“I don’t believe you.”
His brows pull down over his muddied gaze. “I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The goat was stabbed multiple times. You slit its throat.”
“You killed my goat.” Owen roars, starting forward. He stops when I put a hand up to halt him. “You hurt my sister, you hit Violet, and you killed my goat.”
Duke looks up at Owen. “I promise I don’t know anything about your damn goat.”
If not him, then who?
“We need to go.” Jett comes running in. “He’s got company on the way.”
“Yup.” Owen pivots and heads for his gun. “I need to check on Violet anyway.”
“Stay away from her,” Duke demands.
Owen turns to stone.
“That’s not going to happen,” Storm says.
Jett chuckles darkly. “How about… you’ll stay away from Violet if you know what’s good for you.”
“Fuck you,” Duke spits another wad of blood on the floor.
“You’re done hurting women, Duke.” Owen picks up his gun. “Or the next time I have to sort you out you’ll have bullet holes in you.”
Fucking hell.
“You might want to clean up before your friends get here. Wash the blood off your chin,” I tell Duke.
“Yeah, right.” Duke wipes at his face. “I’m going to have you arrested for assault. All of you.”
I scratch the side of my head, like I haven’t thought through our actions tonight to their conclusion. “If you do, Summer’s going to tell her story to whichever media outlets will listen. This backwoods town might be on your side, but the whole world won’t be. Do you want to find out how they’ll judge you?”
“I’ll do you one better, Hollywood.” Owen smirks. “Count the Hearts in this room tonight, Duke.”
Duke’s gaze skips across the three brothers.
“Why don’t you go ahead and have us arrested. There are still three of us willing to do what needs to be done.”
Summer’s brothers are unhinged. The lot of them. Is there a possibility they intended to get rid of me in the pit?
“Don’t think too hard about it, Hollywood.” Owen claps me on the back on his way past with his shotgun braced on his shoulder. “We gotta go.”
I stalk out of there behind them.
Did Summer know they were this eager to take justice into their own hands? Is that why she begged them not to do anything?
We pile into the truck and fly down the dirt road, dust rising like the apocalypse behind us.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you guys don’t hate me as much as you did this morning,” I say.
“More thankful than you think, considering you didn’t tell me about my goat,” Owen mutters.
I settle into the backseat. “I already figured you might kill me when you found out. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“That was smart of you,” Owen falls quiet for a long moment before he says, “If Duke didn’t kill Stains, then who the hell did?”
