Hardcore: Volume 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

around.”
    “God.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “Fuck you. I’m not her fucking mother, and neither are you. You’ve lowered yourself to blackmail and the potential murder of people you used to care about. Who the fuck are you?”
    “Shut up,” Jade growled, her cheeks so red her eyes sparkled like diamonds.
    But Morgan kept going. “I don’t even really think you’ll do it. You don’t have the fucking guts. You’ve always been a megalomaniac, trying to run our lives. Do you get off on it? Does it make you feel important to push people around?” She shook her head with her lip curled in disgust. “It’s fucking pathetic that you really want to believe that all this time we’ve been here for you. That we respect you .”
    Jade’s voice was low enough, threatening enough that the hairs on my arms stood up straight. “I don’t really give a fuck why you’re here. You’re all replaceable, every last one of you. And I want you to think real hard about whether or not I’ll do what I have to do to get what I want.”
    Morgan clenched her teeth, tracking Jade as she moved around the table.
    “If I have to squeeze Cory to get this done, I will. You think I can’t find Jill?” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought something up on the screen before sliding it across the table. “Go ahead and scroll through them. He sends me one every hour. You didn’t think I would let my leverage walk around unattended, did you?”
    Morgan glanced at me with wide eyes, then looked back to Jade. “You’re psychotic,” she whispered.
    My feet were heavy and numb as they carried me to the table, and my eyes never left Jade’s phone. The closer I got, the more the dread twisted through me, and when I saw Jill’s picture on the screen, my heart stopped. She was sitting on the train, and whoever was following her had taken the picture from a dozen or so seats away. I scrolled through. There was one of her walking out of school. Another of her outside, eating lunch with her friends.  
    Bile raced up my throat. “I said I’d do it, Jade.”
    “Yeah, well forgive me for not trusting you.” Jade snatched her phone off the table and turned her gaze on each one of us. “I’m not walking away from this, and none of you are going to stop me. Fuck with me, Jill pays. Understand?”
    No one moved, but the silence was agreement enough for her.  
    “Since you’re all so over it, then you can all get the fuck out when it’s done.”
    Morgan turned to me with a wry smile. “You hear that, Cor? We’re off the hook.” She sneered at Jade. “I’ve never been so happy to get fired.”
    I spun around and flew to my room with Erin on my heels, scooping my phone off my bed to bring up Jill’s contact with trembling hands. I pressed the phone to my ear and tried to breathe. Every ring was agony.
    “Hey,” Jill answered as I closed my door behind Erin, who sat on the end of my bed with a hand on her mouth.
    A tiny bit of tension left me at the sound of Jill’s voice. “Where are you?”
    “Um, at home.” She was suspicious. Just those few words were heavy with questions.
    I blew out the breath I’d been holding, thinking through what I could and couldn’t say to her. I cleared my throat and tried for a lighter tone, but my voice was strained. “Have a good day?”
    “Uneventful. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
    “Nah, everything’s fine.” I glanced at Erin for backup, but she only shook her head.
    “Liar.”
    Calm down. I breathed deep and smiled for the sake of her being able to hear it. “What, I can’t call my sister and ask frantic questions like a lunatic?”
    That got a chuckle out of her, though she was still reluctant. “If you say so, weirdo.”
    I had to try to keep tabs on her until the job was over. The plan clicked together, and I relaxed. I could keep her safe. “I just wanted to see if you wanted to get milkshakes at Genie’s after school tomorrow.”
    “Uh, duh. Like I’d