Maddie had never imagined herself as a damsel in distress. In fact, she thought of herself as the exact opposite. Well, that was because she had never messed up this big.
Right now, as Ethan dragged her through the dimly lit hallway of the Velocity Club building, she felt like she was starring in some bad action movie. The kind where the heroine gets dragged into some shady dealings or an underground lair and has to fight her way out.
Alternatively, she could be the protagonist in the upcoming installment of the Texas Massacre Chainsaw franchise.
"Let go of me!" She yelled, trying to wrench her arm free. Maddie elbowed Ethan, but he grabbed her arm and just continued on walking. His grip was like iron, and his face was frustratingly calm with an "I'm in control expression."
"Hey, Ethan, if you don't let me go, I'm going to—"
"To what? Keep screaming and flailing until you get us both in trouble. "Ethan cut her off, not even breaking his stride. Maddie almost stumbled and could barely keep up with his long legs.
She scowled, feeling her body heat up in frustration. "You're the one who's going to be in trouble when I report you to, like, the authorities or something! This is literally kidnapping! "
Ethan snorted, finally reaching a door at the end of the hallway. He opened it with one hand, then practically shoved her inside with the other. Before Maddie could even process what was going on, the door slammed shut behind them.
The click of the lock echoed in the room.
She spun around, eyes wide. "Did you just lock me in here?! Are you insane?"
Ethan leaned casually against the door, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah, and correction, there's two of us here. Because you're a flight risk."
"A flight risk?!" Maddie repeated, her voice rising in pitch. "Bro, what do you think this is, prison? I'm just trying to find out who knocked up my best friend, and you're acting like I'm trying to steal state secrets."
Ethan's expression darkened slightly. "You shouldn't have come here, Maddie."
"Well, maybe if certain people didn't keep secrets, I wouldn't have to come here," she shot back, her hands gesturing wildly. "I mean, what are you hiding? Why are you so pressed about me being here? Are you—"
Ethan sighed, cutting her off. "I'm not hiding anything from you, Maddie. But your being here is dangerous. The people here don't play games, Maddie."
Maddie narrowed her eyes. "Dangerous how? Like, dangerous-dangerous or just 'oh no, I might stub my toe on a fancy bike' dangerous?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, but instead of answering, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Maddie instinctively took a step back, suddenly realizing how small the room was.
And how tall he really was. Probably over six feet.
Ethan said in a voice that brook no argument, "You saw those men. What do you think? Are they 'joke' kind of dangerous? When are you going to take this seriously?"
"Look, forget about me," she snapped, trying to regain control of the situation. Ethan had a point, but she didn't really want to admit it to him that she messed up and played with the wrong crowd.
Until now, she still couldn't figure out how Lila hooked up with someone in this stupid illegal racing club. Lila and her had some serious discussions, preferably with Nina, too.
"I need to get out there. Nina—she's outside, and George is chasing her with, like, murder in his eyes."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "George isn't going to hurt Nina, I promise. He's probably just trying to stop her from setting the whole place on fire. And killing herself in the process. You guys are... friendship goals."
Maddie's mouth opened, then closed. Okay, he had a point there. But still.
"How do you know? You can't see her! What if she trips and falls into a bike or something? Nina's clumsy, Ethan. She's like Bambi on ice! I need to—"
Maddie stepped forward, intending to bypass Ethan and probably make a run for it.
But Ethan moved and blocked the door completely with his body. How was she supposed to get out of here?
Maddie raised her chin and took a deep breath. "Move."
"No."
"Move, Ethan. Or I swear to God, I'll—"
Before she could complete her statement, Ethan's hands shot out and grabbed her by the waist. With a swift, almost effortless motion, he lifted her up and tossed her onto the bed in the corner of the room.
Maddie bounced on the mattress, screaming in pure shock. "What the actual hell?!"
Ethan smirked, standing over her with his arms crossed. "You were asking for it."
She was on the bed while he looked down on her. Maddie's heart raced, and she could barely form a coherent thought in her mind.
Maddie scrambled to sit up, her heart racing. "Why is there a bed in here? And why did you just... what are you planning to do?" Her eyes went wide as her mind started racing. "Oh my God, are you—did you just—"
She immediately hugged her body, pulling her knees to her chest. "Stay away! Don't do anything funny! I swear, I'll scream bloody murder if you even try something, you creep!"
Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything. You're not even my type." Ethan's eyes roamed all over her and then looked away dismissively.
Maddie scowled, caught off-guard. "Wait, what?"
She should be happy that she wasn't his type, but why was it that she felt disappointed with a tinge of sourness in her heart? She dismissed the thought immediately.
Ethan leaned down, placing his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her against the headboard. His face came close; only a few centimeters separated them.
Maddie's heart pounded, and she could feel her pulse in her throat. His blue-gray eyes scanned her face with an intensity that made her breath hitch. Her body burned up as if he were touching her with his eyes.
"So now you're scared?" he asked, his voice low, his mouth just inches from hers. His eyes landed on her lips.
Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, her brain short-circuiting as she swallowed. "This is a crime, you know. You can't just... just hover over me like this. It's illegal. I'll sue. I'll call the cops."
Ethan's lips twitched in amusement. "You're ridiculous." He reached out and gently pinched her nose.
"Hey! " Maddie swatted his hand away, opening her eyes just as Ethan pulled back, a smug grin on his face.
"I told you," Ethan said, standing up straight. "You're not my type."
Maddie frowned, utterly confused. "What's that supposed to mean? Am I ugly?"
Ethan raised his eyebrow, shrugged his shoulder, and turned his back to her. "I like my women to be elegant. Soft-spoken. Kind-hearted. They should be demure and cute."
Maddie narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of indignation. "Oh, and what? I'm not kind-hearted? Not cute? FYI, I'm the definition of cute!"
"You're literally yelling at me right now," Ethan pointed out, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk.
Maddie huffed, pushing herself off the bed. "That's because you're being an arrogant, overbearing—"
"Troublemaker," Ethan finished for her, his smirk widening. "You cause trouble everywhere you go."
Maddie glared at him, crossing her arms. "Says the guy who's part of an illegal racing club. You've got some nerve calling me a troublemaker."
Ethan leaned casually against the wall, his smirk fading into something more serious. "Why do you even care so much about this? About finding out who got your friend pregnant?"
Maddie hesitated, her arms dropping to her sides. "Because she's my best friend. And she's scared. She's been hiding things from me, and I know it's because of this place. She's involved with someone here, and I need to know who. The guy has to take responsibility."
Ethan's expression softened slightly. "You think you'll actually find answers here?"
Maddie nodded, determination lighting up her eyes. "I know I will. If I can just figure out who it is, I can help Lila."
Ethan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maddie, you don't want to get involved with people from Velocity club. Trust me."
"Why not?" Maddie asked, taking a step closer; her curiosity piqued. "Why are you trying so hard to keep me out of this? What happened, Ethan? Do you know something? Why are you even protecting me? We don't even know each other, but you keep calling my name as if we're close or something."
For a moment, Ethan didn't respond. His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with something unreadable. "I don't want another accident. And also, how can you be so forgetful?"
Maddie's eyebrows shot up. "Accident? What accident? And what do you mean by forgetting?"
Ethan didn't answer, his gaze distant.
"Tell me!" Maddie pressed, her heart racing. "Did someone get hurt? And what did I forget? Do we know each other, Ethan? But there's no way…"
She racked her brains, but she never really met Ethan before.
Before Ethan could respond, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Both of them froze, the tension in the room skyrocketing.
Maddie looked at Ethan, her eyes wide with fear and anxiety. "Who is that?"
Ethan didn't answer. His expression hardened as he moved toward the door, his entire demeanor shifting.
Maddie stared after him, mumbling in panic, "What should I do if those are the guards looking for me?!"