"Justin, what the hell!" Cameron ran over to pull the boys apart. Justin raged in a way he'd never seen before. "Mads, help!" He called to her. He didn't have the strength to pull them apart on his own. She grabbed Justin under his stomach and pulled him over."Stop!" She cried at them. Shane's blood was coating all four of them. The metallic tangy smell doused the room, and it was only a matter of time before the fork came out of his shoulder. Before he knew what was happening, Cameron felt his face jerked sideways with the force of a punch. That was a punch, you moron, he thought to himself. The bruise was already creeping up on his jawline. He didn't know who punched him, but he got angry now too--just angry in a different way. He couldn't find himself to forgive whoever punched him for a long time because everyone in this room knew he was hit on a regular basis. With all the furiousness of a boy who'd spent the last three years being beaten and abused, with all the strength that
"I started working with Frank months ago, before we got close, to try and get a man on the inside. It was the first time I came over to work on a project, and I found him in a room. He had a blueprint spread out across his HoloComm--""Why were you wandering around my house?" Cameron asked. His arms were folded, and he was getting hostile with her in a way he didn't like."I was looking for the restroom. I couldn't remember which way you said it was, so I just figured I'd find it. But anyway, I found Frank instead. He begged me not to tell anyone, especially Hendrickson, so I told him I'd never do that, especially since I wouldn't even know what it was I wasn't telling. I stepped into the room after he invited me in, and I shut the door," Madison was in full flashback mode, and Cameron could picture the scene in his mind."'Do you know of Keegan Enterprises?' he asked me, like it's not the biggest name out there besides Hendrickson's. I said 'yeah, of course. Why?' He's a sweet man. '
When Cameron woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring “Highway to Hell,” he always found it ironic how relatable that song really was to his life. He always felt like he was on the highway to hell, and no one would be able to redeem him. Brushing his hair out of his face, he groaned and dragged himself out of bed. Hey, how is everything going? He shot to Justin. Carly and Justin never left his mind. Hey, you up? He saw he had a text—not from Justin, but from Madison. Hmm, he thought to himself. That’s weird. He typed back; I am now. Sorry. I had a late night last night. She responded Yeah me too. Are you able to talk on the phone before school? Cameron didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he said he’d talk for a few minutes. Pulling her up on videochat, he saw where she looked like she’d just woken up too. “Hey,” he said while yawning. “Hi,” she said awkwardly. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he said, “Sooo, did you need something?” “Uh,” she said, then threw her
"My father's journal started getting strange," Cameron interjected. "He was eager to start this new job at Keegan Enterprises. He just mentioned that some of the workers looked dead inside, and honestly, what job doesn't have some people like that? But he mentioned it was everyone. They all looked like they'd lost their will to live. He started to get suspicious and nosy when he knew he shouldn't have. He started prying, and then all of a sudden, his entries got shorter. He got paranoid, convinced someone was following him and watching both him and my mom. I don't know what to believe.""No one expects you to have all the answers, Cameron," Justin patted his shoulder. "That's too much to ask of you. As for me, I'd say he probably wasn't wrong about everyone looking dead inside. A job like that is sure to be killing people, both inside and out.""But why'd he get so paranoid all of a sudden? I don't get it.""I'm sure people would actually be keeping an eye on him if he were straying w
"I'm sorry butwhat?"Cameron's jaw dropped. "You heard me. My mom met some hunk at Keegan Enterprises, or rather, a part of it, and left my dad for him. My dad, in a frenzy, joined Keegan Enterprises and never left. He's been involved with their team ever since, and I don't know why. It's never made sense to me, but that's how it worked." "That confirms our suspicions though," Madison turned to Cameron. "Keegan Enterprises is definitely responsible for this. I didn't realize how deeply until now." "So, you're telling me that Hendrickson isn't the real threat here," Cameron said flatly. "No, he is, trust me," Madison typed away on her HoloComm, making hundreds of notes in a few seconds. "He's just not thebiggestthreat, and it's also not entirely his fault." "Don't tell me you're trying to say he's a victim," Cameron growled. "I didn't say that, Cameron." She snapped. "I just don't think he's the
"So how the fuck are we going to get in to Keegan Enterprises?"Justin was always a professional at asking the obvious questions, so Cameron was always a professional at giving the sarcastic answers, "I don't know, man. I just thought we'd walk right in through the front door.""Oh really?" Justin snarked back. "That does seem like a solid plan. Too bad the place is a fortress.""Dude, I was kidding. That's the worst idea I could possibly think of," Cameron stated."Enough, boys," Madison reached for Cameron's hand to calm him. He was on edge, and she knew that. "We can't afford to be such smartasses to each other, not yet. We have to figure out a plan and execute it first. Then you can be as sarcastic as you want.""She's right," Shane jumped in. "That place is under lock and key. Not even my dad can get in without prior authorization.""Now would be the time for you to jump in with some kind of info you'd been forgetting to tell us, Shane," Justin said.He shrugged, "Too bad I don't
After several long minutes of being enveloped in the presence of Madison van Buren, they pulled their lips apart and just sank into each other's arms. She rested her head on his chest, and he had to ask the obvious question that was burning a hole in his thoughts. "Why'd you do that?" "The kiss?" "Yeah." Madison looked up at him, and he'd never noticed how beautiful her eyes were. Her eyelashes glistened across her brow as she replied, "Because I got jealous, and I wanted you to know how I felt about you. Plus, I got tired of waiting for you to make the first move, so I figured I might as well go ahead." "I didn't even realize I liked you, Mads. It's definitely best that you made the first move," Cameron chuckled. He ran his fingers through her hair, gently petting it. "So, what does this mean for us?" "What do you want it to mean?" She asked. She looked back down, as if she couldn't face him during this part of the conversation. "Well, I like you Mads. In fact, I think I love y
"Where are they located?" Cameron asked once they gathered the whole place together."It looks like they're about forty-five miles from here," Justin answered after a quick glance. "So how are we going to get there?""Could we ask Frank?" Madison asked."No," Cameron said firmly. "For one, I don't want to put him in any more risk, especially by bringing him here. For two, Hendrickson has a big event today that Frank has to be busy for.""So let's just walk," Madison suggested."Since Carly's here, I guess I could drive us," Justin suggested. "I was sparing my mom the car while she was at home with Carly, but now that Carly's with us, Mom'll just take the train.""Bet," Cameron clapped his hands together. "Let's go."Madison excused herself for a moment before they left. She came out of her bedroom about ten minutes later with a black duffel bag that was full to bursting with strangely-shaped lumps. "Okay, everyone else ready?""I'll bite," Cameron stepped forward. "Honey, what's in th