Chapter One
Last warning FAGS!
Leave now or die!
Gran had loved this door. Twice, she'd had to replace the large oval of glass in the middle. The first time had been before I moved here, but Gran had told me about it at some point. One of the students had slammed the door hard enough to crack one of the panes. The second time was when I threw something. That had been during the first week I was at Southwind, and I'd just wanted to be with my mom.
Gran hadn't yelled about it. The old woman hadn't spanked me or grounded me for breaking the glass. She'd simply pointed out that this was the problem with anger: it often ruined beautiful things. The lesson had stuck. The door had become a symbol of her willingness to open her heart and home to those of us who needed it most.
Now, the spray-painted hate covered all of that. I stood there, breathing so hard that my chest was heaving. My mind was filled with rage, but I wouldn't throw anything. No, Gran's lesson was stronger than a little vandalism. That didn't mean I wasn't going to make sure that whoever did thispaid.
Today was supposed to have been a good day. Luke had just gotten permanent custody of his daughter. The court case had been a circus, and that was not how he'd wanted to come out to her, but Faith had taken it all in stride. In a few still images of her father kissing Cy, she'd completely forgiven me for loving Ash. We weren't quite back to normal, but we'd found a place where we could talk to her about it.
And now this.
Luke, Faith, Cy, and Ash were all inside. Each of them was on their phone. I could see shapes moving through the fogged glass and hear the murmurs of colors being activated. My job was going to be a little harder. Pulling in a deep breath, I scrolled through the contacts on my phone and found one that looked completely innocent. Pressing the button, I lifted it to my ear.
"Yeah?" a rough voice answered.
"Blaze. Violet. There's been an accident," I said.
For a moment, he didn't respond. I could still hear him on the line, though. Soft, subtle sounds that meant he was moving. Then, "I'm clear. Go."
"Someone vandalized the door," I breathed, trying to control the anger in my voice and losing. "Billy, it's a threat to Magenta, Cyan, and Emerald."
"What threat?" he growled.
"Last warning, fags. Leave now or die," I read to him. "You should know that Luke got full custody of Faith today. Simmons also showed pictures of him and Cy kissing. Ok, there was a little groping too. Yes, the images were displayed in court, and yes, his daughter saw them."
"Motherfucking, piece of shit, dumb-ass fuck of an asshole!" Billy snarled under his breath. "Simmons." And that came out as cold as steel.
"I'm going to fix Gran's door," I assured him, "but we still need city approval to reopen. Billy, something's going to happen."
"So we'll make it happen first," he promised. "I'm coming home."
My heart paused. My skin felt like it went numb. "Are you sure?" I asked.
"No one messes with Gran," he said, his voice lower, deeper, and much more threatening than I'd ever heard before. "My team can handle things here, and I warned that man. The first time he tried to use me against her, I told him what would happen if he ever came after Gran. Her death doesn't change that."
I just bowed my head and felt a little of the responsibility ease on my shoulders. "I don't know what to do, Billy."
"Yes, you do," he promised. "You, Violet, are going to worry about that little girl. You're going to love your men. You are going to be a fucking force of nature. You know exactly what you need to do. Keep those pretty hands of yours clean. I'm coming to deal with the dirty stuff."
"We can't take risks," I reminded him.
"Fuck risks!" he roared. "Fuck the rules, Vi. We are the goddamned Shades of Trouble, and no one can shatter a rainbow."
"I'm not sure I can pay for that," I countered.
For a moment, the sound between us turned scratchy. Then his voice became muffled. "Joey!" he barked in the distance. "I need a list of all my favors. Yeah,allof them. Someone messed with my family." Then he chuckled. "Yeah, 'xactly."
"What are you doing?" I asked.
His first response was a soft chuckle. "Did you know I'm wearing a suit right now, Vi? Armani. My tie is real silk. I have on cufflinks with diamonds."
"Ok?" Because I was not following at all.
"And I'm not wearing blaze orange because Gran gave me a path that would keep me out of prison. She never tried to change me. She didn't want to stop me. She just pointed me in the right direction. That old bitch wouldn't take my shit. Instead, she took me and made me even more dangerous. Ol' Man Simmons? Yeah, he looked at me and saw a criminal. Gran looked at me and saw a hero."
