Page 122 of Unwritten Rules (Rules 1)

I turn back to look at Haze. “What do we do now?”

“Now… we wait and we hope that they heard us.”

The look of defeat on his face tells a story of its own. He isn’t used to feeling weak… helpless.

“So… they’re either coming to get us, or our message disappeared into thin air and never reached them.”

Haze’s eyes divert to the floor. “Pretty much.”

Footsteps come tumbling down the hall the next second.

Panic takes over him. “Come back. Fast.”

I drop the jacket where it belongs and jump back to the chair I just escaped from. Sliding into the same position I was previously in, I hold my hands behind my back in an attempt to fool them into thinking I’m still tied up. I’m barely back into position when Tanner’s right-hand men enter the room and glare at us angrily.

“Tanner and his guys are on their way. Don’t even think about trying to escape again,” Owen spits.

He’s still wearing his coward mask.

Then enters the one person I still can’t get used to seeing in the bad guy’s team: Blake.

“Look who we’ve got here—Mr. Bad Boy and the East Side girl.”

I can’t stop myself. “Don’t forget Mr. Traitor.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Can you believe it? She’s tied to a chair and she still tries to play smart.”

“How could you?” The words burst out of my mouth.

“Well, you see, I’ve become familiar with something called staying on the winning side.”

“We trusted you. Kendrick called you his brother.”

“I do hope he can forgive me one day and understand I had no choice. As soon as you showed up, I knew the East Side would go to shit. And guess what? It did. There was no way I was staying on this sinking ship.”

“No choice? You could’ve stuck by your friends—that’s a choice. But you know, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“You talk a lot for a girl whose life is literally in my hands.” He leans forward, his fingers trailing down my cheek. I pull away in disgust.

“Where’s the East Side now?” I ask.

“They think I’m off meeting a source who has info about the kidnapping, those dumbasses. They’re so desperate to find you they would’ve believed anything. You should’ve seen their faces when they woke up in the car in front of Haze’s house. They couldn’t understand why they’d just passed out when you needed them. I bet they still think one of their enemy planted the sleeping drug into the car.”

It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. They’re okay. They’re alive.

“You know what’s funny?” Blake plays with a strand of my hair before letting it fall back on my shoulder. “I used to think you were cute. Until you followed us to the meeting, that is. It took me a while before I actually changed sides. But Tanner just had so much more to offer… I couldn’t say no. I knew I had to get rid of you.”

I cry. “What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me so much?”

“Oh, but you see, I don’t. I don’t hate you at all, Winter. I don’t care much for you, to be honest, but you know who does? Haze.” He smirks, “And the worst part is you actually think he wants more than to jump your bones.”

Haze doesn’t answer nor deny it.

“Do you really think he would’ve laid eyes on you if you weren’t the East Side girl? He may care about you now, but if you hadn’t been Kendrick’s cousin, you’d be another one of his conquests that he’d laugh about with his friends.”

He’s lying. That’s not the Haze I know.

“Stop,” Haze huffs.