Page 116 of Brutal Little Secrets

Cam, Damon, and I talked in the waiting room about what needed to be done. And what was left of our plan. We just need to loop Annie into it.

We also discussed timing for the other plan for Chase, but we need to find a way to make sure Annie is safe while we execute it.

We climb out of the car and head into the house. I stop to grab a few bottles of water to bring up with us. Damon heads to my computer and pulls up his cloud account.

“What do you need to edit the video?” Damon glances at Annie. We don’t want to hand Olivia proof of her “assault.” It can be her word against ours. But we’ll win, because we always win.

“Drop it in my file and I’ll work on it when I get to my editing software.” Annie sits on the edge of the bed and releases a breath. She’s tired and worn out. Tonight was a lot.

Damon nods and copies it. I hand Annie a bottle of water, and she gives me one of those soft smiles. There are so many things I want to tell her. I’m all in on this girl.

Before we can get into anything, Damon hits play on the recording. Cam sits beside Annie, and I lean against the wall as we all watch the playback.

“You promised her you wouldn’t send this to the police?” At the end, Annie sets her drink down and stands. “Without this, she’s definitely going to get away with it.”

“She’s not getting away with anything.” Damon leans back in my desk chair. “We had to let her walk tonight. There wouldn’t have been a way to get her out of the party without her making a huge scene. We’ll send the video tomorrow, and they’ll have the evidence to prosecute her.”

“Keira didn’t remember much. She talked to the police officer at the hospital, but her test results should be enough to prove she was drugged.” Annie runs a hand through her hair. “But they need the recording to prove Keira didn’t take the drugs herself.”

I step up to Annie and put my hands on her shoulders. She meets my gaze.

“Olivia isn’t going to get away with this.” I pull Annie into me for a hug. “She doesn’t get to get away with this. I don’t think she’ll receive prison time, but she definitely won’t be at Deimos for long. They have a reputation to uphold.”

She rests her ear against my heart and wraps her arms around my waist. “I never thought something like that could happen to someone I know.”

I want to hold her like this forever. Keep her from anything or anyone who wants to hurt her.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” Cam says. “We may have parties, but we would have heard if someone was slipping drugs into drinks.”

“Olivia said she got them from Tanner.” Damon leans back and rubs the back of his neck. “Maybe no one’s had access to them before he came into town. And most people may be using them recreationally without saying anything. Not trying to assault other students.”

Annie takes in a deep breath and releases it. “We need to talk.”

She releases me and steps away. I let her. Her blue-gray eyes lock on each of us.

“I need to know what the plan was and what it is now. You told Mia the plan was to ruin me.” She wraps her arms around herself but lifts her chin. “Obviously, you know how I feel about you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t intend to hurt me.”

Cam and I turn to Damon. This is his revenge. He scrubs his hand over his face and looks down at the floor between his feet.

“I meant what I said.” He lifts his gaze to Annie’s. “I want to take care of you. I love you. But before that I was willing to hurt you to get what I needed.”

Damon

Evan’s eyes search mine. I could let Hawk or Cam tell her how this started. Let them smooth out the rough spots, but it all starts with me. And if she’s going to be angry with anyone, it will be me. I could lose her. My chest aches, but I have to tell her.

“Okay.” She blows out a breath and moves toward me.

I can’t do this if I’m touching her. Because even though I don’t want to hurt her now, this still might burn. I glance at Hawk, and he guides her to the bed beside Cam and then sits on her other side. He takes her hand and she takes Cam’s. They all face me.

“I didn’t know you. Chase hit me. You were his girlfriend. It made sense you were the girl in the car.”

That night is burned into my memory. Glancing over and seeing her sucking his dick. The moment the car swerved into me, too quickly for me to react, to get out of the way. Falling. I take in a shuddering breath, jerking myself out of the memory before the pain.

I rub my leg, even though the pain is mostly gone.

“I was so fucking angry at Chase for stealing my dreams.” I shake my head and lift my gaze to meet hers, because I’m not going to hide from her now. “Juniors was my mom’s and my dream. It was one step away from the NHL. It’s what we worked so hard for. But it also meant spending a year in someone else’s house and going to school up there while playing hockey. Dad wouldn’t see reason and wouldn’t let me go, even though I had recovered for the most part.”

Evan swallows. She knows what it’s like to have a huge dream. One that seems unattainable, but she’d do anything to get it.