My eyes rake over her, watching as she sends a fake smile towards her friends which only manages to aggravate me some more. I mean, why do bitches always have to be so fake? “More than you know,” I tell him.
“Wait. What have I missed now?” Aiden says.
I grin back at him though I’m sure it comes off a little wicked. “Why don’t you come along and find out?”
“Shit,” he says with a hint of excitement. “Why do I feel like I’m about to see the famous pack in action?”
“Because you are.”
“Even with only the two of you?” he questions, looking between me and Noah.
“Trust me,” Noah says at my back. “Henley doesn’t need the back up of her pack to make her point, she’s fucking fire all on her own. She’ll get the job done with or without the rest of us there.”
I grin up at my boyfriend, loving the complete confidence he has for me. “Damn straight, I will.”
“Then let’s go.”
Our features instantly morph into our practiced game faces as we start striding forward. Noah releases my hand while my other digs into my back pocket of my jeans pulling out the purple cased iPhone.
I can practically feel Aiden’s curiosity piercing into my back like arrows and something occurs to me; he wants in. He’s too new to completely understand what it means to be a part of this pack, and without having met Rivers, I doubt he’ll ever be welcomed in, but something tells me that he’s going to be as close as he can get.
We’ve taken no less than three steps before the cafeteria realizes something’s up. Eyes start darting around, wondering who our target is. Murmurs are heard, wondering why the new guy is walking with us as others question if this has something to do with Tully.
Tension rises and I don’t doubt Alyssa can feel it within the room. She turns around, wondering what the hell is going on when she zones in on us heading her way.
Her eyes widen for a fraction before quickly glancing around, hoping to God that she’s just standing in our way, but as my eyes narrow on hers and she takes in the phone in my hand, she knows.
Alyssa takes a step back, ready to make a run for it when someone stops her and blocks her way. I want nothing more than to gawk at the sight before me, but with my game face on, it’s something that I’ll have to mull over later.
Candice stands tall, refusing to allow Alyssa to get away with it and I don’t know if it’s because she wants to remain in my good book or if she’s also got beef with the girl. All I know is that at this moment, I might have to consider giving her the blackmail photo back a little earlier than I’d expected.
I step up to Alyssa as she desperately attempts to appear innocent. I slap on a condescending smile as I stretch out my hand, handing over the phone. “Oh, thank you,” she says, still probably hoping that we’re just here to return the phone. “I thought I’d lost it at your party.”
As she goes to take it, I latch on a little harder, letting her know she’s about to get more than she bargained for.
I tug hard on her phone and she instantly falls into me, putting us chest to chest, me composed with the perfect bitch face and her looking like she’s about to shit her pants. “You’re going down,” I promise her, murmuring quietly so only our small group can hear, though, that includes Candice but I have a feeling she’s learned her lesson not to cross me.
Alyssa’s eyes are wide as she starts shaking her head, feigning confusion. “I…I didn’t do anything.”
“Rivers warned you,” I tell her. “He said you better fucking run, yet here you are.”
Alyssa sucks in a breath and just like that she knows we saw the Facebook messages and that we know about the video, but not only that, she realizes that we just caught her out in a lie. After all, it was less than a week ago she’d told us that she’s received only one text message from the guy.
“I’ll give you once chance to explain yourself,” I tell her. “Why’d you do it?”
“Do what?” she questions.
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” I warn her. “You sent out that fucking video.”
“I didn’t,” she says. “Rivers was wrong.”
I grin before discreetly nudging Noah and hoping that this next line isn’t going to be lost on him. “Rivers is never wrong. If he thinks you did it, then you’re fucked.”
I hear the slightest rumble in Noah’s chest and know it has nothing to do with Alyssa. He clearly caught my double meaning and isn’t ready to believe it.