“Taylor is a senior at Fenton High, and her old man is a member of The Bulls. He is also Parker’s father. Seems her old man split on Parker’s mom when she was a baby because he got Taylor’s mom pregnant around the same time.”
“What a stellar human being,” I drawl, leaning back into Caz’s side.
“He ended up marrying Taylor’s mom, and they have two more kids. He had no contact with Parker until two years ago when he reached out and welcomed her into his new family with open arms.”
“Parker didn’t strike me as the forgiving type.” I place my hand on Caz’s thigh.
“I second that assessment,” Saint says through the phone.
“I don’t know how he swung it,” Theo continues. “But she was a regular visitor to his home, and her and Taylor started hanging out together. Found a bunch of photos of them from various parties.”
“Maybe, her old man helped her fund the drug supply at Lowell High, aiding Finn in ascending the throne,” Caz suggests.
“That might be it,” Saint agrees.
“Whatever the carrot was, at least, we know that’s the connection between The Bulls and Finn’s crew. But where’s the link with The Arrows?” I ask. “Why was she invited to the party, and who invited her?”
“I think I’ve found that connection too,” Theo says, just as the waitress appears with our food. We stop talking while she sets plates in front of us, only resuming the conversation after she’s gone. “Taylor has a cousin who has an in with The Arrows. Most likely, she invited her there and, I assume, forged a connection.”
“You have a name?”
“Tempest Higgins.”
I pause with my fork halfway to my mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“She’s Knight’s girlfriend, right?” Saint says.
“Yep. She was the one he cheated on me with.”
Theo shakes his head. “Dude’s an idiot. You outshine that ho a million to one.”
I beam at my ex, reaching under the table to squeeze his knee.
Perhaps, thingsarefixable, because every time he says something like this, I’m reminded he’s a decent guy and I remember how good things were between us.
Caz presses a kiss to my temple. “Dar’s fuckup was our gain.”
“I can’t believe Tempest was the conduit. Honestly, she has, like, three brain cells, and they’re all in her vagina,” I say.
Caz chuckles, running his hand up and down my arm as he pops a fry in his mouth with his free hand.
“I think it’s fair to say her cousin Taylor has far more intelligence. Most likely, she used Tempest to get her an introduction, and she ran with it from there,” Theo surmises.
“Eccleston has to know more,” Galen says. “He’s Knight’s number two. How was this going down without him being aware?”
“He lied to us,” Saint says.
“Not necessarily,” I say, and I’m not defending Bry per se. “The only loyalty Darrow has is to himself, and he keeps Bry on a pretty tight leash. Bry is the brute strength in the crew while Dar likes to handle the decision making on his own. They’re not solid like you guys. The relationships are surface level, and everyone has their set roles, knowing not to overstep the mark. It’s possible Tempest was using The Bulls connection to entice Dar into her bed, and if Taylor wanted it kept on the down low, then, it’s not hard to believe Dar kept Bry out of the loop.”
“What do The Bulls want with The Arrows and vice versa?” Saint says.
“I’d have thought that’s obvious.” I cut up my chicken. “They have a mutual enemy. Perhaps, they decided it was time to form an alliance and work to take The Sainthood down once and for all.”
“Why did—”
The window on our right shatters explosively, raining glass on top of us. A bullet whizzes by my head, and Caz roars, grabbing me onto the floor with him. Shards of broken glass dig into my knees through my jeans and cut the skin on my hands, but I barely feel any pain. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I watch Theo and Caz remove their guns. A chorus of screams rings out in the diner as more bullets zing through the air, over our heads, embedding in the walls and the row of glass jars sitting on shelves behind the counter. The sound of breaking glass crashing to the floor mingles with the terrified cries of frightened customers and staff. “Stay down,” I shout, lest any idiot decides to be a hero.
Theo and Caz exchange a look across the underside of our table, nodding in silent agreement, before they hop up, firing back through the open window. They duck back down, as more bullets fly in our direction, and a pattern forms as both sides shoot at one another.
