But it doesn’t quiet the old suspicions gnawing at me. Too much doesn’t add up.
The ball thuds against the cracked concrete, mud splattering up my shins as I cut left past Nico and drive for the hoop. Jace’s hand snaps out, nearly blocking my shot, but I twist and lay it up anyway. The ball circles the rim and drops.
Nico snorts, chasing down the rebound. “Show-off.”
We’re all slick with sweat, breathing hard, letting the game do the talking for a minute. The court’s a mess—slick in some spots, broken glass ground into the corners, paint lines barely visible after years of weather and boots. The air is damp, the sky close and gray, thunder still rumbling in the distance like a reminder.
I snag the ball as Nico passes and check it to Jace. “You two really trust her?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the ball, my body moving. “After last night?”
Jace dribbles slow, sizing me up, face unreadable. “I trust what I saw. She had a chance to sell us out. She didn’t.”
Nico slides in for a screen, nodding as Jace swings him the ball. “Girl was shaking like a leaf when the guards came in. If she’s a plant, she’s the worst actress I’ve ever seen.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, especially from Jace. I catch the ball and glare at him, heat rising up my neck. “You came back from solitary doubting her. What happened, man? Her pussy change your mind?”
Jace throws the ball back at me a little too hard, the smack stinging my palms. His eyes flash, jaw tight. For a second, tension crackles between us—something old and raw under the skin.
I know I said the wrong thing, but I’m too wound up to take it back. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it’s fear. Carrie’s under my skin in a way nothing else ever has been. It’s like she’s a drug, or dirt I can’t scrub off.
I jab in, try to steal, but Nico spins past me and throws up a wild shot. It bounces off the backboard. Jace grabs it, passes to me again. My blood’s up, not just from the game but from the conversation.
I catch, set my feet, and take a shot. “You’re both too soft. Desperate people do crazy shit. You know that.”
Jace rebounds and passes low, faking a drive. “I also know loyalty when I see it. She locked us in, Levi. Could’ve just walked away and let them find us.”
Nico wipes his brow with the back of his wrist, grinning at Jace. “You’re just pissed because you’re not sure anymore. She’s in this, same as us.”
The game slows, but the words keep coming. I bounce the ball, hard, frustration leaking out. “She’s hiding something. I can feel it. And we got distracted—we let her off too easy.”
Jace throws an elbow, light but enough to remind me we’re brothers first, not rivals. “You want to interrogate her again? Do it. But don’t make the same mistake twice.”
I shoot. The ball arcs high and drops through the net.
Nico jogs after the ball, voice low as he passes by me. “You want to protect her or push her away? Make up your mind, brother.”
I say nothing. My chest is tight, the doubt and desire grinding together as rough as this busted court.
Jace slaps the ball into my hands, his voice steady. “We figure this out together. No more mistakes.”
I nod, jaw set, as the game restarts.No more mistakes, I tell myself.
But I’m not sure if I believe it.
The next play is all elbows and hard screens, nobody giving an inch. Jace drives at me, shoulder low, daring me to block him. I do—harder than I mean to, sending him stumbling. He fires me a look but says nothing.
Nico jogs for the rebound, the slap of the ball echoing across the yard. “You two want to play or just beat the shit out of each other?” he jokes, but there’s an edge to his voice.
Jace stalks back to the line, chest heaving. “You done running your mouth, Levi?”
“Not even close,” I bite back, but my heart’s not in it. I’m not mad at him, not really. I’m mad at myself. Mad that after everything—after solitary, after the lies, after Carrie—I don’t know what I feel anymore.
Nico checks the ball to me, then bumps my shoulder. “You’re twisted up over her. We all are. Get used to it, brother.”
I want to argue, but the words die in my throat. Carrie’s silhouette flashes in my mind—her skin, her mouth, the way she looked at me after the storm. She’s got a hold on me I can’t explain, a need that’s almost painful.
The game slows, then stops. We lean on our knees, sweat dripping, all of us breathing hard.
Jace looks over at me, his voice lower now. “You think I’m not scared too? We’re in this mess together.”
