by J Bree
The sarcasm is dripping from my words and if Ash wasn’t so fucking livid about Joey, he’d be giving me shit about it, but the very real danger that Avery is in trumps our petty arguments.
We’d never fucking forgive ourselves if something happened to her again.
“Fuck this, I’m going back there to her. I’ll stay there tonight and we can work out a roster so there’s always one of us with her.”
I give him a look. “She’s with the Mounty, who took on a football player to keep her safe, and even fucking wasted Morrison had her back. She’s as safe as she’ll ever be while Joey is around.”
Ash scoffs, “She’s a Mounty, not a fucking killer. There’s no way she could go up against Joey and survive; if she’s as genuine as you think she is, then she’s also a naive little girl who’s going to get herself fucking butchered.”
I’m not going to let that happen.
I already watch Avery’s every fucking move, it wasn’t that hard to keep Lips on my radar, and this little foiled attack by Joey only makes me more convinced. Lips is not the enemy here.
I just need to get that through Ash’s stubborn fucking head.
I’m about to start the same fucking argument we’ve been having for months when we finally get back to Joey’s room only to find half of his dumbass friends waiting there for us.
I fucking hate these poser elitist dickheads and this stupid pretentious fucking hellhole.
Devon looks me up and down and sneers, “He’s going to fucking kill you for this. The second he wakes up, you’re fucked.”
I drop Joey’s legs to the ground and enjoy the drunken grunt that falls out of him. He still doesn’t wake up though. “He knows where to find me, unlike you ass-licking dickheads I’m not afraid of him. Drunk, high, or sober—I can take him.”
Ash stares them all down like he’s planning their deaths out in the most detailed way and some of the newer flunkies start shaking in their fucking loafers. They might like the infamy of hanging around Joey and having access to his supply of narcotics but one look at the deadly ice in Ash’s eyes is enough to have them running.
He is a Beaumont after all.
Devon smirks at us both, staring back at Ash as he replies, “Can Avery take him, though? Can she beat him? Because from where I’m standing, your weakest link has always been the little bitch in the skirt. Fuck, I’m waiting for the day that you all drop the ball and she gets what she deserves.”
And that’s how Devon finds himself out of school for a month, only returning once there’s a metal plate holding his skull together.
He’d be dead if I weren’t there to peel Ash off of him and remind him that we’re playing the long game.
I finish up my morning swim training late, thanks to my coach pulling me aside to talk about scholarships and colleges again. He’s fucking hell-bent on me using my talent to get ahead and it’s not a secret that I’m only at Hannaford because my wealthy and connected cousins made it happen.
I don’t have the heart to tell him I’ll be dead before I graduate.
I haven’t let myself believe that maybe Lips is right and she’ll be able to get me the hell away from my grandfather. No matter who her friends are down in the Bay, they won’t be able to take Liam and Domhnall on. The O’Cronins might have lost the majority of their business to the Twelve but they’re still dangerous, plentiful, and fucking crazy. She’d have to have a direct line to someone with a reputation to have half a chance, and what slum lord of the Bay would bother with a kid like her?
We’re all just children in their eyes.
My mind always goes back to that diamond she’d handed over to Diarmuid like it was fucking nothing. Fuck, she came back from the summer break at least twenty pounds lighter than she’d left, and she didn’t have the pounds to lose in the first place.
Is she a thief? Did she make all of these friends of hers by stealing shit for them?
That might be a theory worth looking into.
Fuck, it’s either that or she’s fucking a crime lord like Blaise thinks and, stupidly, I refuse to believe that’s what’s going on with her. She’s too… genuine. Her reactions to all of us throwing those insults around at her last year—the indignation was real. She always looks fucking horrified at the thought of fucking any of them which means she’s smart enough to know that those girls are disposable.
More disposable than any other Mounty, I mean, which is saying something because no one gives a fuck about the gutter rats in the Bay. I know that for fucking sure because no one gave a fuck about me until Avery and Ash showed up with their fat wallets and unforgiving moral codes.
People here give a shit about the Beaumonts’ orphaned cousin. They really, really started to give a fuck about me once they knew I have an inheritance and the unwavering loyalty of my cousins.
Everyone wants a Beaumont, no matter the cost of getting one.
Another reason I came around to Lips, she doesn’t give a fuck about their last name… she only started giving a fuck about it once Avery was her friend and she needed to know how to protect her. Fuck, she took up residence as Aves’ protective bestie like a fucking pro and it only sealed the deal for me.
My mind is whirling with all of this and more when I almost trip over Lips on the way to our literature class as she stomps out of a fucking storage cupboard like her ass is on fire.
My first thought is she’s fucked someone in there, but she’s so fucking enraged that I immediately move onto someone attacking her and I’m ready to start fucking swinging.
Then Ash walks out.
Fucking Ash because, even though I wasn’t expecting it to be him, of course he’d be the one going after her. He won’t go after Joey, fuck knows why, so instead he’ll go after the Mounty.
I frown at her and open my mouth to ask what the fuck is going on between them now, but she cuts me off with a savage snarl, “You need to keep him the fuck away from me until he decides to get his head out of his ass.”
Right.
I’m a little bit smug that she’s completely immune to him thanks to his shitty attitude.
If only she was the same way with Morrison.
Ash scoffs at her, derisive and arrogant, and calls out over his shoulder as he stalks away, “Stay the fuck away from my friends, Mounty.”
I haven’t seen Lips this fucking enraged in months.
I keep an eye on her for the rest of the day but she’s so fucking angry that I don’t bother trying to talk to her. I need to know exactly what Ash said to her to make her this bloodthirsty, but he’s a safer bet to ask later.
When classes end I follow her out to the stairs that lead to the dorms, completely silent because I like my balls where they are and I know that she could tear them off in the mood she’s in. I want this girl so fucking bad and this fight with Ash isn’t worth me losing what little good standing I’ve managed to win with her.
Avery is waiting at the bottom with Ash and when he sees the two of us walking together, he turns on Lips with a sneer.
“What the fuck do you not understand about staying away from him?”
Ah, fuck.
Lips steps right up to him and pokes his chest with a finger like she’s literally poking the goddamn bear, snarling, “I don’t answer to you, asshole. You ever speak to me like this again and I’ll bury you.”
Avery and I move as one to split them up, and I’m not sure who I’m most worried about. Ash would never raise a hand to a girl but the aftermath if Lips took a swing at him, like I’ve admired her doing to the other assholes at the school, would be severe. Avery would have fucking kittens over it, and I don’t want to have to deal with that shit.
Avery takes Ash, thank fuck, and I grab Lips by the arm, gently tugging her away from him. She barely lets me touch her, wrenching her arm out of my grip and glaring at me even as he moves back. I ignore her glare and the way that her rejection makes me want to destroy something.
I might kill someone at fight club tonight.
“Ash, you need to calm down and think about this,” Avery murmurs, and when he looks at her, he’s gutted, betrayed.
“She just said she’d bury me and you’re taking her side? Nice, Floss. Proves my point.”
Avery flings her arms around his neck and hugs him. “She wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt you. She saved me last year. If she hadn’t helped me Rory would’ve raped and beaten me. He might’ve killed me, Ash. Please just trust me and trust that I know what I’m doing being her friend.”
Jesus.
Floss is pulling out the big guns to distract him because the second the word ‘rape’ comes out of her mouth it’s a big game over for her twin.
He can’t harass Lips if he’s too busy finding Rory and bleeding him out.
His arms slowly rise to hold her and from the corner of my eye I see Lips glance over to me like she can’t handle watching them together.
I get it.
It’s fucking hard to see two people who live and breathe for each other like that. Ash could’ve been a fucking psychopathic asshole like his brother but instead he’s been nothing but devoted to his twin, protecting her and loving her through everything.
Mounties like Lips don’t often get that kind of love.
I had it and lost it.
I don’t think she’s ever had it so it makes being this close to it even fucking harder, I’m sure.
I glance down at her and whisper, “We need a plan for Rory. I’m done sharing the halls with him.”
Her shoulders roll back like she means business. “Agreed.”
Chapter Six
Ash
It’s only a matter of time, little brother. Should we carve the Mounty up as well?
I break my phone in half.
It’s the third one since school started. Avery will bitch me out for it but the second Joey finds my number and starts up with his bullshit, I lose the ability to regulate my own rage. I fucking hate him, loathe him, and someday I’ll find a way to kill him without risking Senior’s wrath on Avery.
Until then I’ll just keep on snapping phones in a fit and changing numbers.
So I’m already in the worst possible mood when I find Avery and the Mounty sitting together in the dining hall for breakfast. They’re laughing and snarking at each other but the moment I sit down they stop, Avery eyeing me warily because even dumb, deaf, and blind she could read my moods with ease.
The Mounty keeps her eyes on her plate of waffles and something about it feels… guilty to me. That’s a fucking red flag, and the fact that Avery can’t see it fucking enrages me.
I wait until my sister is out of the way before I bring it up; I don’t want her jumping to the Mounty’s defense and derailing the entire fucking thing before I can get a read on her.
They both have math classes up first but Avery has dropped down to a slightly lower class this year to focus on her ballet. The Mounty walks her all the way to her class, their arms linked as they whisper together, and even that pisses me off. Why the fuck did Avery have to be friends with her? Why did she have to pick the worst fucking option to finally have as a friend?
I detour to stay ahead of the Mounty, and I find a storage cupboard in the hall that will work because I also don’t need Harley tripping over us and interrupting. He’s fucking smitten with her and it’s becoming a problem.
It’s easy enough to grab her and tug her into the room with me, shutting the door behind her so we’re not disturbed.
I know immediately that the Mounty is pissed off and in fight mode so the moment her fists clench I snap, “Calm down, I just want a word with you.”
She whirls around to face me, her eyes narrowed and throwing fire my way. “We just ate together, you didn’t have to hurt me to speak to me.”
Fuck.
I don’t ever hurt girls; I’m not my father. She’s rubbing at her shoulder, and I try not to lose my goddamn mind about it.
Is she being genuine or does she know that those words are the best way to derail an argument with me? She knows too much about us all for me to be sure, either way I shift away from her a little.
Fuck it.
I need to say my piece. “I didn’t think I’d pushed that hard.”
She lifts her chin and snaps, “Whatever. What did you want to speak to me about?”
The dismissive tone is like a fucking slap to the face and makes me remember my anger, my shoulders rolling back and my glare once again icy as I snap back, “Stay the fuck away from Blaise and Harley. I don’t need you poisoning them with the same shit you’ve fed Avery. You’re a Mounty slut with an agenda and I’m not falling for your little act.”
Now she looks as though I’ve taken a swing at her. “I’m not trying anything with them. I’m actually actively avoiding them both. And don’t you ever call me a slut again, I think the ongoing bet proves I’m not.”
I scoff and cross my arms. “That’s why you sit with Harley in every class? And Blaise was in your room last night? You really are working overtime to get them. Just because you’re picky about the dick you want doesn’t make you any better than any other Mounty.”
She huffs and squints up at me like I’m an idiot, which only makes me angrier. “Seating in all of our classes is assigned. He’s Arbour, I’m Anderson, we can’t change that unless he decides to go back to being an O’Cronin and I think we both know that isn’t happening. As for Blaise, I helped your sister carry him back last night. Then I helped him out while he spewed. Should I have handed him over to Annabelle instead? Are you okay with your friends being raped while they sleep by gold-digging tramps? Or is it okay for her to fuck you all, even if you’re not conscious and consenting, because her family has money?”
Typical fucking Mounty bullshit, always an answer for everything. This is how she’s fooled Avery into believing her, but I’m not fucking falling for it.
She stares at me for a second longer before scoffing and storming out of the storage room right as Harley strides past. He frowns at her and then when I step out after her, he scowls at us both like he’s caught me with my dick in her, the jealous asshole. He opens his mouth, no doubt to make an idiot of himself, but the Mounty cuts him off with a snarled, “You need to keep him the fuck away from me until he decides to get his head out of his ass.”
I leave them both to make eyes at each other, calling out over my shoulder to her, “Stay the fuck away from my friends, Mounty.”
I get through the rest of my day with nothing but my fucking terrible mood to keep me company. When I find Harley still following the Mounty around like a lost puppy and Avery jumps to her defense, there’s no stopping me from tearing into her again.
She always fights back, no matter what angle I take, but this time she looks ready to kill me.
Good.
It’s only Avery’s words that snap me out of it and put a whole new bloodlust into me.
If she hadn’t helped me Rory would’ve raped and beaten me. He might’ve killed me, Ash.
I will kill that worthless cunt.
When Avery finally coaxes me into leaving with Blaise to head down to ballet, I head straight for the chapel where the fights are being held for the night. I need someone to bleed tonight. Whether it’s me or some chump I’m beating the shit out of, I don’t care. I just need the blood. The moment I arrive, the air disappears from the room, sucked out by the fucking terrible mood I’m in. I strip my blazer off and roll up the sleeves of my shirt in the quiet of the room. No one dares to speak a word, not even when I turn around, ready for a fight.
Everyone here knows what happened to Devon so there aren’t any immediate takers.
Fucking pathetic.
I point at Sebastian and watch as he gulps. “Get in the ring.”
There’s a small reprieve in sadistic messages with my old number cut off but, in the quiet void, the demons that play out in my head get louder.
The good thing about rooming with Blaise and Harley is that neither of them ever say a goddamn w
ord to me about the sleep paralysis, even when Harley has had to shake me out of the grips of them. He barely fucking sleeps, only ever passing out when he’s too drunk to remember the nightmares that plague him.
Blaise is morose and probably on his way to becoming an alcoholic, so he’s just as fucking bad.
I sleep like the dead, except for when this fucking bullshit happens.
Neither of them look at me when I finally pull myself out of the icy grip of the demon sitting on my chest, wearing my father’s face and rummaging around inside me. The worst of these dreams are when he tells me that, under my skin, Avery and I look exactly the same. That he’s already pulled her skin back— layer by layer— cracked open her rib cage and burst her beating heart open in his fist.
I’ve seen him do that to a girl before.
I’ll never fucking forget it either.
I pull a tank top on but I refuse to grab pants for the quick trip over to my sister’s room. I’m not going to get another fucking second of sleep without seeing her with my own eyes and knowing that the nightmares are nothing but my own trauma feeding me the worst possible thing that could happen, over and over again.
“You heading to Aves’?” Harley mumbles, his nose in a textbook. Blaise has headphones on with music blaring and one of his lyric books open in front of him. Obviously it’s not a good night for any of us.
“I’ll sleep there. Make sure Morrison goes to bed sometime soon, he has a pop quiz tomorrow,” I murmur back, and Harley nods absently.
Avery is the caregiver, not me, but I’ve been listening to him freak out about it for fucking days and it’ll only get worse if he falls asleep in class… again. Fuck, last year he spent more time asleep on his desk in history class than he did in his bed. With any luck, Harley will get high with him and they’ll both get some fucking sleep.
I doubt it, but one can hope.
I grab my new phone, just in case, but I don’t even bother with shoes. Avery will be horrified but I feel antsy, like there’s something crawling under my fucking skin, and I just need to get over to her.
