Chapter 20 #2
Damn it. Lex told me all about the testosterone-filled-shit-show that is the Hollow Kings’ initiation. The brutal fights, the poison trail in the dark, and bleeding the vow. Knowing Luca, he’s probably twisted it into something far worse.
“Fuck,” I whisper into the narrow space between my pressed palms, fingertips resting just below the bridge of my nose. “This is not good.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “Cade’s already finished his first trial.”
My eyes snap to him, muscles tensing in my shoulders. “What did he have to do?”
“Luca gave him a choice,” he says. “Sketch or paint. He chose sketch.”
“That doesn’t seem bad,” I admit.
“It was,” he says, lowering his voice. “He didn’t know what he was going to sketch until.”
He sighs.
“Until I walked into your room and well, you know.” He scrunches his nose.
“No,” I gasp. “When you?”
He nods.
“Then they were watching when… oh my God.” I stand up on shaky legs, pacing frantically in front of the mural. “So you’re telling me, that my boyfriends think that you…” I point between the two of us. “…and me fuck—”
I gag.
“Nope!” I cover my mouth. “Can’t even say it.”
“I’m sorry, Bells.”
“Shit,” I say, running a hand through my damp hair. “Lex is going to kill you. You know that right? He’s going to literally try to slit your throat the second he finds us.”
“Well aware, sis,” he confirms. “I’ve seen how he is.”
“Well this is just fucking perfect.”
“Yep,” he says, popping the p in that annoying way we used to do when we were kids.
I slow my steps. “Wait. Why the hell would Luca want you to… uh, you know…” I gag again. “If his whole thing is for me to become Izzy and fall madly in love with him all over again. How does that even make any sense?”
“It doesn’t,” he says, his voice tight. “Except for the fact that you made him jealous and the man doesn’t do well with jealousy.”
“What?” I ask, my brows practically at my hairline. “You’re saying this is my fault?”
“No. I’m not saying that.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“Just sit down,” he says, patting the bed. “I can’t fucking think straight when you’re pacing like a damn lion.”
I obey, the mattress creaking as I plop down onto it.
“Look, we both know that Luca’s insane, right?”
“Certifiable,” I correct.
“Well, when you and the guys started dating he got—I don’t know—jealous and a little turned on,” he says through another scrunched nose. “And somewhere in his fucked up mind he got this wonderful idea to recreate your trio. With us.”
“With us? Like us, us?” I ask, gesturing between me and him.
He nods.
“That’s disgusting.”
“Believe me, I know,” he continues. “You should have heard what he said after Cade’s trial.”
“Don’t tell me,” I say through a cough. “I’d rather not puke right now.”
“That’s fine. I’d rather not repeat it anyway.”
“So how does Miami fit into all of this?” I ask.
“The Red Hour,” he says with a shrug. “I had to go to Miami to secure the ring for it.”
“The ring?”
He nods. “Los Cuervos.”
“You had to go see Alejandro?” I wince, my voice pitching on a high note.
Out of all the Black Books, Alejandro Vega is the only one who legitimately scares the living shit out of me. And for damn good reasons. The man is brutal and practically soulless.
“Worse,” he adds. “I had to go see Mar.”
“Gross,” I gag. “Fucking little pink slu—”
“Cut it out,” he snaps. “She’s not guilty of anything in this and you know it.”
“Oooh she’s guilty of plenty,” I shoot back.
“Like what?”
I scoff. “I don’t know, let’s start off with conspiracy to be a raging bitch.”
“Bells.”
“I’m not done.” I hold up a hand. “How about leaving you and breaking your heart multiple fucking times. Or treating you like complete dog shit during the everlasting on-again-mostly-off-again roller coaster that you guys called a relationship?”
I begin ticking Marisol’s infinite number of infractions off on my fingertips.
“Or that one time when she came to visit and stole my favorite red top out of my closet before we went to dinner with the Briggs triplets.”
“She didn’t steal—”
“She did,” I interject before he can try to defend the bitch. “And then there’s your twentieth birthday dinner. Oh, and let’s not forget my all time favorite… the thing with Laing.”
“You of all people have no right to bitch about anyone with Laing.”
I blink at him. “Excuse me?”
“Bells, you forget that we had you under surveillance. I know you and him—”
“You watched us?!” I cut in, my stomach doing cartwheels.
“Not by fucking choice!” he mutters.
I cringe. “Gross. But still, that doesn’t mean I can’t make you an extensive list of all the shit Mar’s put us through.”
“Stop,” he warns, dragging a hand down his face. “You and I both know why she left.”
“Yeah.” I fold my arms. “Because she’s a little bitch of a Daddy’s girl who doesn’t know how to grow a spine.”
“You mean she left because Nate had me steal their Black Book,” he counters, “and she eventually couldn’t handle the punishment for it. A brutal and bloody punishment that was inflicted by a ruthless cartel boss with zero concern for human fucking decency. Even toward his own daughter.”
“Same difference.”
“No, it’s not and you—”
“Why are you defending her?!” I cut in, slapping his chest. “It’s almost like you—”
I freeze.
“No. Fucking. Way,” I gasp, narrowing my eyes on my brother who’s looking more guilty by the second. “You’re still in love with her.”
“No I’m not,” he says way too quickly and refuses to look at me.
“Yes, you are.”
“No,” he repeats. “I’m not.”
I stare at him. “Wow. I really thought you’d end up with Ellie,” I mutter, twirling a strand of hair. “But then I guess we’d both be dating siblings again like the Prep School twins and that would probably—”
“Stop,” Zeke cuts me off, shaking his head. “Enough about Marisol! Plus, Whitmore has a boyfriend anyway.”
I gape at him. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “You don’t know about Caleb?”
“Caleb?” I echo.
“Briggs?”
My jaw actually drops. “Are you saying that Ellie, as in my best friend in the entire world, is dating Caleb Briggs?!”
He nods.
“When the hell did that happen? And how do you know about it before me?”
“How do you think, sis?” he deadpans. “Surveillance, remember?”
“Okay, but still, when did this happen? How did this happen? Oh my God, does Cade know?” I ask him, practically vibrating from the news.
“After your Donor Fight,” he confirms. “And I don’t know all of the details, Bells. You’ll have to ask her when we get out of here.”
“Well what do they look like together?” I press. “Why didn’t she tell me? Ugh! I have so many questions and—”
“Just let it go!” Zeke barks, dragging in a breath before resting a hand on my knee. “That’s not the point right now anyway.”
I don’t budge.
He sighs. “Bells.”
“Ugh, fine,” I huff, rolling my eyes. “So Luca’s just… what? Setting up the Red Hour in Miami then?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah in less than forty-eight hours.”
“Do you know who he’s pinning Lex up against?”
“No.” He frowns. “Luca’s sort of shut me out these past few days.”
“Why?” I ask, though I’m pretty certain I already know the answer.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure,” he says slowly. “But I think he no longer wants the trio…”
Called it.
“He just wants you.”
“Lovely.”