Broken World (Book 3): Mad World Read Online Free PDF Page A

it out. Not me and not Vivian.
    And Hadley! Shit. I keep forgettin’ ‘bout Hadley.
    “We’re not going to leave her, you know.” The doc is suddenly back in front of me. “You don’t have to go alone. I know that’s what you’re thinking.”
    He’s holdin’ a brace in his hand, and I let him put it on. I hafta swallow the giant lump in my throat before I can talk. “We gotta find her.”
    “We will.”

 
     
    3
Vivian
     
    HADLEY AND I RIDE THE ELEVATOR IN SILENCE. Linebacker One doesn’t loosen his grip on my arm for even a second. Like he’s afraid I’m going to escape. But there’s nowhere to run. Even if we weren’t in an elevator, the hotel is crawling with men.
    Hadley’s still shaky, but that doesn’t stop her from giving Linebacker Two a dirty look. He doesn’t even blink.
    The elevator comes to a stop on one of the top floors. When the door slides open, Linebacker One’s fingers dig into my arm so hard I yelp. His grip only gets tighter as he drags me down the hall. Luckily, we don’t have far to go. We stop just a few doors down with Linebacker Two and Hadley right behind us. When Linebacker One knocks, the sound echoes through the empty hall.
    And makes me want to hurl.
    A gray-haired man who’s probably in his sixties answers the door. He’s wearing a brown tracksuit and a couple gold chains. His dark eyes sweep over me before moving to Hadley. He doesn’t react. Not a smile or a nod. Nothing to indicate what he’s thinking. He pulls the door open further and motions for us to enter.
    Oh, shit. This isn’t good.
    Linebacker One drags me to the middle of the room before finally letting me go. I rub my sore forearm as the second linebacker shoves Hadley my way. She bumps into me, nearly knocking me over, but I catch myself just as the gray-haired man steps forward.
    His face is tanned and deeply lined, and his eyes are perfectly expressionless. “Why don’t you ladies go ahead and get cleaned up?”
    He jerks his head toward the back of the hotel, and I look over my shoulder. The bathroom door is open and the light is on. There are towels on the sink. For us? He has to be crazy.
    “Are you fucking serious?” I spit out.
    He nods, but I still can’t get a good read on him. Talk about a poker face.
    I shake my head and take a step back. “No.”
    His hand shoots forward so fast I don’t have a chance to react. He wraps his fingers around my neck, and he pulls me forward until my face is only inches from his. “You and your little friend are going to go into that bathroom and take a shower. When you are done, you’re going to come back out here. Understand?”
    Hadley starts to sob, and the man’s fingers tighten on my throat. My lungs burn and my eyes sting. I claw at his hand, but he doesn’t ease up. I can’t get any air!
    Panicked, I nod, and he finally lets me go. I stumble back, gasping for air, and Hadley catches me. She’s sobbing, but I can’t look at her. My throat feels like it’s on fire, and my lungs are raw. I rub my neck while the gray-haired man holds my gaze. His eyes aren’t expressionless anymore. They are as black and evil as the pits of hell.
    He sniffs and calmly lowers himself into a chair. “Glad we understand each other.”
    I grab Hadley’s hand and pull her toward the bathroom. My heart pounds harder than the bass drum at a rock concert. I’m pretty sure if I don’t get away from those menacing brown eyes, I’m going to lose it.
    “What are we going to do?” Hadley asks the second I shut the bathroom door. Her face is red and streaked with tears, and her clothes are filthy. No wonder he wants us to shower.
    The pictures of naked women in the lobby flash through my mind. I swallow and pull my shirt over my head. “Shower.”
    She blinks, and her bottom lip quivers.
    “That’s all we can do right now. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but right now our best option is to cooperate. We’ll figure a way out, or Axl will find