Page 15 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

Mason was a blur of motion, his fists flying, slamming into Keenan’s stomach and then his jaw. Blood spattered the mirror. The boy dropped like dead weight, gasping and cursing as he crumpled onto the floor.

But Maddox was the storm.

He didn’t say a word. His expression was purely dangerous as he tackled Bodie with enough force to send them both into the far wall. His football teammate fought back, but he was no match. Maddox drove his fist into his face again and again, knuckles slick with blood, eyes glazed feral.

I couldn’t look away.

“Mad—Mad, stop!” Mason yelled, grabbing his brother’s shoulder, trying to haul him off. “He’s down, man, it’s over!”

But Maddox didn’t stop.

If these assholes thought Kreed gave them a beating before, they were about to die.

It took both of Mason’s arms to wrench his twin back, and even then, Maddox was snarling, trying to shake him off, eyes locked on the broken mess of the guy on the floor.

Mason, still hanging on to Maddox, glowered at his teammates. “Now you’ll think twice about touching what’s ours. The next person who thinks about putting their hands on her will leave in a fucking body bag. Spread that shit around.”

I didn’t even realize I was shaking until Mason turned to me, tempting fate by releasing Maddox to place his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice brimming with concern.

Maddox clenched his fists like he wasn’t quite finished.

Blinking, I forced my eyes to focus on Mason’s face, my breath heaving and heart racing. The bathroom looked like a war zone now, groans escaping from the guys who’d dared to corner me.

Mason’s gaze scanned over me for damage. “Kitten, hey, look at me. Are you okay?” he asked again.

I nodded, but the truth was, I didn’t know. I was shaking too hard to feel anything, and my knees nearly gave out, but Mason was there to keep me from falling, his arms firm as he pulled me against him.

Maddox finally stilled, his chest heaving, eyes still wild. Mason was breathing hard too, one hand resting on his brother’s chest to keep him back. Maddox stepped closer, eyes still sharp, voice calm and low. “No one fucks with you. Not while we’re breathing.”

Somehow, even though I knew this whole thing was so messed up and terrifying and shouldn’t have happened at all…I believed him, believed them both, and despite being ridiculously mad at them, I never wanted Mason to let me go.

He must have sensed it, the way my body locked up, the tremble that stole into my limbs. Maybe he even said my name, but the ringing in my ears drowned everything out, a white noise hollowing me out from the inside.

Then arms were beneath me.

Mason dipped low, one strong sweep lifting me clean off the ground as if I weighed nothing at all. He carried me from the bathroom without a backward glance, leaving Maddox behind with the bloodied assholes and the shattered remains of my composure.

Somewhere passing through the halls, I remembered that Carson was to pick me up.

I glanced at the wall clock as we passed by, noticing he would be about ten minutes away from the academy, which gave me ten minutes to get Mason to put me down.

I didn’t need Carson to see Mason carrying me outside on my first day back at Public.

“You can put me down now,” I said despite my arms remaining curled around his neck. He smelled so good. Not as good as Kreed, no one did, but still, Mason’s scent brought a wave of familiarity I wasn’t sure was a good thing.

“Not yet,” he murmured, smirking just enough to be insufferable. “I’m enjoying this too much. And let’s be honest, if Kreed were here, I wouldn’t get the chance.”

My lungs started to cooperate again. “Where is he?”

Mason gave me a cocky-as-fuck grin, pieces of his dark hair falling over his eyes. “So, you noticed.”

I didn’t dignify that with a response.

Footsteps thudded behind us. Maddox emerged at Mason’s side, his eyes sweeping over me. His jaw ticked. “We need to bounce. Now.”

Mason adjusted his hold, carrying me easily through the halls. “Why do you care where Kreed is?” he asked me.

“I don’t,” I replied coolly.

His lips smirked. “Liar. You were hoping he’d storm in like your dark knight. He’s got that antihero complex, doesn’t he?”

I loosened my death grip from around his neck. “What do you want?”

Mason’s chest vibrated under me as he chuckled softly. “We missed you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t be like that,” Maddox said with a cocky smirk. “You know damn well you missed us. I’ve been keeping your bed warm.”

“There’s only one bed I’d ever consider climbing in again in that house, and you’re definitely not sleeping in it.

” Nothing in that statement was remotely true, but Maddox didn’t need to know that.

I wanted to rile him, to hurt him, to piss him off.

It only seemed fair after all the shit he put me through.

“You think Kreed would touch you after the way you rejected him twice?” Maddox countered, challenge written in every inch of his expression.

I tilted my head, a slow, dangerous smile curling on my lips. “You wanna put money on it?”

Maddox veered toward an empty classroom and pushed the door open. Mason followed without hesitation. I was too caught up in the moment to question it. His eyes flared with interest. “A bet? I like the way your twisted little mind works, menace.”

What the hell am I doing?

Why am I baiting him like this?

Have I officially lost my last working brain cell?

Maddox side-eyed Mason. “You sure you don’t want me to take her, bro? You look like you’re struggling.”

Mason’s arms tightened around me like a reflex. “Get the fuck out of here. Touch her and I’ll break your fingers one by one.”

I squirmed. “Okay, caveman. Seriously. Put me down. I’m fine.” The playful bickering had grounded me, brought me back to myself, and I could breathe again.

“And deny Kreed the pleasure of seeing your pretty face on his phone?” Mason said, far too casually.

My feet hit the floor, and I spun on him. “What the hell does that mean?”

He just smirked, pulling out his phone and sliding an arm around me. “Smile, my little kitten.”

Click.

He snapped a photo of me on his phone.

I lunged for the device, but he danced back, grinning like a devil as my hand swiped air. “Delete it.”

His finger tapped on the screen, no doubt shooting a text off to his older brother. Mischief danced in his eyes. “I don’t think so. That was gold. Think I can get one of you shirtless? For my personal stash.”

I deadpanned, “Sure. Let me strip. Actually, why stop at the top? Full nude sound good?”

Mason winked. “Tempting. But risking Kreed’s wrath? I’m pretty, not suicidal.”

“Delete. The. Photo,” I growled, my arms winging on either side of my hips.

“Sorry, menace,” Maddox cut in with a smirk, walking backward toward the door and tossing my bag across the room so it stopped near my feet. “No can do.”

“Wait—what are you doing?” I asked, still breathless, still trying to process the fact that I was nearly assaulted and then rescued in the span of two minutes.

Maddox turned to me with that same ruthless calm he’d worn during the fight. “Just to make sure we don’t have any repeat instances. Stay put, menace.”

Disbelief had my mouth dropping open. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Mason gave a half-hearted shrug. “Keeping you out of trouble… Just until Kreed gets here.”

They were already halfway out the door.

My eyes volleyed between them. “You’re kidding.” And as soon as I realized they weren’t screwing with me, I darted toward them, but I wasn’t quick enough. The heavy door swung shut with a loud clang, and then it clicked. The fuckers locked me in. No way.

I blinked at the door, completely stunned, thinking this had to be another one of their games. “Are you serious right now?” I hissed at the solid door.

Silence.

The disbelief melted into irritation as I yanked at the handle. It didn’t budge.

They wouldn’t. Nuh-uh. No way they would lock me inside a classroom and actually leave.

I pounded on the door hard. “Let me out! I’m not some fragile little damsel. What the hell is wrong with you?!”

No answer. Just the faint echo of footsteps fading down the hall.

Fuck no, I’m not staying put.

I groaned, turning in a slow circle as if a secret door might appear behind the whiteboard.

Of all the dramatic, overbearing, Corvo-boy nonsense, this was peak.

I’d almost been assaulted, sure, but I didn’t need to be locked in a room like some porcelain doll waiting for a knight in bloodstained armor.

God, it’s just like them to lock me up.

And they wanted me to believe they’d changed. Jackasses .

First order of business, I needed to find a way out of here. I had no intention of sticking around waiting for Kreed.

Reaching for my phone, I debated calling Poppy or Carson. Carson was on his way to pick me up, probably only a few minutes out. Poppy might still be on the grounds and would absolutely lose her mind hearing about this, but before I hit send, something else caught my attention.

The windows.

We were on the first floor, and the south side of the wall was lined with small square windows. And thank God, they weren’t bolted shut.

I shoved the phone in my pocket and crossed the grimy floor, grabbing the metal frame.

It gave with only a little resistance, squeaking open an inch, then two, then wide enough for me to get my arms through.

I tugged at the screen, and with a little force and a lot of cursing, it popped out.

I let the screen clatter to the ground outside.

Climbing onto the ledge wasn’t exactly graceful.

I slipped once, swore again, and finally got both knees up without busting my head open.

Hoisting myself up, I wiggled halfway through before I remembered my backpack.

I tossed it down onto the snow below and squeezed the rest of the way out, dropping unceremoniously into a crouch on the other side.

The air outside felt like freedom.

I brushed myself off, glancing back at the window. It was crooked now, and the screen lay beside the building like a discarded clue in some juvenile escape plan.

A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. Let Maddox and Mason have their stupid “wait for Kreed” plan. I almost wished I could stick around, invisible in the corner, just to see the looks on their faces when they came back and found the classroom empty.

Too bad I’d already made my exit.

I lingered in the shadow of the school building, heart still hammering from my less than glamorous escape through the window. My palms were scraped, my knee ached from the landing, and my pride had taken a serious hit, but at least I wasn’t locked in school anymore.

I shifted from foot to foot, eyes locked on the front lot like a hawk, willing Carson’s BMW to appear. The next time I saw Mason and Maddox, they were going to get a swift knee to the junk. Assholes.

How dare they leave me locked in a classroom.

As I plotted several ways to exact my revenge, I spotted Carson’s sleek black car pulling in with its usual purr of power.

The Elmwood Public parking lot didn’t have many expensive cars, unlike Elmwood Academy, where every kid drove something flashier and pricier than the next person.

Only a handful of kids who attended Public had parents who could afford such luxuries; the Corvos were one of them.

Relief hit me so fast. I didn’t wait. I bolted across the snowy grass like a girl being chased by a serial killer or the Corvos, practically the same thing, darting between students and skidding to a stop just as Carson stepped out of the driver’s seat.

He lounged against the side of his car, his eyes scanning the parking lot for me, but his expression shifted the second he saw me. “Kay?” he asked, pushing off the car. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said quickly, breathless. “Can we just—please—can we get out of here?”

His brow furrowed, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. “That fucking bad?”

“You have no idea.”

Then he opened his arms, and I didn’t hesitate. I folded into his chest, letting myself have that one second of comfort. That one breath of feeling grounded.

Of course, it couldn’t last.

Carson was suddenly ripped away from me, so fast I floundered from the loss of his support. A loud crack thundered as a fist connected with the side of his mouth, and I barely had time to react before Carson stumbled back with a groan.

“What the fuck!” I shrieked, staring into Kreed’s dark, silver eyes.