Page 133 of Merciless

“It involves me,” I murmur. “Are you going to keep playing games, or will you tell me?”

“Have you thought about giving us a second chance?”

“You’re busy sleeping around with everyone, and even if you weren’t, I’d never get with you again.” I frown. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Have you checked your phone?”

I grab my cell phone from my pocket and ignore the texts from Asher and the others. One stands out from the rest. Opening the message from Derrick, I stop myself from crushing my phone in my tight grip.

A video clip of Eden, Asher, and me replays. I read the message at the top of the video and scowl.

“Looks like you won the bet,” Katie says. “Derrick said it’s a twenty-minute video of you two fucking your stepsister, but it cut off in the middle of you guys still going at it. Did you fuck her all night too?”

I lower the phone and glare at her.

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Aww, don’t look at me like that, pookie. I thought this was what you wanted.” She steps closer and drags her finger along my tie. “I’ve missed you, Elijah. I think we would be good together.”

I catch her wrist. A thrill buzzes beneath my skin when she winces and tries to ease her hand away from my grip.

“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Me.” I release her, one finger at a time, and back away. “How did Derrick get the footage?”

She tucks her hands behind her back, but she can’t hide that she’s rubbing her wrist, thinking that I won’t see it. “He said you sent it to him late last night. You don’t remember?”

I check the text thread with him.

Fuck.

The text must’ve gone through when I fumbled my phone when Asher came into the living room.

I sprint to the stairs that will take me to my dorm. Fuck the elevator. I don’t have time.

If I got the text message from Derrick, and Katie knows about it as well, that means the entire school knows. Eden will run.

I fucked everything up, and now I’m losing not only Eden but also my brother.

I run up the stairs, taking two at a time to the third level. I rush to my dorm room and unlock the door, praying that Eden is still here.

“Eden!”

Silence.

I stalk to my bedroom, finding it empty. Her clothes are gone. My heart sinks into my stomach. I check the bathroom. Empty.

She left, and I don’t know where she would go

I pull out my phone and send a text to the only person I trust to find her.

Are you with her?

Asher leaves me on Read. I can’t be mad at him about it. What’s happening is all my fault, and he warned me.

And now Asher will never forgive me for losing Eden.

CHAPTER 48

ASHER