As I head out the front door, the cold night air kisses my bare arms.I pull on my hoodie, leaving the hood up to cover my ears, then walk over to Tate’s trailer up the dirt road from mine.I rap my knuckles on the door.It’s late, and he’s probably in bed.I continue knocking until the lights inside turn on and the door opens.A gun is pointed straight at me, but as soon as he sees me, he lowers it.
“What the hell?”he asks, dropping his gun on the table behind him.
I step back, lighting up a joint.The smoke hits the back of my lungs.Tate meets me outside and runs his fingers through his disheveled dark curls.
“Any updates?”I ask.
He shakes his head.“Still closing in.”
I take another deep inhale, kicking off the trailer exterior.“We need to find those guns and fast.Do everything you can,” I snap and walk off back toward my place.
I slide into my car and start her up, cranking the heater, then tear out of the trailer park.
We need a long-term plan for Amirah, where she will stay hidden away from prying eyes.Does that mean killing her?
I flinch.I couldn’t do that.Not to a woman, even a spoiled princess.
We have control of the Hood, people trust us here, but I don’t trust everyone.Given the chance, anyone can, and will, turn their back on you.
Money is a big motivator, and people in the ville have plenty of that.I trust Zion and Bear with my life, but that’s it.
My hands grip the steering wheel, guilt weighing heavily on my shoulders.I can’t save anyone.Couldn’t even save my sister.I’ve been thinking about her more lately, since Alec—Freya’s brother—died.It’s bringing back so many memories of that night, and I fucking hate it.It reminds me of how I couldn’t save her.How I let her protect me instead of the other way around.I should have protected her.Fuck.
I turn up my stereo, allowing the rap music to drown out my thoughts.Five minutes later, I pull up next to Bear’s dirt bike and shut off the car.Stepping out into the cool night, I catch Derek, Spider, and Nick huddled around Derek’s car, watching something on his phone.They’re supposed to be patrolling, not fucking around.I slam my car door and they look up.
“Fuck,” Derek curses, shoving his phone back into his pocket, then stands alert.
I shake my head, moving past the slide and that fucking creepy clown and down the stairs into Bear’s den.
The living room is quiet.He’s left the lights on, but he isn’t here.I move through the curtains and head for his bedroom, through the creepy rooms, keeping my head down until I’m out and in the hallway.Blue light pools through the bottom of Bear’s bedroom door, and I open it and step inside.
“We need to—” The words clog in my throat and my jaw drops as my gaze moves from Amirah, who’s under the covers on the bed, back to Bear on the floor.
“What the fuck is she doing in here?!”I yell, and Bear jumps up, the blanket falling to his legs, his eyes moving around the room until they land on me.He storms toward me in nothing but his colorful boxer shorts.
“Shh, you’ll wake her,” he whispers, before forcing me back outside the door and shutting it quietly behind him.
He rubs the sleep from his eyes, and I pace back and forth, anger rolling up from deep inside me.
“Why the fuck is she in your bedroom?”I ask, stopping to stare at him.
He shrugs, then cracks his neck, looking unbothered.He’s in way too deep already.This isn’t good.I’ve never seen Bear act like this, and that scares me.I don’t know what he’s going to do next.
“You never bring people to your bedroom.What’s going on?”
Bear bites his bottom lip.“I don’t know.It just happened.I was planning on taking her to the other room, then, well, she ended up beneath my sheets.Chill the fuck out.You know how well I take care of my captives,” he says, winking with a smug look on his face.
Before I take my next breath, I’m up in his face, my hand around his throat, forcing him back against the wall.He doesn’t even flinch, just relaxes into my hold.He enjoys this.
“You didn’t touch her, did you?”I ask in a low growl.If he fucking touched her, he’s dead.
The corner of Bear’s mouth lifts, and I squeeze tighter before releasing slightly.“What if I did finger-fuck her while she was passed out?How does that make you feel?”
I release his throat, landing my fist into the wall right next to his head.Pain rips through my knuckles, and I wish I’d hit that smug look off his face, but I can’t.I won’t.As much as he pisses me off, he’s my best friend.And I know that, deep down, he’s one of the good ones—even if he has been fucked up and fucked over one too many times.
“You’re fucking sick,” I say, and Bear laughs.
“Wow.She’s gotten under your skin, too, huh?”
