Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
JESSICA
Chris stops in the doorway to the kitchen, looking his usual self in black combat pants and a gray hoodie. “What the fuck is this music?”
Beauty And A Beat blares through the speakers in the living room.
Rain dances closer, swaying her hips. “Lighten up, Grumpy. It’s a fun song.”
He looks past her to me, and I shrug innocently. It was his idea to throw a party, so the least he can do is let my friends pick the music. It’s a decent tune.
Turning around, Rain grinds her ass against his groin, which would turn most men into blushing, stuttering fools, but Chris just shakes his head and walks away, pointing at me. “You’re doing this to piss me off.”
“Don’t worry,” I shout after him. “Your street cred is practically indestructible.”
Rain laughs as he strides off, her hips still moving to the catchy beat. “Your brother needs to get laid,” she says as she dances closer. “He might smile then.”
I scrunch my nose, grossed out by the thought of my brother like that. I feel sorry for whatever girl who falls for him.
“Come on, smile,” Rain coaxes, taking my hands, encouraging me to dance. “We’re young. Look at us, surrounded by good music, alcohol, and attractive men.”
That draws a weak smile out of me. “Attractive men? Where?” I pretend to look, feeling a spark of amusement.
And then, stopping in the doorway like she’s Elle Woods, Ava says, “You didn’t think you’d party without me, did you?”
She’s dressed in a sparkly dress that falls mid-thigh and strappy heels. And her hair has been tied up in a high, slick ponytail that sways as she walks.
She looks like she’s about to walk the runway, not like she’s at a party in the Falls. And understandably, she turns heads as she joins us in the kitchen.
One guy in the hallway cranes his neck to check out her legs as she walks out of view. Yeah, she’s that pretty. And besides, she’s out of everyone’s league, which makes the guys flock like moths to a flame.
But she’s blind to it all as she pours herself a drink and throws it back.
The song switches to ‘Lovin’ On Me’ by Jack Harlow, so I guess that means my brother took charge of the music again. Rain and I exchange a knowing smile, while Ava throws back another shot.
“Have you made a decision about what to do with Kane?” she asks as she leans back against the counter.
A few days ago, after Cash left me in the rain, I met up with the girls and told them everything.
I poured my heart out, clutching a tub of chocolate ice cream because rocky road was still out of stock, and they listened, sharing their thoughts here and there, but mostly just letting me get it all out. It felt good to talk.
But my feelings are all over the place, and I don’t know how to compartmentalize everything. For starters, Kane has killed people. Let that sink in for a second.
Really sink in.
I’m in love with a man who has killed people, and the truth is that I’ve been blind about everything. While I knew the Society was dangerous, I never truly understood how dangerous it was. And then there’s Beverly. A monster in her own right.
Fury doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling that burns inside me when I think of what she has done.
“It’s over between us. You know that,” I state.
She nibbles her lip as if she wants to say more but knows I’ve made up my mind. We’re not good for each other, and on top of that clusterfuck, as if that’s not enough, we come from different worlds. No, it was a cute dream while it lasted, but it’s time to wake up.
But she keeps looking at me like that, as if she’s dying to say more, and I drop my head back in defeat, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not getting back together with him.”
“I saw him at Dark Lanes last night. He asked about you.”
My eyes dart to hers. “He did?”
“No. I never saw him. I just wanted to call you out on your bullshit.”
Sagging against the counter, I cover my face with my hands, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotions. Now isn’t the time to cry, not with a house full of rowdy people. But I love him, and I miss him.
“Hey…” Rain pulls my hands away, while Ava strokes my arm. “It’s okay,” she says, and she pulls me into a hug.
I have a lot of shit going on in my life, a lot of pain and heartbreak, but at least I have amazing friends.
And now Ava, too.
Life gives, and then it takes away. I just wish it wouldn’t take the people I love.
“The real question is what we should do about Beverly,” I comment as we break apart.
“I thought you didn’t want Kane back?” Rain asks, glancing over her shoulder as a group of guys crowd into the kitchen. She takes my hand and pulls me out of the room, rolling her eyes when Bruno catcalls.
“He’s still trying his luck, huh?” I tease as we weave past couples making out in the hallway.
Ava comments, trying to keep up. “He’s cute.”
I reach for her hand, forming a train, and we find Summer talking to a group of girls in the living room. A floral dress hugs her soft curves, her blonde hair straightened and hanging like a curtain down her back. She sees us coming and heads our way.
“What do you think?” Rain shouts over the music, and Summer leans in, having missed what she said. “What do you think?” Rain asks again. “What should we do about Beverly?”
Ava cuts in. “There’s nothing we can do. Her and her husband are too powerful. You’ll end up dead or missing if you go against them.”
“Nothing?” Summer asks, eyes widening. I press my lips together. “There has to be something. We can’t just sit here and watch her hurt them.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get back together with Kane?” Rain asks, breaking out in a sly smile.
I roll my eyes, while Ava shakes her head. Yes, okay, I love him. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Feelings don’t just disappear overnight.
But I can’t wave a magic wand and fix what’s broken between us, no matter how much I wish I could. Nothing is ever that simple. But that doesn’t mean I want to turn a blind eye either.
“I don’t,” I reply, scanning the crowded room to avoid looking at them.
There’s a couple making out in one of the armchairs, and some leggy blonde in booty shorts and a bra dancing sultrily on our coffee table, her friends cheering her on.
Over by the corner, tucked behind a large plant, I see Sam getting a blowjob by some brunette.
“Who is that girl?” Rain asks, following my gaze.
“I don’t want to know,” I comment as I turn my back on the sight, only to see Malice enter the room with Jackson in tow.
And he’s staring directly at my sister, but she’s oblivious, chatting with some random guy who seems to have a death wish. When the guy rests his hand on the wall behind Summer’s head with a dimpled smile, I fear for his life and pull my sister away, pretending I need her help.
The music switches to ‘Low Life’ by Future, and I tug her across the room, past Malice glaring at the guy as if he’s imagining how satisfying it would be to pull his spine out through his throat and spit on his corpse.
He barely spares us a glance as we pass, but tension radiates from him, and I swear he’s tracking my sister even as his attention remains fixed on the threat across the room.
We step out into the yard, music drifting from the living room. The stars are visible, flickering and shimmering as we sit on the sun-bleached folding chairs.
I face my sister. “Okay, spill. What’s going on with you and Malice?”
Her posture stiffens, and she looks around, worried someone might overhear. But it’s just us here, except for a group of girls smoking weed near the edge of the yard, though they’re too far away to overhear.
And then she turns back to me, about to respond, when the door opens, and Malice, Jackson, and my brother join us, chairs scraping on the patio as they fold their massive frames onto the creaking hardwood.
“Sup, ladies?” Jackson rests his foot on his knee, hand on his ankle.
Malice sits directly across from us, his eyes boring into my sister as he lights a cigarette and spreads his legs in that obnoxious way that screams dominance.
His dark hair is messy like he just rolled out of bed, threw some gel in it, and said fuck it. Whatever, it works for him.
His oversized black tee, with its sleeves torn off, shows the defined muscles and veins in his arms. And I just know, without even looking, that my sister is eyeing them as he reaches up and shakes a guy’s hand in a bro handshake when another group joins us.
Behind us, Ava and Rain step outside carrying drinks. My sister accepts her beer and downs it in one gulp, and I sigh as the others clink their bottles together and fall back into conversation.
It looks like this conversation will need to be shelved, but I don’t miss the way Summer keeps stealing glances at Malice when she thinks no one is looking.
And the way he watches her without trying to hide it makes my sister blush and fidget.
Whatever’s going on between them, it’s definitely not one-sided.