I stared at Brodie while my brain tried to process what he was saying.

"He what?"

Brodie shook his head. His grimace was profound. "Look, I'm sorry for the things I said and did—"

"You're saying," I said, my words deliberate and even, "that Bren's dad is the reason you've been such a raging asshole to me?"

His half-hearted apology was the last thing I cared about. I needed to understand what the hell was going on.

The football player at least had the decency to appear guilty. "I'm not proud of it. But yeah, that's basically what I'm saying."

"And did he also blackmail you into being an asshole to me? To the team?"

I was surprised to hear Grayson's harsh voice and turned to see him glaring at Brodie, fists shoved deep into his pants' pockets.

Frustration twisted with the guilt on Brodie's face. "You kept fucking asking me what was wrong, and I—"

"Here's a thought," Grayson cut in. "Maybe if you would have answered me, I would have stopped asking you."

"Hold up," I said, knowing I'd interrupted a conversation they clearly needed to have. But a nagging feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach—there was more to what Brodie had to tell me. "Are you the reason that Luke knew Bren came to Oakland for the gala?"

Brodie frowned and shook his head. "Gala?" He looked to Grayson. "Oh, is that the thing you were playing at?"

Surprise filtered through Grayson's expression. "Uh, yeah. You knew about that?"

A shrug. "I follow your lil music Instagram account."

"Oh."

Grayson didn't seem to know what to say to that.

But I did.

Well, it wasn't about that. But I definitely had things to say.

"Tell me everything. About Luke."

Brodie sighed and swung his gaze back to me. "At first I didn't know how serious to take him. Ya know, like about all the things that he claimed he'd do if I didn't follow through with what he wanted."

I'd heard about—and lived through—enough abuse to really not want to know what Luke Hadaway promised he'd do to Brodie's mom. "He's a dangerous man," I said, quiet but firm. "I'm sure he was serious."

A nod from Brodie. "He's only been dating my mom for a few months. But she got sucked in hard. Goddamn, she's annoyingly obsessed with him. I can't get in a word against the man. Mom thinks I'm just mad that she's dating again."

I wished I could criticize her for her naivety, but I couldn't.

"My parents divorced a few years ago, and now my dad lives out on the east coast," Brodie explained. "And I think she's just been so lonely ever since. Hadaway capitalized on that." He swallowed. "There's something about the guy...even the first time I met him, he made me nervous. Nervous enough to do what he wanted. Nervous enough not to go to the cops after he warned me not to. But I don't think I really, truly believed it until..."

He trailed off. His gaze shifted too. It was a bit shuttered, a bit reflective. And then those hooded eyes flicked up to mine.

"Bren said his dad killed his mom."

It was a statement phrased as a question. Brodie searched my face, looking for confirmation.

I nodded despite being surprised that Bren had told him that. "He shot her," I whispered.

"And Bren saw it," Brodie said quietly before clearing his throat and crossing his bulky arms over his chest. "It's just...too much. I can't risk that for my mom. That's why I'm here."

Shifting on my feet, I frowned. That feeling in my stomach was still there. Getting worse. "What do you mean?"

Brodie rubbed his brow. "Eth—Luke tells me things, ya know? Dunno why, probably some kind of fucking mind game."

"Probably." Really the only thing I'd learned about Bren's dad was that he was steps away from psychotic. If he wasn't already there.

"Anyway," Brodie said after blowing a breath out, "for some reason, dude hates you. He hates you, and he's desperate to reconnect with his son. And I think he's gonna do it soon. Like really soon."

My hand slipped off the door handle that I'd been gripping throughout our conversation. I took a rushed step toward Brodie as a shot of fear and anticipation traveled through my veins.

"Tell me more."

Brodie rubbed his brow again—spilling all of this pained him. But I was impatient.

"Now."

His hands went up defensively, like I was putting him on trial for a crime he didn't commit. But after Brodie flashed me his annoyed look, he continued. "There's this whole plan. He's gonna call Bren, Bren's gonna want to meet, whatever. But the asshole knows Bren is working with the cops. And he knows he's gonna try to pull something."

"He knows," I repeated slowly.

"Dude knows everything."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. "So then why would Luke go to meet Bren if he knows the cops are going to be there?"

"He's not going to."

I frowned.

"I'm pretty sure he's gonna wait until all those cops who've been after him head out of town. And then..." Brodie shook his head. "Let's just say I think your boyfriend is about to be ambushed by his asshole of a dad. And I really fucking need Luke Hadaway to get out of my life. His ass should be in jail."

Eyes wide, I stared at Brodie.

Dread had this weird way of slowing everything down at the exact moment you needed to act fast.

So I continued to stare at Brodie, my mind reeling, my fingers numb.

Finally, he snapped at me at the exact moment that Grayson quietly murmured my name.

"Madie—"

"So are you going to call Bren or what?"

Caroline and I sat at the kitchen table. Her iPad leaned against an enormous bouquet of white roses that she'd gotten from her new man while we had a video conference with the Fresno PD.

Officer James didn't like the timeline. Pretty sure he was internally cursing me for suggesting to Luke that we meet tonight—only a matter of hours from now. I didn't give them a lot of time to get into position. But James managed to get permission to go ahead with our plan, and they'd already sent a team out to the cemetery.

I'd lost track of the number of times that Officer James made me repeat the plan back to him.

He felt confident that they could take Luke into custody without even needing me to step foot into the picture. I was the backup plan—only the backup plan. And he wanted my assurance that I wouldn't do something stupid.

It was admittedly hard to give that to him, though. Because after my conversation with Luke this afternoon, I desperately wanted to walk up to him and deliver that punch that I've owed him since the seventh grade.

Fire licked at my fingers. And at my heart, at the hardness there that he created.

Luke Hadaway froze parts of me. But tonight, I planned to bring the heat.

Madie's pretty face popped up on my phone. It rang, cutting through the cop's voice.

I glanced down, staring at her picture for a long moment. Blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, laughing smile. A slice of peace cut into me. Office James noticed my distraction. He'd stopped talking, waiting.

Fuck, I couldn't. I just couldn't talk to Madie right now, couldn't lose my focus, couldn't listen to her concern and pleas. I'd call her when I got close to the cemetery. That way, she wouldn't have to worry for as long, and I would have time to get my nerves together before talking to her.

I knew I could be vulnerable with her. I knew I didn't have to be confident all the time.

But right now, I really wanted—needed—to be confident. And I needed for her to hear it.

I couldn't be that little boy who got pushed down by Luke Hadaway.

I silenced my phone.

And then I shoved it deep into my pocket.

"Sorry." Glancing back at Officer James, I added, "What were you saying?"

🤍

Ayye there were a few concerns out there that Luke already new about the cops. 😬 Now what?

thanks for reading!
xoxo