Page 78 of Brutal Little Secrets

“We need to discuss what’s happening.” Damon sits across from Annie. “Evan is ours and I’m done pretending anything else.”

Annie opens her mouth, maybe to protest, but snaps it shut at the look in Damon’s eyes.

“Chase wants you to back off.” I lean my elbows on the table. “He talked to me before rehearsal yesterday and basically asked me to tell you to fuck off and let him have Annie. Confident he meant me too.”

“Good. He’s nervous. We just need to keep poking until he explodes.” Damon straightens. “He’s going to be on lockdown after his parents find out about the rager at his house. We need to figure out why Evan is so important to him. It can’t be just about fixing his reputation and having an alibi when he’s out partying.”

Annie watches Damon like there’s something more there now. There’s a softness between them. There’s always been passion, but this is different. We’re different with her. Fuck.

“We need to make sure everyone posts on social media at the party. That should do the trick if he manages to keep it under the radar by cleaning it up or some bullshit.” Cam takes a bite of his sandwich. “We need to be careful about getting other students in trouble, especially after the bust at Fletcher’s.”

Cam is big on the party foul. The fact he took that video of Chase weeks ago is a testament to how much he wants totake Chase down. Or prove to Annie how big a sleazeball her boyfriend was.

“I’m not worried about the party. What we really need to talk about is Jackson Riordan.” Damon locks eyes with Annie. She squirms beneath his gaze.

“What bugs me is why now?” Cam asks. “After all this time, if he’s the one who sent the text, why is he coming after you now?”

Annie clears her throat. “It was summer when we lived at those apartments. We were only there for a few weeks. I didn’t wear my uniform around him and didn’t tell him I went to Anteros because I wanted to be a normal girl for once.”

I rub her thigh under the picnic table, and she leans against me.

“When he kissed me, I stopped leaving the apartment. Mom was having some issues too, so she was eager to move. We never really talked about it. She found our house. Mom needed to change phone plans, so we both got new phone numbers. And I never let Jackson know.”

“So you didn’t see Jackson again?” Cam asks.

“I kind of ghosted him after the kiss. So, not until that night at the football game.” She swallows. Her hand slides beneath mine and she laces our fingers together. “He called mepretty girland asked to sit with me and Mia. Of course, Mia didn’t know our history.”

“And still doesn’t know your history,” I add. “I asked her about him. She gave him her phone to put in his number. Knowing she was your friend, he could have gotten your number then.”

“That makes sense. I got my first unknown message the next day.” She straightens.

Damon clears his throat. “At the football game, when I grabbed you and pulled you under the bleachers…”

“I thought you were Jackson at first.” She ducks her head. “It wasn’t rational. It’s been two years since he kissed me. But my instincts say he’s still after me.”

“If we let everyone know you’re ours, then maybe he’ll back off.” Damon looks determined.

“Or it might make him more desperate to have her.” I push my food away and squeeze Annie’s hand. “We knew Jackson from hockey when we were younger. He wanted to be friends with us, but there was something off about him. He tried too hard and felt fake, like a user. From what I’ve heard from his new school, he hasn’t changed much. Maybe he’s learned to blend in, but there’s something not quite right about him. He never really apologized when he hurt someone, whether it was intentional or unintentional. Maybe he’s a sociopath, but he’s good at hockey, so he gets a pass even though he’s unnecessarily aggressive and impulsive. The guys I know say he keeps to himself at school.”

Annie shivers and Cam puts his arm around her shoulder.

“If he’s really stalking her, he has to know about us.” Cam clears his throat. “He has to know you’rewithus already.”

Damon’s mouth tightens, but Cam is right. Jackson either watches Annie or he was bluffing about it. Something tells me he isn’t the kind of guy to bluff.

“As soon as Chase is taken care of, we’re claiming you.” Damon’s gaze meets Annie’s. “Maybe this weekend we can get two birds with one stone. How can we bring down Olivia? Whether she’s the girl in the car or not, she’s threatening Evan.”

“That’s going to be difficult.” Cam rubs his jaw. “She’s been queen bee for a long time.”

Cam glances at Annie and blows out a breath.

“There is something.” Cam looks at Annie. “You’re not going to like this.”

“I haven’t liked a lot of things. But I’m willing to do whatever we need to.” Annie looks at each of us. “This is just another play, another performance. Let’s do what we have to.”

Cam nods. “We need something that will push her over the edge and catch her saying something on video that we can hold over her head.”

Damon smirks. “If she caught me with Evan, that would push her over the edge. She had a mini-tantrum in the bathroom.”