The Damaged (The Insiders Trilogy #2) - Tijan by Tijan

Ring! Ring!

Buzz! Buzz!

Shit. Damn. Crappers.

It was five-forty. Matt was late and so was I.

I ran to the door and hit the speaker button. “I’m late, too. Tell Matt I’ll be down in five minutes. I gotta pee.” I didn’t wait for the guard’s confirmation. I let the button go and sprinted to the bathroom. Then I sprinted to the closet and changed super quick. It should be casual at the estate tonight, but one never knew. I threw on jeans and a nicer sweater than what I’d been wearing to school. I ran my fingers through my hair quickly and called it done. My hair could go up in a clip. It’d look like a messy ponytail. That was fine by me. Chrissy would say something, but I wasn’t caring at this moment. I could braid it if necessary.

Grabbing my bag, another litany of curses fell from my mouth, because I needed everything to go with me to do my coding in the car. Shit, shit, shit.

My wallet and phone were stuffed in my backpack, and I had my laptop in there. Yes. I was running down the checklist. I had everything I needed. I thought so, anyway. If I didn’t, I’d be up later than I wanted to finish my coding, because I had reading to do for tomorrow, too.

There was a knock at my door.

I pulled it open. “Hey.”

It was Scott.

He held the door for me, falling in line behind me as I dashed to the elevator that was being held open for me.

Scott hit the parking lot button, folding his hands in front of him as the doors slid closed. “I’ll be the guard accompanying you tonight.”

I was half-distracted, thinking that I really needed Matt to be texting on the drive there, i.e., not talking to me.

“Huh?”

“Your guard. That’s me tonight.”

I was a bit slow. “Okay…?”

A faint grin from him. He was being patient with me. “We are taking your brother’s vehicle. Both his guards are going. You won’t need both of your guards, so Mr. Harkman will remain behind here.”

“Oh!” Then I grinned. “Harkman. I like it.”

We were nearing the parking garage when I thought of it. “Could you do me a favor?”

He glanced to me just as the elevator stopped.

“I need to do work in the car. It’s difficult if Matt’s talking. Can you distract him for me?”

His mouth twitched before smoothing back into a blank wall. “Sure. I can do that.”

The elevator opened. I was guessing Harkman was the guard standing just inside the garage, because we walked past. He and Scott did a nod thing to each other. I faltered, because instead of the normal SUV, it was a limo.

Matt’s guard opened the back door and Matt was there, grinning. He saluted me with a drink in hand. “We’re late, sis. Figured we should do it in style.”

Guy’s face poked out from the inside of the limo. He smiled wide at me. “Heya, Bailey. Guess who’s going to dinner with you guys?”

My stomach bottomed out. “Oh no.”

His grin only widened. “Oh yes.”

I slid inside, or started to.

I paused midslide, with one leg still outside, because Guy wasn’t alone.

Tony was inside. He was at the far end of the limo. Guy was on the couch that ran the length of the limo. Matt and I went to the back.

Scott bent down, looking inside, assessing the situation.

He looked at me. “There’ll be a vehicle following. I’ll ride in that one.”

I wanted to ask if I could go in that one, too, but Matt must’ve sensed my thoughts. He threw an arm around my shoulder, his eyes falling on my backpack, which I was holding in my lap. He motioned to it with his drink. “What’s this?”

I was pleading with Scott not to leave me alone.

His mouth only twitched before he shut the door.

Matt’s breath was already strong. “What were you doing before this?” I asked.

He just laughed. The alcohol was rank.

His eyes were dilated and lazy. His smile was sloppy. “Partying. What do you think?”

“Partying?”

Both Guy and Tony had glasses next to them, and Tony was in the process of filling his with rum, but they didn’t look as gone as Matt.

“Why are you guys here?”

Guy lounged back, throwing his legs up on the seat across from him. He raised his glass toward Matt. “Your bro’s been on a bender since last night. We heard you got a visit from him, too.”

Whoa. Matt seemed sober earlier.

Tony finished pouring his glass and leaned back, but he was more sipping, with his eyes pinned to me, almost squinting. “The fuck called this afternoon at some chick’s place.”

Guy started laughing. “He was freaking, didn’t know where he was. Totally forgot he had two guards waiting on him.”

How much had he drunk between this morning and now? I must’ve been a pit stop.

Wait. He had breakfast at the Chesapeake Estate this morning. Had he been drinking during that, too?

I stiffened, throwing him a side-eye of my own.

Matt removed his arm from me, shoving to the corner, and he slipped farther down in the seat. He growled, “You both are assholes.”

Guy’s head tipped back. He just laughed.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Asshole friends that came to pick you up and acted like it’d been the plan the whole time so your babysitters didn’t report to your sister’s man, and the Great Authority Kashton Colello didn’t rain hell down on you. We’re super fucking horrible friends.”