15. Ozzy
FIFTEEN
ozzy
He’s lying.
Levi Wallace does this thing with his eyes when he ping-pongs them back and forth to—I don’t know—get the full spectrum of the other person’s expression?
He’s cocky.
And uptight.
Though, I do like him. Wallace is tried and true. He bleeds South Shore and takes care of Bay. He attends to her every need in ways that I can’t, and she adores him.
I can’t say I’m surprised.
So when Wallace looks fixated at me, waiting for me to explode about the assassination of my other cousin, he doesn’t get anything.
He won’t.
Because Bay Astor didn’t kill Judah. I know it because I know her. The girl might thrash, punch, and wield a knife around, but she’s no killer.
Well, there was one time she shot Torin, but he had it coming.
Nonetheless, Wallace trying to convince me otherwise is a waste of time on his part. I’m not my other cousin. I don’t fly off the handle. I look at facts and what makes sense.
“Got anything to say on that?” Wallace taunts, but I can only feel Bay’s heavy scrutiny on me, causing my skin to practically crawl on itself.
She doesn’t trust me. It doesn’t come naturally to her, and I’m technically on the other side of the equation because of who I’ve associated myself with. I was hoping being related to Wallace would get her to let her guard down.
But it’s made it worse.
The realization that she’s a Wildes, through and through, sinks further into her psyche. That everyone around her has Astor DNA is a problem.
I don’t see the big deal. However, she’s not normal.
Bay is too smart to take a leap of faith with just anyone. Now, I’m something she always thought she was, and it’s made her upset. I can’t say I like seeing her cry.
In fact, it makes my stomach knot in discomfort. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not around girls who cry—would still rather not—but I’m not fond of seeing her do it.
I just wish she’d stop staring at me.
“Let me make one thing clear,” Levi presses, lacing his inked fingers together. “If you’re in this to make shit worse, I’ll kill you. If you decide to be the rook in this game where you start moving horizontally or vertically, I’ll slice your dick off. If anything happens to her at the other end of your hands, you’ll be choking on them. I’m not in the mood to fuck around with another Wildes?—”
“Ryland,” I blurt out because I need Bay to remember that. The Wildes surname is tainted and ruined in her eyes. I’m not my uncle or cousins, including Wallace.
“Right, but it’s the company you keep,” he retorts simply. “You live over there. What makes me think that you’re not plotting some bullshit?”
I’m not.
Torin is too fucked up on bourbon. Reeve is busy getting his dick sucked off his body or infested with the guests he keeps. Cairo is trying to find his ground with his new Titan seat, babysitting my cousin, while I look out for Stanton.
There’s no time to scheme anything.
“You don’t,” I state simply.
“Exactly,” Wallace confirms. “So, like I’ve said before…when I tell you enough is enough, this is over.”
He has said that before.
I just don’t know what it means.
After Roger Astor died and Wallace got out of jail, he said it again. This time, he was calm about it. He looked exhausted from all the workings and dealings that had happened over the course of only a couple of days. He was smoking down a cigarette, looking out at the distance, and told me to buzz off for a few days.
I did.
They buried their father, and I…needed to see Bay. As much as I don’t particularly enjoy how restless she makes me feel when she’s got me within the scope of her focus, I decided that I’d deal with the discomfort of it all as long as I can make sure she’s okay.
She’s not really okay, but I understand it’s to be expected. I don’t fully understand the logistics of deep-seated emotions tied to another individual, but maybe I do.
I’d never allow anything or anyone to hurt my brothers, including Wallace. However, I’d never permit something to happen to him either.
Because of Bay.
I’m still getting used to him again. He’s bossy, and while I don’t pay any mind to that, he’s possessive over Bay.
Before, it was fine.
Now, it’s getting a bit excessive.
“I need a response to that comment, too,” Wallace pressures, but something makes me hesitate in responding.
I don’t like how he’s looking at me. His exhaustion is making him slip up on his game. If I didn’t know him so well, too, I’d say something’s up.
Reaching for my juice box, I do the only thing that Bay would understand to get Wallace to fuck off me with the comment.
I take one sip.
No.
I see Bay from my peripheral veer back a little, realizing my response, but Wallace is too agitated to catch on.
“I’m about to make you part of the floor, Ryland,” he threatens. “If you don’t?—”
“Go take a walk,” Bay orders, her voice almost emotionlessly low and empty. It sounds as though she’s in a trance. That everything is slowly latching onto her and sucking away all her energy.
I don’t like this Bay.
I don’t know this Bay well.
“I’m not—” Wallace stops himself before pushing off the kitchen counter. He glowers at me, unhappy that I won’t give him what he needs.
Shit he hasn’t been getting lately.
I have no doubt in my mind Wallace will attempt to kill me if I ever betrayed Bay. But he needn’t worry about such things. I’d never be unfaithful to her.
Levi catches the bottom of Bay’s chin and forces her to look up at him. My fingers tighten around the cardboard contents of my juice box, waiting for her to react in a negative way. To show me she doesn’t want to be touched or bothered, but she does none of that.
She’s too…out of it.
“Five minutes, Astor,” he announces. “That’s all.” She bobs her head, which must be good enough for Wallace before he releases her and strides for the front door. But not before he says to me, “Remember what the fuck I said, Ryland.”
I do.
I don’t need the friendly reminder.
The door clicks shut moments later, and I’m left within the throngs of tension that lie between Bay and I.
It’s almost suffocating.
Especially when she’s observing me like I’m something to be studied. It’s almost unreal sometimes to be finally sitting in front of her like this. I never thought the moment would happen, but I’ve dwelled upon it before.
“You do understand why we’re not into you being around, right?”
My jaw locks because she may not be used to me yet, but I’m doing my best. Cairo highly suggests I stay away as much as possible, but I can’t seem to do that.
As unnerving to be in the same room with her as it is, I have to be around her.
I nod my understanding, but Bay doesn’t lighten up. I’m not sure what more I can do in this moment to show her what I’m here for, but only time will assist in that venture.
“What are you planning to do with Ellie?”
My eyebrows pinch together before my focus flicks to her impassive stare. Those blue eyes are haunting, almost hypnotic in their state. They suck me in and demand I deal with the inner turmoil caused by being this close.
She controlled me even from afar. I’ve always been her soldier in the shadows and made sure she was safe.
“That comment, I’ll definitely need a response to,” she mumbles, and I give her the best response I can.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” she repeats. “She’s your sister.”
Ellie, indeed, is my blood. She is my sibling inside and out, but I don’t know her. I haven’t been around her in over a decade. I don’t know the first thing about sisters, let alone being a brother to one. Women are complicated on their own, and Ellie doesn’t need me.
She has Bay.
I’m a million percent confident Ellie will be well taken care of, still, with all the facts that have been laid out. It’ll do no good for her to have a relationship with me, of all people.
“She’s your sister,” I force from my throat, feeling it close up because I don’t want to talk.
I just want to sit here and listen to her breathe.
“I guess…you’ve shown a sign of good faith,” Bay replies. “Maybe. You could’ve kept her.”
My nose wrinkles up a bit before I fix my expression. Again, what am I supposed to do with her?
“She’s a good kid.”
I lift my shoulders because I wouldn’t expect anything else. Roger Astor was a good man. He took care of his kids. He was a good leader of South Shore.
It’s one of the reasons why I didn’t kill him.
“She has a boyfriend.” I continue to stare at Bay, waiting for any more information she wants to drop on me because she’s looking for what Wallace was and that’s a reaction.
But I don’t care about Ellie’s relationships that have nothing to do with Bay.
I’m confident that she’ll handle it.
“I need to be able to trust you,” she deadpans, still holding my gaze, and I nod again to allude that she can count on me.
I’m never going to let her down.
Bay Astor is always going to be safe with me.