn. We’re all fucked up. Our crew is sort of twisted. But you’ve crossed the line. You and Reign are on another level. You obviously belong together,” she snaps, and I let her insult hit my chest and bounce off.
She’s grieving.
Vienna is my best friend. Her words could hurt, but they don’t. I won’t allow them to. She can be cruel and petty, because if Reign died, I would feel the exact same. Revengeful on anyone who was involved.
“The wounds are raw right now, Lakyn. It’s going to take time for them to heal. And even then, I’m almost certain they’ll leave scars,” Posie mumbles under her breath.
She follows after Vienna, and I’m left alone in the kitchen, feeling off-kilter, my heart slightly empty and a little raw, as if it’s gotten carpet burn against the surface.
Reign is fucked up. I’ve always known he was. But I never would’ve guessed he was the masked man. The darkness has revealed itself, and my eyes have opened to see how depraved he really is.
Maybe both of us are fucked up. Maybe we do belong with each other.
Perhaps I’m so sick and twisted, the poison fills my blood.
If Reign is twisted, I want to be just as twisted as he is.
I want our knot to be so entwined, we’ll never find our way apart.
My breathing comes out heavily. I can feel a panic attack coming, and I don’t know how to stop it. With feet like lead, I start moving toward the front door, when it opens, and two men who look like they want to rip my head off stand in front of me.
“Lakyn,” Archer sneers, looking so fucking betrayed.
My brow creases, and I take a step back. “Archer.”
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Kyler asks, stepping through the doorway.
I glance over my shoulder, wondering if I can make a run for it. I can’t deal with any more of their wrath.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Archer tsks. “Don’t for a second think you’re leaving this house.”
I glance over at Eloise, who’s gripping her phone in her hand. “You called them here?”
She shrugs. “My loyalty has always been with you, Lakyn. But at this fucking moment, it lies with them. They wanted to know when you showed up, and here you are.”
I bare my teeth at her. Turning my gaze to Archer, I growl, “I’m leaving.”
He shakes his head, taking a step toward me. “Where’re you going to go? The entire town is looking for you, Lakyn.”
My heart double thumps in my chest, and I wonder how the fuck I’m ever going to get out of this alive. I can feel my phone inside my bra, but I know it’s been dead for hours.