Disorder by J.L. Weil

Chapter Four

The doorbell rang, echoing through Brock’s house in a chiming pattern. It was about three in the afternoon, and Brock and I’d just started a movie. He hit the pause button and checked the security cam on his phone. “I’ll be right back. And there better be popcorn left.”

It wasn’t bad hanging out at Brock’s house. It was nice, and he somehow managed to keep my mind off all the other stuff. But when left alone, even for only a minute, my mind went right there.

Neither of us had forgiven the other, but a silent truce had been agreed upon, at least for the day. We both needed twenty-four hours to decompress.

Curious, I leaned over the couch and listened to the voices coming from down the hallway. They grew louder. Whoever was at the door, it wasn’t a solicitor, not that they could get through the security gate.

I tossed aside the throw blanket and stood up, setting the bowl of buttered popcorn aside on the end table. I padded quietly down the hall, keeping to the wall. For a second, I had a horrible feeling someone I didn’t want to see stood at the door, like my mother.

“I know she’s here. Now get out of my way.” A pushy female voice echoed from the foyer.

“Mads?” I said, rounding the corner.

And there she was—my best friend from the Academy. Actually, she was the only friend I had at school. I wouldn’t exactly call the Elite friends. They were…something else. I hadn’t figured it out yet.

White knights?

Fallen angels?

A bit of both, I decided.

Her dark brown hair sat in a ponytail high on her head, wisps of honey highlights framing her cheekbones. Gray eyes shifted over Brock’s shoulder to my face. The frown on her lips remained as she crossed the threshold, straight for me.

“Josie,” she sighed. “You’re alive.” Mads wrapped me in a tight hug. She smelled like mint gum, sweet electric perfume, and faint traces of smoke.

“Didn’t Grayson tell you what happened?” I shot Brock an accusatory glare.

Maddy Clarke was no dummy. Her eyes darkened upon seeing the bruise that was just beginning to form under the skin on my cheek. “He said you were fine and with Brock. As far as I knew, they were keeping you hostage here.”

“He more or less is,” I replied, firing him a smirk.

Brock rolled his eyes as he closed the door. “I’m considering handcuffing her to a chair.”

Mads ignored him. “When I didn’t hear from you…”

“I’m sorry. I lost my phone, and when I finally found it, the damn thing was dead. I planned to call you later tonight,” I explained, knowing how lame of an excuse it was. I’d been too shaken last night to deal with anyone.

“Now there’s no need,” she said, brightening her tone until her eyes skimmed over my cheek again. The bruise was like a beacon that drew the gaze. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Only Mads and Ainsley would be so blunt. I loved her for it. “Same.”

Brock’s hand went to the doorknob. “Okay, you’ve seen her. Thanks for stopping by,” he said dryly in an attempt to shoo Mads back out the door.

She scrunched her freckled nose at him. “I need a moment with my best friend. Alone,” she emphasized and grabbed my hand, leading me to the staircase. She made her way upstairs like someone who knew where she was going. It was still weird to know that Mads was best friends with my sister—the girl who used to pretend date Brock—the girl who was at the center of this entire fucking mess.

Kenna.

Could things get freakier?

Then I realized it could.

Mads was my cousin.

Holy crap.

The temptation to pump Mads for information about Kenna lingered in the forefront of my mind as we climbed the stairs. There was so much I didn’t know; so much I wanted to know about her. She left two years ago because of my asshole stepbrother.

Let’s set the record straight. She wanted it. If anything, she was using me, trying to get back at Brock for discarding her, just like he does with every girl. You’ll be no different.

That had been Carter’s warning last night. God, what a sicko. The defense of a rapist, of a guy who got off on hurting someone he considered weaker, on making them feel powerless. The fact that I looked like Kenna probably got Carter hard.

Had it really only been last night?

“Firefly,” Brock called after us.

I paused halfway up the stairs and glanced over my shoulder. He gave me a look that conveyed everything on his mind—a crystal-clear warning. Don’t tell Mads anything.

He seemed to want me to keep secrets from everyone but him.

And despite the warning, the sight of him filled me with security. Carter might know where I was hiding out, but he wouldn’t dare come here, not alone. Not unless he wanted his ass beat again, which he might if it meant getting Brock in trouble. Wouldn’t that be the perfect setup? And Carter was desperate and crazy enough to put himself intentionally in danger to accomplish removing Brock as an obstacle.

The Elite no longer had to pretend Carter didn’t disgust them. It was all out in the open. Battle lines had been drawn.

Mads shut the door to Brock’s room, turned, and said, “Okay, now tell me what really happened. I don’t want any of the glossed-over crap my cousin fed me.”

I had to sit down for this. Waiting until she joined me on Brock’s bed, which had been made by one of the staff, I gave Mads a quick rundown. The words came out robotic as I tried to keep myself detached from the events that replayed so clearly in my head. Was it healthy to keep suppressing my emotions? No. But I didn’t want to lose control.

Mads didn’t seem surprised when I finished. “Oh God, Josie. I can’t believe it. Okay, that’s not true. Of course, I knew what Carter was capable of, I just never thought… We never should have—”

“I don’t regret it,” I interrupted before she added any more guilt to the pile I could tell she already felt. “Only that our plan didn’t exactly work. What happened isn’t our fault.” And that was the truth. The blame belonged entirely on Carter.

“I get why they are being so cagey about where you are, but it wasn’t hard to figure out,” she said, toying with her thumb ring. “All Grayson told me was that you couldn’t go home.”

I crossed my legs on the bed, surprise fluttering in my chest. “That’s all he said?”

“Yeah, is there more?” Her eyes narrowed when I didn’t immediately assure her there wasn’t. She brought a leg up on the bed, the other dangling over the edge. Her knees peeked out from the rips in her jeans. “Of course, there is. There is always more with them.”

“I have to ask you something.”

“Anything,” she replied with no hesitation.

I chewed on the inside of my lip, thinking over what I was about to do. Brock expected my silence. Grayson too. And I respected that. But did either of them think about what I needed? Grayson wasn’t the only one dealing with the choice my mother made seventeen years ago. “Before you say that, I need to ask you to keep this to yourself; that is, if you don’t already know,” I added, because I still was unsure.

Her soft painted pink lips turned down, sensing we were getting into some serious shit. “Okay, now you have my attention. This secret, who are we keeping it from?”

“Everyone, but most importantly the Elite. Brock would be pissed if he knew I was telling you this. I think.” But I had to talk to someone about Kenna. My first choice would have been Ainsley, but she wasn’t here. Mads was. Plus, she knew Kenna. It was a connection we shared. And I trusted Mads.

I thought I did.

Perhaps that depended on her reaction to what I was about to tell her.

My eyes shifted to the door, making sure it was closed. Brock probably had his room bugged or was listening in on the security camera. I really hoped not. But just to be safe, I put a finger to my lip. Her brows drew together. I gave a nod and tugged her off the bed, pulling her into the bathroom, where I promptly turned on the sink faucet. Extreme? Most definitely. But I wasn’t dealing with normal teenage guys here.

The Elite were extra on so many levels.

Mads jumped up on the counter, and I took a seat on the closed toilet. “Do you know why Kenna and I look so much alike?”

Confusion crossed over her pretty features. “I don’t understand. What do you mean? Are you like her doppelganger or something?” she deduced, trying to put together a connection between Kenna and me.

Leave it to Mads to take this to a supernatural level. “Um, not exactly. But I am related to Kenna; Grayson too.” And you, I silently added.

“I’m confused.” Her reaction seemed genuine, so I was going with Mads had no idea the big secret her cousin was keeping from everyone but the Elite. “Are you saying that Kenna is what, like your cousin?”

I nodded. Taking a deep breath, I whispered, “She’s my sister. We’re triplets.”

Mads blinked. “You’re not kidding.”

I shook my head. “Definitely not.”

“Holy. Shit. You’re really not kidding,” she said again. “I can’t believe this. Ohmygod. This is surreal, but looking at you… ohmygod. How did I not think of that? What are the fucking odds? Zero to none. I hate to sound like a skeptic, but are you sure? Like really sure?”

My sweaty palms pressed into my knees. “Yeah, I saw the papers. My mother kidnapped me; she switched me at the hospital with her baby who had died, to be exact.”

She took a moment to process what sounded like a daytime drama. “That’s some messed up shit. Explains why Gray has been extra moody lately,” she mused, connecting the dots.

“We haven’t talked yet.”

“You and Grayson?”

“Yeah. This whole thing has me so twisted up inside. I don’t know how I should feel about it. You seriously had no idea?”

Her brows drew together. “No, and I’m kind of pissed off he didn’t open up to me. Not that Grayson and I tell each other everything, but I thought were closer than that. Well, we used to be. Shit hasn’t been the same since Kenna left. Oh, my God, Kenna. I’m betting she doesn’t know.”

Was it a coincidence that both Kenna and I befriended Maddy Clarke? They were cousins, so it would make sense they were friends. Was that also why Mads and I became such fast friends? Some inherent part of us recognized that we shared DNA? “I don’t think his parents even know the truth. And you can’t say anything.”

“My aunt and uncle are going to freak out when they find out, especially after losing Sawyer. It’s like the universe is giving them something back. What about your mom? Does she know that you know?”

“No, and I promised Brock I wouldn’t say anything until Grayson was ready to deal with it.”

“I’m freaking out. How the hell are you coping with all this?” Her eyes were wide, shining with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

I rubbed at the back of my neck. “Who says I am? A part of me is still in shock… or denial. I’m not sure which anymore.”

His hands gripped the edge of the counter. “Josie, this is life-changing.”

“Now you know why I had to tell you. What am I supposed to do? Just go on pretending that I don’t have this huge secret, that I don’t have a sister? I’m not sure I can do that. I want to see her, to meet her. I don’t know how long I can wait.”

Mads reached over and turned off the running water. “Secrets always have a way of coming out, especially when we least want them to.”

No longer able to sit, I stood up and leaned against the wall. “To make matters worse, I think Carter might know.”

Her gray eyes widened further. “What? Wait, back up a minute. When did you talk to Carter?”

Shit. I forgot. “That’s another story,” I mumbled, the fairly large bathroom feeling small.

Mads shook her head. “Jesus, you went back home, didn’t you? Now the handcuff comment makes sense. I thought Brock was just trying to be kinky. Do know what might have happened?”

“I already got the lecture from his highness.” All jokes aside, it could have been bad. Whether I liked it or not, I had to see Carter. Perhaps not at home, because I had no plans to ever go back there, but at school.

“And your mom?”

“Angie,” I corrected.

She seemed to understand. “You can’t tell her what happened and go to the police?” It was a rational course of action, one most sane people would have already taken.

There was nothing sane about my family.

The back of my head hit the wall. “I wish. I’d be wasting my breath. Angie only cares about how perfect her new family appears. Involving the police or pressing charges against Carter will cause too much unwanted attention. Elmwood’s newest scandal,stepbrother kidnaps and assaults stepsister isn’t the kind of headlines my mother is looking to make. She won’t be any help. I’m on my own.”

Mads reached out and took my hand, squeezing it. “You’re never alone. I’m here. Ainsley too. And you have the Elite.”

My lips pouted. “I thought you were supposed to make me feel better.”

Mads laughed, jumping off the counter. “What are friends for?” Her fingers reached for the doorknob as she threw me an evil smile. “Holy shit. I just realized we’re related, bitch.”

I grinned, tossing an arm over her shoulders. “Yes, we are, cuz.”

* * *

It was a wonder what an hour with my best friend could do for my anxiety. By the time Mads left, the pressure in my chest felt lighter.

I should have known it was too good to last.

At just around midnight, my phone buzzed. The damn thing had been going off most of the night, drunk rambling texts from the mother of the year that ran from threats to sloppy “I love yous.”

A jolt of anger rippled through me. Can’t she just leave me alone for five minutes? Grabbing my phone, I thought about turning the damn thing off. If I weren’t worried Mads or Ainsley might text me, I would have. A quick glance at the screen, and my hand froze. Not Angie, but a text from the devil himself.

Was it possible Carter did know my secret? Had he uncovered the truth that I had a brother and sister?

Revealing the information would hurt Angie and his father. It would drag the name his dad prided himself on through the mud. He didn’t like Angie, but would he turn her in? I wasn’t worried about Angie. I was worried Grayson’s parents would find out about it on the front page of the Elmwood Herald. I did not want that to happen.

I had to tell Grayson. Brock too… eventually. Grayson first.

It was time my brother and I had a little chat.