Ethan's gaze flickered from the locked door to Maddie and Nina. They sat on the bed, arms crossed, and clearly planning something in their heads. He read it in their eyes.
They had that look, the one that said, 'We're about to cause more trouble, and we're not sorry about it.'
Great. As if they didn't cause enough. Ethan took a deep breath at the thought.
"Alright," Ethan said as he massaged his temples, trying to stave off a headache. "George and I need to go. You two? Stay here. DON'T. MOVE."
"Excuse me?" Maddie shot back. "You think we're just going to sit here like obedient little kids while you two go off and do... whatever it is you do?"
George, leaning against the doorframe, sighed. He had heard this argument from a different person a hundred times before and it always ended in more trouble. "Yes. That's exactly what we expect."
Nina huffed, flipping her messy hair over her shoulder. "Uh, no. We're not your prisoners. I won't just sit in an unfamiliar room like some damsel in distress. I've got things to do and a friend to help."
Maddie nodded in agreement, arms still crossed as she glared at Ethan. "Yeah, and besides, you're not exactly the boss of us, Mr. 'I Can't Stop Locking Doors.'"
Ethan ran a hand through his tousled hair as he tried to keep his patience. "This isn't a game, Maddie. You need to stay here. It's for your own safety."
Maddie rolled her eyes so hard she could practically see her own brain. "For the love of God, can you stop with the 'it's dangerous' speech already? You've said it like, fifty times."
"It's because you don't understand. I could even say it in ten other languages if that's what it takes to drive it to your brain," Ethan retorted, pointing at her head.
George, who looked like he was seconds away from throwing them both over his shoulder (again), muttered, "We don't have time for this."
Just as Ethan opened his mouth to add something, Maddie and Nina suddenly froze. With wide eyes, they looked at each other, a silent "Oh crap" passing between them.
Maddie gasped, clutching Nina's arm. "Oh my God. Aileen."
Nina's eyes went wide with panic. "We left her!"
Silence ensued as everyone in the room processed this new information.
Ethan cursed under his breath. "Great. Just what I need."
The color on George's face drained away as he cursed, "Shit. There's another one? Where is she?"
"She's out there!" Maddie shrieked, jumping to her feet. "What if the guards found her? What if she's been caught? What if—"
Ethan held up a hand, his voice sharp. "Maddie. Calm down."
"How am I supposed to calm down?" Maddie rebounded off her feet, waving her hands like a conductor in the middle of a symphony of panic. "We left Aileen alone in the middle of a freaking underground racing club! What if someone kidnapped her? What if they hide her in a basement somewhere? They'll tie her and be interrogated by some guy named Vinnie with a crowbar?"
Nina gasped and stomped her foot. "Oh my God, what if they made her race? She told me she can't even drive a golf cart without hitting something!"
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly done with the dramatics. "Both of you, shut up."
George was already halfway out the door, his voice urgent. "We need to find her. Now."
Maddie and Nina were right on their heels, ignoring Ethan's repeated reminders to stay put. Worry for Aileen's safety took over them, and all they could think about were hundred different scenarios where something terrible happened.
They rounded a corner, Maddie still muttering worst-case scenarios under her breath. "What if she's been shoved into a car trunk?"
Ethan shot Maddie a look that could've melted steel. "She's not in a trunk, Maddie."
"How can you be so sure?" Maddie questioned him with an accusatory tone.
Nina, who was practically running at this point, chimed in, "But what if she's being interrogated by some mob boss who's like, 'Tell me your secrets,' and she's just crying because she doesn't have any secrets?"
Maddie threw up her hands. "That's exactly what I'm saying! She'd crack under pressure in like, five seconds!"
Ethan stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face them both, his voice low and deadly. "If you two don't stop, I swear, I'm leaving you both here."
Before Maddie could snap back with something sarcastic or a crazy scenario, they turned the corner and came face-to-face with Aileen.
She stood there, looking terrified but unharmed. And next to her were Killian and the two guys earlier.
Maddie looked at them, wondering who they were and if one of the two was the baby daddy. They looked intimidating, though.
The one that looked like a linebacker was holding a stiff Aileen, and the other guy had... monochromatic eyes—left was brown and the other was blue. It was the first time she saw eyes like his, and she couldn't help but stare.
Ethan pulled Maddie by the arm, glaring at her.
"What?" she hissed.
"Your friend's here! What are you doing?" Ethan frowned as if he wanted to check what was in her brain.
"I know!" Maddie admitted and gave Aileen an apologetic smile.
"We grabbed her," Killian casually mentioned, like it was no big deal. "She was wandering around looking like a deer in headlights. Anthony had to carry her halfway."
Anthony, the linebacker guy, still had Aileen half tucked under his arm and added, "She tried to run, so I just... held her."
Nina, who had been weirdly silent beside George, spoke out, "I admire your courage, Aileen!"
Aileen, who had been trying to make herself as small as possible in Anthony's grip, suddenly burst out, "I didn't know what to do! I panicked, so I kind of... pretended to be a tree." She looked at the ground, clearly embarrassed. "Like, I just stood still and hoped no one would notice me."
Maddie blinked. "You… pretended to be a tree?"
Aileen nodded miserably, her face bright red. "Yeah. I thought maybe if I stood still enough, no one would see me."
Nina snorted, trying to hold back laughter. "Girl, what kind of National Geographic strategy is that?"
Killian crossed his arms, still amused. "Well, it didn't work. We noticed."
George, who was fuming at the side, cursed under his breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
Ethan took a deep breath. "You're lucky they found you and not someone else. Luca, what did they say?"
Luca, with his mismatched eyes, observed the girls thoroughly. Maddie looked away, feeling like this guy knew what was running in her head.
"Darius told me that they'd sort it out first. There are some losses tonight."
Then he turned to the girls and commented, "You're all crazy, you know that? Coming here like this?"
"Yeah, well," Maddie shot back, "you're all crazy for running a secret underground racing club, so I guess we're even."
Aileen, looking like a kicked puppy, moved to Maddie and Nina. She threw her arms around them. "I was so scared! I didn't know what to do, so I just... stood there! Like a tree! And then Anthony grabbed me, and I thought I was going to die!"
Anthony, who was still towering over everyone, raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to kill you. I was just trying to stop you from running into the racetrack."
Killian chuckled. "Yeah, you were like two seconds away from getting flattened by a car."
George, who had been quietly fuming, turned to Killian. "Wait, so the race is still happening?"
Killian shook his head, that smirk still on his face. "Nah, man. Since someone"—he shot a pointed look at Nina—"crashed the race, it's postponed. You're not racing tonight."
George groaned like someone had just told him Christmas was canceled. "Are you serious? I prepared for this night for weeks! I even seduced Patrick's younger sister to be on my side tonight."
Nina's eyes went wide, and she pointed at George like he had just confessed to a heinous crime. "You bastard! You seduced an innocent girl for a race? A sister of your rival at that!"
George laughed, clearly unbothered. "What can I say? I'm resourceful."
Nina glared at him, and her finger jabbed the air as if she was about to poke him in the eye. "You're a monster."
George's laugh was more of a growl. "Well, since I'm not racing tonight and I just rolled around in the tracks in front of everyone, damaging my rep, I think you should pay the price."
Nina's mouth opened. "Wait… what?"
Before she could react, George bent down. He scooped her up like she was a sack of potatoes, and tossed her over his shoulder.
Nina beat his back and bit his shoulder. "What the hell? Put me down, you psycho!"
A slap echoed in the hallway, and everyone just looked at the two. Nina's face was red in embarrassment.
George smirked and stated, "Do that again, and I'll put you over my leg to discipline you."
Nina went still, and they walked away. Maddie was in shock, unable to process that George slapped her best friend's ass and Nina didn't DO ANYTHING to hit him back.
Maddie, with growing horror, screamed, "Where are you taking my friend?"
Aileen hid behind Maddie, holding onto her. She stared at the three boys with fear.
As she lunged forward to follow them, Ethan grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her to his side. "I'll handle this one," he muttered darkly, his voice low in her ear.
Maddie squawked indignantly, trying to wriggle free. "Let go of me, you overgrown control freak!"
Meanwhile, Aileen stood there, wide-eyed, as she watched her friends get carried away like they were on some bizarre field trip. She turned to Killian, Luca, and Anthony, her voice small and terrified. "Are you guys... are you going to punish me?"
Killian smiled that sweet smile that she knew all too well. Luca crossed his arms. Anthony cracked his knuckles.
Aileen gulped.
"I'll take her with me," Killian declared. "You have some explaining to do, glasses."