Chapter 11
Pow
Nico
The crowd watches with amusement, but there’s a layer of fear beneath it. My friends built this while I was gone. It’s the world Harper avoided at all costs. And now she’s part of it, part of them. Part of us.
I scan the faces, looking for whatever master Ethan serves, because even I know after a few weeks of being around Ethan in football practice, he’s no mastermind. Someone else is pulling his strings. They’re coming for us, but we’ll be ready.
“What should we do to him?” Jack yells to the crowd. Jack’s smile is cruel. Ethan represents everyone who has been terrorizing Harper. He’s our outlet for our anger and frustration, but also an example to those who may think the horsemen have gone soft.
Harper leans against Luke. Our gazes meet. Neither of us were a part of this. Who would I have become if I had stayed instead of leaving?
The crowd murmurs as they try to come up with something.
“Who wants to see him dance?” Jack’s eyes sparkle with an unholy light. His smile is delightfully wicked.
The crowd gives him what he wants. Their approval seems to fuel his fire. He gestures to the stereo and someone turns on the music.
“You heard the man.” Caden lifts Ethan to his feet. “Dance for your admirers.”
Ethan’s hands cover his junk. He stands with his mouth pressed into a thin line and a mulish expression on his face.
Luke steps forward and Eli pulls Harper into his side. Luke’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes as he leans in close to Ethan and whispers into Ethan’s ear. With every word, Ethan grows paler and paler.
When Luke returns to Harper, Ethan moves with the music. The crowd laughs like this is all one big prank. But it’s more than that. We’re making them part of the punishment.
We’re feeding into them what we want from them. Some of them are probably horrified. I’m sure a few have left. Others might be angry. This is someone on the football team. The team must’ve felt like they were untouchable because we’re on the team with them.
This shows them they’re all vulnerable. They all need to watch their backs.
Fuck, maybe this was the wrong move. Maybe we should have dealt with him privately, made him tell us what we need to know to move on the others. The ones actually pulling the strings.
My eyes meet Harper’s. It’s almost like she’s trying to show me what she feared for so many years. When we tied Grant to the pole, it humiliated him. The past week, the guy walked around with his head down and with the masses making fun of him.
Will they do the same to Ethan now? Or will it put another crack in the horsemen’s power and make whoever is after them more determined? Give that person more followers to break out from beneath the horsemen’s rule?
I’m not sure which way this will turn the tide, but it is satisfying watching this asshole dance like a monkey.
“Enough.” Luke’s voice makes the music stop and Ethan stall.
The red on Ethan’s face pours down his neck to his chest.
“Show’s over.” Jack waves his hands. “Feel free to go back to whoever you were doing before we turned the lights on.”
The lights dim and the music changes back to the club mix. Caden shoves Ethan back into the bathroom. I follow them in and close the door behind us, cutting off the sounds of the party.
“Was it worth it?” Caden asks as he pushes Ethan’s clothes against his chest.
“Fuck off.” His voice isn’t as strong, but he backs away from us and strips off the panties to put his boxers on.
I lean on the counter next to Caden as we watch Ethan dress.
“What next? Are you going to make me your bitch?” His blue eyes still have rage in them but it’s tempered by his fear. I’m curious what Luke said to him.
Caden shakes his head. “No one wants to fuck you, Ethan. When are we going to get that through your thick head?”
“So, you’re going to beat me up.” Ethan nods like he expected that. He sits on the edge of the tub and pulls on his socks and shoes.
“No, but you’re going to talk.” Caden steps forward and grabs his arm.
Using a key, I unlock the door to the hallway.
“Talk?” Ethan asks.
“You said a lot of interesting things to our girl.” Caden drags him into the hallway and down to a room.
It’s a simple room with a couple of couches.
Almost like a waiting room, which is weird for a house.
But when you have a house this big, I guess not every room is going to be perfectly decorated or useful.
“I didn’t tell her shit.” Ethan sits down on the couch as Caden stands over him.
“We can do this one of two ways, Ethan. You can spill what you know. Or we can make you spill, but that requires a special room. One with a drain and a hose to clean up after.”
Does Caden really have a room like that? Or is it a bluff? I haven’t toured his whole house. Why would his parents even have a room like that? Fuck.
Caden leans against the wall and glances at me before sighing. “We’ve got all night. Though I have plans later, so eventually, I’ll make the decision for you.”
“You want to torture me? Fuck, you guys are sick.” Ethan apparently hasn’t learned his lesson.
“We won’t torture you like in the movies.” I lower to sit on the couch across from Ethan, meeting his eyes and watching him carefully. “Caden will just break his fists on your face until it will take a really talented surgeon to make you look semi-normal.”
Ethan pales again and rubs his hands together.
“You can make this quick and easy...” Caden leaves it hanging.
Will we beat him up a little? Probably, but the rest is just a bluff. Our families are powerful, but even they have limits for what they can get us out from under. We have a future to look forward to and that means going to college with Harper not jail.
“Or we can spill all those secrets you keep on your computer.” Jack leans in the open doorframe. He checks his hand before lifting his gaze to Ethan’s and giving him that wicked smile. “I have everything I need to make the rest of your school year hell.”
“Fuck.” Ethan looks down at his hands.
“Those colleges you’ve been applying to would love to know what you do in your free time.” Jack moves into the room and perches on the arm of the couch next to me like he could pounce at any moment.
Ethan shifts his resigned gaze from Jack to me, and then Caden.
“What do you want to know?”
Harper
Luke and Eli lead me back to the couch. Jack slipped through the door to the back. We need information and the others are going to get it, by any means possible. I’m not worried about them. Curious, but not worried.
Penny and Nat make their way over after a few minutes.
Eli nods at Penny. “You did well.”
“That asshole ruined my reputation.” Nat smiles. “I’m glad to return the favor.”
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” Eli leans back. “Guys like Ethan don’t stay down for long. Sure, he’ll be embarrassed, but he still has friends and football. He’ll be ribbed about wearing panties and someone will likely post a video. But overall, we didn’t hurt him as much as we could have.”
“It was still worth it.” Nat smiles.
“What next?” Penny looks from Eli to me. She doesn’t look at Luke this time. I release my breath. Maybe I worried over nothing.
“The cheerleaders should be more amenable to your help.” Eli slides his hand along my back. Sparks light beneath his touch. “They’ll know you’re more useful to us. And that maybe you really are friends with Harper.”
“We want to be friends with Harper.” Penny blows out a breath.
“I know you guys only look at power, but there was a time when none of us had any. Sure, we had boyfriends but we didn’t really get to be friends again until we were all single.
It can be very lonely even when you have a boyfriend.
We didn’t want Harper to feel that way.”
I narrow my eyes. This is a new tactic. I wish Kenz was here to help me read this situation. Her and Brandon have a date night tonight though.
Nat nods. “A lot of us went from boyfriend to boyfriend just to stay off your radar. We hid, but we hid behind a guy. So yeah, we know a little of how Harper felt and might even feel now. No girl can survive in isolation.”
I don’t know what to think about that.
“We appreciate your help.” Eli nods. “We never worked out a trade—”
“Not this time.” Penny smiles and holds up her hands. “This one felt like payback for us as well.”
“You’re welcome to join us.” I feel like there needs to be more to this. But am I just looking for conspiracy everywhere now? That’s not who I was, but that was before being claimed and everything that’s happened to me since.
“Not tonight. Thanks.” Nat steps back before she looks at the ground. She lifts her eyes to mine. “Actually, could I give you a hug? It just feels like you did something for me and I want to thank you.”
I stand and she comes in to hug me.
“Thank you,” she says before she steps back.
Penny grins. “I mean, a hug is a lot less than a kiss.”
My cheeks grow hot, but I step up to her and give her a hug too. “Thank you for everything.”
Penny chuckles. “Not a problem.”
We pull away.
“I meant it. We need a girls’ night. Maybe not all of us at once but we can get together and watch a movie or something.” Penny grabs my hand. Her serious brown eyes search mine. “You need friends.”
She’s probably right, but how do I trust any offer of friendship now? I step back and Luke draws me back down beside him. Penny and Nat wave as they disappear into the crowd.
I lean my head against Luke’s shoulder. It’s hard to be strong all the time. He weaves our fingers together and holds my hand on his lap. This is still part of the plan. Being seen as strong, as connected.
But I also just want to take a nap.
“Kitten, do you want a drink?” Eli slides his hand along my thigh, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Water, please.” I smile up at him. He heads off into the crowd.
“Hey.” A football player stops in front of Luke. I recognize him from the team, but don’t know his name.
“What’s up, Brett?” Luke’s fingers tighten on mine.
Brett Adams, I remember from the stat sheet, runs his hand through his hair and looks around the party. He steps closer and glances at the couch. “May I?”
Luke nods and Brett sits on the edge with his hands clasped between his knees. He looks like he’s ready to bolt.
“I came to apologize.”
I cock an eyebrow and wait to hear about what.
Brett’s hazel eyes glance at me. “I was talking shit about your girl at the game. I don’t know if that’s all Ethan did, but I didn’t really mean it.”
Luke just sits back and waits.
Brett pushes his hand through his hair again. “I have a girlfriend and if she found out I was disrespectful like that, she’d be pissed.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” Luke squeezes my hand.
Brett blows out a breath and looks me in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run off at the mouth about you. No girl deserves to be talked about as an object.”
I’m sure my shock is on my face. I didn’t even know this guy talked shit about me or even what shit he said. “Uh, thanks.”
Nodding, he turns his attention to Luke. “You guys don’t include me in stuff, which is fine. I like to keep my nose clean. But Ethan’s been talking a lot of shit lately, not just about your girl.”
“You heard something?” Luke straightens.
“Yeah, man.” He glances around the room, but the music is loud enough that no one can overhear us.
“There’s some unhappy people trying to get others to join them to bring you guys down.
At first I thought it was a lot of smack talk.
You know guys beating their chests type thing, but then she became a target. ”
He means me, but I’ve been a target since almost day one.
“Do you know who the guys are?” Luke shifts forward a little.
Eli walks over to us. Brett sits back while Eli resumes his seat and hands me a bottle of water. He takes off the lid and sits back, watching Brett warily.
Brett nods to Eli and shifts forward. “It’s not just Ethan. Some guys in my P.E. class were talking in the locker room.”
“What are you saying?” Luke asks.
“It’s almost an uprising. Someone is calling the shots. No one is making a move without being told what to do.” Brett runs a hand through his hair again. “I didn’t know if I should tell you. But after what you did to Ethan, I figured it would be in my best interests to come clean.”
“Do you know who’s calling the shots?” Luke rubs his thumb across the back of my hand.
“No, man. I wish I had more. I can give you a list of guys I’ve heard talking, but some of them might not be involved.” Brett smirks. “You know how guys get, like they want to impress their friends and other guys.”
“Text me the list.” Eli meets Brett’s eyes.
Brett nods and rubs his hands together. “I can do that.”
Hopefully the guys are making better headway with Ethan, but at least we have something now. More to go on than we did before.
“We’re cool?” Brett glances at Luke.
“We’re better.” Luke’s eyes narrow on Brett. “Next time keep Harper’s name out of your mouth.”
He swallows and nods. “Right. Again, got carried away, running my mouth. Didn’t really mean it.”
Brett stands and wipes his hands on the back of his jeans. His gaze skips over me to Eli. “I’ll text you those names and let you know if I hear anything else.”
“Appreciate it.” Eli nods.
After Brett steps away, Eli meets Luke’s eyes. “Is he off the hook?”
“See what information he gives us, then we’ll decide.”
Luke draws me onto his lap. He tips my chin his way and searches my eyes. “Are you satisfied with his apology?”
I shrug. “Seemed sincere, but also sounded rehearsed. I don’t know who we can trust.”
He trails his thumb over my bottom lip. “No, we don’t know who we can trust. Yet.”
A shiver runs down my spine. It feels like we’re in a fish bowl at the party. Like everyone is waiting for us to do something or say something. I prefer to be in their rooms. Hidden away from everyone else where they can just be with me.
When he releases my chin, I rest my head on his shoulder and take a sip of my water. I’m ready for the party to end.