“Hope it hurt.”
“I hope your face hurts.”
“I hope your brain hurts.”
I scoff. “I know yours does.”
Spencer sneers at me before reaching up and closing me into the cupboard. “I wonder if there’s a padlock around here somewhere. It would be nice not having to see your ratchet face every day.”
“Lock me in here, Spencer, and I swear, I’m going to fuck your dad and become your new stepmom then change the wifi password and send you to your room.”
He chuckles under his breath before going a little too quiet. “Yo,” I hear Colton saying while listening as his footsteps grow deeper into the kitchen. “Where’s Ocean? I could have sworn she just said she was in here?”
“Don’t know, man,” Spencer says. “I just walked in. You must have just missed her.”
There’s a soft sigh before I hear the sound of my ice cream tub being scooped off the counter and I curse myself for not bringing it with me. “Did you check on Jude?” Colton asks, his voice becoming louder as he moves closer to the fridge.
“Yeah, the fucker will be fine, but he ain’t eating. I think he’s going to try and starve himself.”
“Fine by me,” Colton grumbles. “That’d be one less thing to worry about.”
“You’re telling me. I heard starvation is a painful way to go. If that’s what he wants to do, then he can be my guest. But it might not have to get that far, not if your girl gets her hands on him again.”
“Yeah,” Colton says, his voice thick with emotion. “She did a fucking number on him.”
‘“She did more than just a number on him. She’s a fucking savage.”
“You should have seen it, bro. She was fucking going for it. Had I not walked in … I don’t know. I don't want that for her but if it comes down to it and we have to finish him, it’ll be me. I don’t want that shit on either of your shoulders. She’s too fucking good for that.”
Well, shit. This just got heavy.
Spencer laughs. “I mean, she’s not bad, but she’s nothing special.”
“Dude, you told me just last night that you think she’s fucking awesome.”
Spencer coughs and I roll my eyes. “Nah, you must have been hearing shit. I definitely didn’t say that.”
Colton groans and I hear him walking through the kitchen, tearing open the cupboard doors. “She’s in here, isn’t she?”
I can’t help the snicker that comes bubbling up my throat and just as he steps in front of the fridge, I throw the cupboard doors open. “SURPRISE, BITCHES!”
Not having expected me to be up so high, Colton’s eyes bug out of his head and as I laugh and go to reach for him, I underestimate the momentum I had from throwing the doors open and topple right out.
A loud screech comes tearing out of me as I fall face first, panicking as the marble floor rapidly comes closer and closer to my face. My arms and legs flail about but Colton’s quick reflexes have his arms snapping around my waist and catching me just mere moments before my face becomes a jumbled mess and I’m left with no choice but to beg Laurelle for her plastic surgeon’s phone number.
“Fuck, Jade. What the hell are you doing?” Colton gasps, looking down at me with wide eyes.
I glance up at him and give him a pathetic smile. “Whoops,” I say, swallowing back the fear and doing my best to recover from the sheer panic that tore through my chest.
Colton shakes his head, far too amused by my idiocy to remember to help me to my feet until I start squirming around in his arms. He gets me safely back on my feet and as soon as a soft kiss has brushed over my lips, I look over at Spencer with a cheesy as fuck grin. “You think I’m awesome?” I question. “Are we supposed to braid each other’s hair now?”
He rolls his eyes and just as he goes to start denying that he ever said it, we hear Laurelle’s chirpy tone welcoming someone into Colton’s house. “Ah, Melissa. How lovely it is to see you again. Please, come on in.”
There’s a short silence before Laurelle’s guest replies in a warm tone. “You too, it’s been far too long. How are the girls?”
The boys go stiff at my sides and I glance up at them to find them staring at each other, both locked in some sort of silent conversation. “Who the fuck is Melissa?” I ask when they don’t give anything away. Though I don’t think I need them too, there’s something familiar in her voice, something off-putting.
Their sharp stares drop down to mine and I see their dismissal before anything’s even been said.
“Colton,” I demand in a no-bullshit tone. “Who is Melissa?”
He presses his lips into a tight line before letting out a soft sigh. “Melissa Carter. Jude’s mom.”
“Fuck,” I grunt. “What is she doing here? Why would your mom invite her over here?”
Colton shakes his head. “I don’t know, but she’s not welcome. You stay here with Spence and I’ll get rid of her. The last thing we need is her getting too comfortable here.”
“Excuse me?” I snap as he turns and starts for the kitchen door. “Like hell I’m staying back here. I have a few things to say to that woman.”
Colton whips back to me but I’m already passing him and now he’s the one trying to keep up. “You’re not going to say a damn word,” he hisses, trying to keep his voice low as we get closer and closer to the foyer with Spencer right on our heels.
“Just try and stop me, Colton,” I snap at him. “You weren't the one he drugged and attacked. You didn't have your clothes torn off. You weren't the one that lost every bit of happiness when he slammed himself deep inside you. You lost nothing, so you sure as hell don't get the option to silence me. I’ll say whatever the hell I need to say and I’ll do it without feeling bullshit pressure from you two dickheads. If I feel the need to tear that woman to pieces, you two are going to take one hell of a step back and keep out of my way. Hell, have a little fun with it. Maybe you can score my performance out of ten.”
The boys share a glance and a million messages pass between them before Colton pulls me into his chest and presses his lip to my temple. “Okay,” he finally says. “You do whatever the fuck you need to do, but you don’t let on that you know where he is otherwise, we’re fucked.”
“This ain’t my first rodeo, Colton.”
I step out of his arms and with the boys at my back, we storm toward the foyer.
Within seconds we find both Laurelle and Melissa crowding the foyer, and the second I see them together, all I can do is rage. The last time I had a conversation with Laurelle, she was sending me down to the wine cellar after telling me that I was worthless and not good enough for her son. The last time I saw Melissa, she was doting over her poor lost son, acting as though he wasn’t a monster.
A sound of disgust comes tearing from my throat and the women both snap their gazes toward me. They look over me as though I’m trash before focusing on the boys at my back, and it’s almost as though they’re acting like I’m not even here.
“Colton,” Momma Carrington says. “What have I told you about spending time with the help? She is here to work, not to socialize.”