47. JJ
JJ
“It’s weird, right?” Mack asks through a mouthful of grapes. “That asshole bailing at the last second with a hot chick on his arm?” Mack harshly swallows a few grapes and throws a few more into his mouth. “But like… Have we seen her before?”
Yeah. We have seen her before. A million times.
She used to live in our memories, but now she’s back alive and well.
Of course, I can’t say that. Not yet. Even though I don’t think she’s leaving any time soon.
I’m still holding on to this secret because she asked me to.
And whatever Olivia needs, I’ll provide.
Even if it’s chipping away at me from the inside out. Piece by piece.
I side-eye Mack as he happily munches on grapes and chugs water after running five miles around town with Waffles on his heels. It’s his routine. It’s what keeps him sane. Just like the talks at the cemetery. Fuck. Guilt wraps its claws around my aching heart.
I’m lying to him.
Over and over again. Watching as he slowly unravels. One day, he’ll be nothing more than a sweater with holes in it, on its last thread, and will completely fall to the floor.
His complete undoing.
Every day I look him in the eyes with the knowledge that Olivia is still alive and well. It’s a lie. Because she’s here. And if he finds out? Well, then he’s going to lose his shit and fucking detonate his future further.
“It was strange,” I agree, busying myself with my laptop beside Mack so he doesn’t catch wind that I might have some insight as to what’s happening.
Although Olivia didn’t really let me in on why she was leaving with Malic. In fact, I don’t want to know what they were doing last night. Or this morning. Or why she’s still at his house and not in her dorm.
The music cuts off at the top of the stairs, filling the air with static.
I tilt my head when a door opens and slams shut, rattling everything in its wake.
Hux marches down the stairs with a hardened expression.
That’s nothing new, though. Hux hasn’t shown a true ounce of emotion since Olivia’s death.
Opting to hold it all inside until he’s in the fighting ring and lets it all go.
“What was strange?” he asks with a furious expression clouding his features again.
“That Malic and that hot chick left before he could fight. It’s like he actually became human and chose pussy over pounding your face in.” Mack smirks when Huxley whirls around and looks at him with narrowed eyes. “Have we ever seen her before?” he asks again.
“No. Never seen her before,” Hux retorts quickly.
Hux’s eyelids droop slightly as he moves to the coffee maker with determination, and I tilt my head, watching him closely out of the corner of my eye. He fixates on the coffee machine with a set jaw as his back heaves with every harsh breath he takes, keeping his expression away from me.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if he’s all right, but I stop myself when he squeezes his eyes shut and hangs his head over the coffee maker.
No. He’s not all right. None of us are. Ever.
Huxley doesn’t offer us his opinions on what Olivia’s death did to him.
I know he took it as hard as we did. It’s why her flowers are planted outside, and the 224 tattoo rests on his chest. He’s never forgotten her.
Never will. She’ll forever live inside him.
But that’s it. Mack openly talks about his grief.
Shows it, too. With us only. And me? Well, I’ve used my grief to build my knowledge and avoid it at all costs.
“You sure, bro? I swear to God, she looked familiar as hell. Those eyes…” Mack chews a few more grapes slowly this time, but he shakes his head. “Whatever. You won. Now, those losers can’t come back for a very long time. It’s almost like winning.”
“Yeah? Well, it wasn’t winning in my book,” Hux barks out, slamming the coffee maker’s lid closed with more force than necessary until it’s pouring freshly brewed coffee into his cup.
“That wasn’t a fucking fight. He walked out.
With her,” he grits out. “I’m doing a fucking rematch.
” He turns back to his coffee, muttering words I can’t hear under his breath.
“And he’ll fucking accept this time and actually show up in the ring. ”
“Bro!” Mack whines. “That’s breaking every single rule we’ve put into place.” Mack throws his hands up with a frown. “If they forfeit, they get the wall of shame! I’ve already printed out his ugly mug to hang up.” He literally pouts at Hux, who ignores every word Mack says.
“Yeah? Well, that hasn’t stopped us from breaking them,” Hux quips with a huff.
“He’s not wrong,” I add with a smirk when Mack flips me off.
“Not helping, dick,” he mutters to me. “But they’re our rules, Hux. We’re supposed to be able to break them. Duh,” Mack retorts, reaching for more grapes.
“It is strange he walked away,” I quickly acknowledge again, earning a nod from Hux. “He’s not known for giving everything up. In fact, he usually happily fights. Especially against Hux.”
A strange awareness bubbles in my stomach. At the last second, Malic did what he never does. He bailed on the fight without a second glance. Hux was already dressed and ready to go when Wilder told us Malic had left and wouldn’t be back.
And then I saw her.
Leaving with him.
My blood fucking boiled, and my heart squeezed.
Seeing what’s mine, walking out the front door with someone else, looking at her like I look at her.
Like she’s the fucking sun in the sky and he revolves around her.
Makes me want to claim her all over again so he can’t touch her.
Get in line, asshole. She was mine first and will be my last. Her warnings did nothing to quell the incessant need to charge after them, rip her out of his arms, and take her back to my room.
I want to tie her to my bed and show her the error of our ways.
Grovel. Apologize. Whatever it takes to get her back in my arms. Forever.
Olivia can keep running all she wants and making excuses as to why she’s here.
But I’ll figure it out. Even if it ruins whatever she has up her sleeve. Because I know there was more to the story than her needing a hookup. Ugh. My stomach turns at the thought of them touching or fucking.
Nope.
Can’t think about it.
Can’t imagine it.
Or I’ll vomit right here in the kitchen.
I know in my heart that Olivia is up to something more than what she’s saying.
There’s something there that I can’t put my finger on.
I’ve been racking my brain, trying to understand why she’d come back here dressed as Oliver if she was free from this life once and for all.
Because that’s what her death did. It freed her from Franco.
Her missing father. From the Viotto Crime Family.
It wiped her slate clean.
It’s everything Olivia had always ached to have when she stared at the ceiling of our treehouse and vowed we’d all be free one day.
She has what we want.
So that begs the question that’s been eating me from the inside out.
Why now? Why come back at all? Why not live her life and write us all off for good?
She stayed away from us for over five years and built something for herself.
So, she’s obviously after something here.
And you know what? I’m going to help her achieve it. Fuck Franco. Fuck this Syndicate.
I want my girl.
“Fucking weird, bro,” Mack mumbles through more grapes. “I’m telling you, do the rematch then. But that dickbag needs major stipulations. We can’t let others think they can back out like he did.” He narrows his eyes at Hux, who mindlessly blinks at him.
“For fuck’s sake, dude. At least make him tie his hands behind his back or something,” he cackles. “That would be entertaining. Can you imagine?” He snorts to himself, weaving his head back and forth like he’s lost in the fantasy of Malic fighting with his hands tied behind his back.
Hux takes a deep breath, lifts his coffee cup to his lips, and takes a long sip. Setting it down, he leans against the island. “Are we prepared for tonight?” he asks, looking between us and ignoring Mack’s words.
“So, you’re going to ignore that brilliant suggestion?” Mack grumbles, earning an eye roll.
“I’ll think about it. Are you happy?” he grits out, sipping his coffee again. “Are we fucking ready or not? This shit has to start tonight.”
Mack instantly perks up with a grin, rubbing his hands together.
“Very happy! Now, back to the fun stuff. If you mean kidnapping our newest recruits in the middle of the night with black hoods over their heads and leading them into the deepest part of the caves under Greenwood, then I’m fucking prepared.
” He whoops, throwing his fist in the air with excitement.
“I call Davenport. He’s mine.” He points at the two of us for confirmation, but is met with silence.
“No,” Hux and I say at the same time.
I side-eye Hux again when he glares at me. A pained expression passes over him, and my brows furrow.
“You’re assigned to Simon,” Hux reminds him, taking another sip of his coffee.
“And you have to follow the rules like a good fucking boy. You can’t hurt them or bruise them or what-fucking-ever.
Are we clear? If you get us into shit again, I’ll throttle your ass.
We can’t go to fucking prison because of you.
” He gives Mack a pointed look. “You’re messing with highly connected kids whose parents don’t take fucking kindly to injuries.
Their precious babies can’t report back that they got a fucking bruise. Capiche?”
“Throttle? Sounds sexy.” Mack winks, stepping back from the punch Hux throws.
“Missed me, asshole. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Huxey? You need to cheer up! It’s our big day of scaring the shit out of our newest recruits.
Only the strong survive.” He grins again, and this time something malicious sparks in his eyes.
Great. He has a sneaky plan that he knows we won’t approve of.