“It wasn’t a fucking question, Ryan,” she snapped. “I know that motherfucker. I’m going to fucking kill him so brutally when I turn eighteen. I hate him so much.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying. Seeing a body is a lot.Death. But causing it—”
“I don’t care,” she said, and her voice trembled. “The one bright spot of today was I got my cast off. Everything after that has been shit. I once loved my room. Now… it doesn’t matter. You haven’t been Uncle Johnnie’s target. Only one of his casualties. But he hates my mom. And he hates my brother. He refused to help you because Molly’s absence devastated CJ. If that wasn’t his only reason for withholding his assistance, that was a primary reason.”
“He never said why.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done. No one can undo these past weeks. But I wantyouto look me in the fucking eye and tellme you didn’t help Willard spy on me and Harley because you wanted to make CJ suffer, too.”
“Rebel—”
“Mattie said my videos started in early January. You placed the camera the night of Daddy’s birthday party, didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry.”
An impatient noise escaped her, but then she came to the hardest question. Or revelation because deep inside herself, she already knew the answer. “Rule saw them, didn’t he?”
Ryan’s eyes flared. “I don’t know—”
Rebel swiped away another tear. “Don’t fucking lie to me. After that, my brother became almost rabid in his hatred toward me. If he saw Diesel in my room or me…me…” She burned with shame. Last night, while she’d cried in the guest room, Momma said what she did in private was her business, the same words everyone had said the entire evening. But Rule was a different story. He was her brother, her twin, once her best friend. Yet they were older with private parts that they shouldn’t see. “How could you show him, Ryan? Why’d you let Willard talk you into that?”
A beat of silence passed, then Ryan shifted his weight. “I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.”
Sniffling, she wiped her cheeks and raised a miserable gaze to her cousin. “Did you watch those stupid videos?”
He flushed.
“You’re an asshole,” she snarled, torn between anger, even more humiliation, and deep shame. Then, she remembered Harley and her bruises and Aunt Bailey’s stance. She remembered Molly and all her injuries and reminded herself she’d gotten off light in the scheme of things.
“Do you want me to tell my mom? If that’ll absolve me and make your burden easier, I’ll confess, Reb.”
“All that’ll do is hurt your mom, fuckhead. Our family is important to me. Evenyou. Though you don’t deserve it. Because I also fucking know you targeted Harley because of CJ, too.”
“I wanted Molly—”
“Fuck you. I think if you hadn’t fucking resented CJ so much, you would’ve told your dad, my dad, Uncle Mort, or Diesel. You kept your fucking mouth shut because you knew hurting me and Harley would hurt CJ.”
Ryan remained silent but the guilt on his face spoke louder than any words ever could.
“Reb, baby, what are you doing here?” Aunt Zoann said, breezing into the room. She froze and stared at Rebel’s wet cheeks. “What’s the matter?”
“Your son. As usual,” she grumbled.
The pain in Ryan’s eyes wore Rebel out, especially when she saw Aunt Zoann’s fear. She wasn’t a stupid woman. With all the turmoil swirling around them, she knew something was up.
“I need to ask you something, Reb,” she started, glancing from Rebel to Ryan and swallowing. “Molly’s been back less than a week. Suddenly Harley is at the center of a meeting at the club and Ryan is beaten. I know he took those pictures of Harley, but what else did he do to her and is he the reason Molly was taken?”
“He slept with Harley to get back at CJ,” Rebel said, unsure what pictures Aunt Zoann meant, giving the excuse Momma said to use if Aunt Zoann questioned her. “Not because he truly liked her at first. He told one of his stupid teammates and he blabbed it to Nardo. That’s why Nardo beat up Harley. No,heisn’t the reason Molly was taken. That would be that hatchet-faced, wretched-hearted, Uncle Johnnie.”
Relief flickered across Aunt Zoann’s face, until she realized what Rebel said and she gasped. “Johnnie?”
Rebel would die on that fucking hill of truth. Unfortunately, Mattie and Aunt Kendall would be affected, too. She wasn’t sure how much either of them knew about the lily-livered head-of-the-family. “I hate all the secrets, Aunt Zoann. Mainly because we can’t maim or kill all the motherfuckers who deserve it.” She resisted the urge to side-eye Ryan. “But the family comes first. We’re stronger when we stand together, so as much as I’d love to offer to use Uncle Johnnie’s chest as a trampoline after you knock him out, we can’t because of Mattie and Aunt Kendall.”
Aunt Zoann nodded. “And Rory, JJ, and Blade.”
“MaybeJJ. Not Blade because he’s just three. Never Rory. That’s Uncle Johnnie’s biggest champion.”
“He’ll learn,” Aunt Zoann said, then she turned to Ryan who’d slipped on jeans during their distraction. “Son, it was just breaking my heart to think you had anything…never mind. That was wrong of me.” Without warning, she punched him.
