"You're drunk, Emily." Miranda glared at her. "You should go sleep this off. You don't want to be rude."
She snorted again and tipped her head back to finish the rest of her martini. Her thin legs wavered underneath her, but she kept her balance when she raised her empty glass. "Another, bartender!"
Logan chuckled as she went to the bar. "I like her."
"You do?" Miranda had grown pale.
"She tells the truth." He sent her a smirk. "That's all we can ask for…right?"
"The truth?" Adam barked out as he straightened from the wall in a sudden movement. Peter and Mark jumped back in reaction. "What's the truth, Logan? Huh?" He started to stalk forward, but Cassandra tried to slow him down. She was in front with a hand on his chest.
Logan slipped his arm from my waist and maneuvered me behind him. In the blink of an eye, Mason was in front of me too. Miranda gasped and looked around wide eyed. She kept glancing from the Kades to Adam.
Everyone watched him.
His angry scowl intensified and he bit out, "Why'd you take Tanya? You didn't care about her before."
Logan's shoulders jostled in silent laughter. "Are you kidding me?"
"No!"
His shoulders stopped and stretched out instead. "Are you pissed because you never got there?"
"I think…um…I think…" Miranda stepped between them. Her arms were shaking.
Peter moved her aside and puffed out his chest. "Guys, let's be civil here."
"No!" Adam tried to shove him aside, but Mark shot between them instead. Cassandra was pulled out of the way by Miranda.
Logan sounded calm, too calm, as he chuckled. "Let him through. He's got something on his chest. Let's help him get it off. This is the trust tree, right? Here we go, therapy group for everyone."
"You think you're so awesome, don't you?" Adam growled. He had a glass of beer in his hand now. He waved it back and forth in the air now.
"I prefer badass."
The growl grew. "'You're so rich', 'you're so hot', 'everybody wants you.' I am so sick of you two—"
"Both of us?" Mason's voice was low, eerily low.
Everyone snapped their attention to him.
Logan laughed. "Wait your turn, Mase. My fun first."
Mason shot him a dry look, but Logan ignored it. His grin grew wider and he beamed at Adam. "Come on, tell me more. I'd love to hear what else you hate about me." He tsked him with a finger in the air. "Just me, though. You hear that? We'll move onto my big brother in the next session."
Rage leapt to Adam's eyes. I stepped back from instinct. I'd never seen so much rage within him before. My heart started to pound. It grew in speed as Adam bent his head. His mouth had curved in a hateful scowl.
"You laugh at me? Are you kidding me right now? Do you know who you're messing with?"
Logan's laugh sounded genuine. "Do you think I care? You're the guy who gets the leftovers. That's what I know about you."
Adam grew silent. My heart was pounding so loudly. It was deafening to my ears.
"I had Ashley before you, and during you." Logan's smirk grew. "I had Tanya before you and again before you. Who else is there?" He made a show as he turned around. He tapped his finger to his chin and he paused when his gaze rested on me. "Who else is there?"
"Logan." It was a quiet warning from Mason.
Logan twisted back around; the delight on his face was unsettling. "There's got to be others. Tina Schnieder? She told me you wanted to date her too, but no one knows about that one. She's goes to public. She's beneath you, right? Isn't that you thought about Tanya? You thought for sure you had her in the bag, she goes to public. All those girls are beneath you, isn't that what you think?"
Adam's face was set in stone. The hand that clenched his glass was white around the knuckles. A quiet crack was heard. The group had grown silent and everyone heard it. Another crack sounded.
Logan's voice was so quiet now, going in for the kill. He bent his head forward and his eyes were narrowed. "What about your friend Casssandra there?"
She whipped her head around. Fear was evident as she started to shake. "What are you talking about…" She stammered out, "I..id…Idnever…" She bent forward and took some shuddering breaths. Miranda scurried away from her with a look of terror on her own face. Peter held her hand in his now and he lifted it to his chest.
Adam was white around the corner of his mouth. He turned his head slowly, so slowly. My heart pounded in my ears. My hands started to tremble and I knew my knees were quaking against each other.
He asked in a soft voice, "Is it true?"
Cassandra's mouth hung open. Her eyes bulged out as she looked from Logan's confident smirk to Adam's tightly controlled face. "I…I…"
"Is it true?" Adam asked again.
The tenderness in his voice sent chills down my back. I hugged myself and tried to ward off the promise of violence in the air.
"I can't believe you." He seemed so calm, but his eyes were too dark. "You know how much I hate them."
Logan and Mason glanced at each other and both wore a small grin.
Cassandra's voice was hoarse. "I didn't—it was stupid of me, but… Oh gawd. I'm so sorry, Adam."