by J Bree
It’s up to Lips now.
We take our seats right as Avery’s text comes through. We’re headed down now. Lips is still feeling shit, don’t be inconsiderate assholes and pant all over her while she’s not okay.
Ash’s jaw tightens as he reads it and then murmurs, “Whoever broke her leg, they’re on the planner. I don’t give a fuck who she chooses; I’m killing whoever hurt her like that.”
Only if he gets to them first.
When the girls arrive, Avery has to coax Lips into taking food, another sign she’s not okay, and I have to force myself to keep my mouth shut. Morrison watches her like she’s a miracle walking among us, all of his attempts at hiding his obsession gone now, and even Ash stares at her in his own twisted version of wonder. I wait until the last second before I look up at her, only because I’m sure I’m staring at her just as obsessively, and Avery shuts us all down pretty fucking quickly.
The second they reach the table, she slams their tray down with more force than necessary as they both take their seats and snaps, “Don’t start. Lips can’t eat when she’s stressed.”
Lips cringes and nudges her plate away from herself a little, and Morrison, the asshole extraordinaire, drawls, “If Harley is bothering you—“
Avery cuts Blaise off, hissing, “I said, don’t start,” as I elbow him in the gut to shut him the fuck up. Ash just watches it all play out without a word, letting us all dig our own graves.
“I’m never going to eat again. Goodbye boobs, it was nice having you,” Lips mutters, and Avery cackles at her dramatics.
“That will shut them up! The boobs are in danger.”
Fuck that.
I snort and shove her plate of French toast back in front of her. “Save the boobs, Mounty.”
Her cheeks flush as she picks up her fork, digging in as we all laugh, the tension finally ebbing away a little. She focuses entirely on her food, eating slowly but meticulously, and we all get back to our own food. I barely taste a thing.
“So! Plans for summer break?” Avery says in her most fake sunshine tone, like it isn’t completely obvious she’s deflecting, but we all play along and groan.
“I’m getting dragged to New York by my father to see what’s new with the Kora branch there. I’m looking forward to exactly none of it and I’m pissed off I won’t be touring,” says Blaise, and he pours Lips another glass of juice. She mumbles a quiet thank you to him, the flush on her cheeks still going strong.
I don’t want to talk about my plans because they’re completely centered on finding as much time as possible to spend with Lips, whether we’re dating or not, because I’m not leaving her in the Bay alone. I rub a hand over the back of my head as I say, “Two weeks on the coast to see my mom. Then Mounts Bay.”
Ash and Blaise give me a look, but I don’t give a fuck who knows that I’m going to be watching her back. They’re both probably going to try the same shit.
“We’ll be going to Amsterdam to celebrate Joey’s graduation. He chose the city and Father agreed because he’ll want to spend some time in the red light district I imagine. Hopefully he catches something terminal. Or at the very least something that makes his dick rot and fall off. Lips?” says Ash.
Fuck, we can only hope Senior and Joey both fall into some poisonous pussy and croak there.
Lips obviously agrees as she snorts and pushes her empty plate aside, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She glances at me from the corner of her eye and there’s that blush again.
The problem is she’s reacting to all of us and I have no idea what that.
“I have a couple of jobs lined up. Oh, and some Club events to go to. I have some…plans in the pipeline that I’m working on. Lots of groundwork and carefully thought out moves,” she says mildly, like she’s not opening up a whole new can of worms for us all to worry about. Avery watches her with interest but she doesn’t ask any questions, which means she knows all of the details and I’ll be grilling her extensively later.
When Lips doesn’t continue, or give us any information that might help us figure her plans the hell out, and Avery just taps away on her phone. Ash finally clears his throat and asks, carefully, “You’re going back to the Jackal, then?”
She tenses a little and then glances around the dining hall. There’s no one near us, barely any students came down to eat here this morning and I’m glad when she says, “No, I’m not going back to him. Do you guys know what the Club is? Who the Twelve are?”
Finally, we might get something from her.
Morrison frowns a little and asks, “They’re like gang leaders, right?”
She winces and I want to kill him for whatever he’s made her feel, but she continues anyway. “Not quite. Some are, the Jackal included. He deals drugs, runs firearms, dabbles in extortion when the payoff is high enough. But really, each member of the Twelve have their own set of skills and they build on that.”
I already knew that after a childhood living down there and my time in juvie. Half the kids there already had the animal tattoos of whoever they’d sold themselves to, and there’s no denying who owns the city.
Whatever she has to do with the Twelve… it’s going to complicate things, because getting her away from the Jackal is going to be hard enough without her having involvement with one of the other members.
Fuck.
“I was thirteen when the Hawk died and a spot opened up in the Twelve. They ran the Game, which should really have it’s name changed to ‘brutal torture sessions’. The Jackal sponsored me. I went up against thirty men and I won.”
The words might be in English but she might as well be speaking fucking Swahili for all the sense it makes to me, and it takes a second before I can even reply, my words sputtering out at the same time as Ash and Morrison’s.
“You won?”
“Thirty men?”
“What the fuck?!”
Avery scoffs at us and looks up from her phone with a smug look. “All hail the Wolf of Mounts Bay.”
What.
The.
Fuck?!
My vision whites out a little because that’s not fucking possible. That’s not even a little bit possible, right? The greatest assassin in the history of the Bay, the silent and deadly Wolf who has never missed a target.
Lips Anderson.
The Mounty.
The motherfucking Wolf of Mounts Bay.
“The Wolf?!” I sputter and I can’t even feel bad for the way she blanches, because I’m too busy looking for evidence. There’s not that much I know for sure about the Wolf, nothing except the burn scars she has to have thanks to one of my cousins.
When I duck down and look under the table at her legs, Avery kicks me in the shin sharply, but I completely ignore her. “We’re wearing skirts, idiot!”
When I sit back up, Lips is blushing like crazy, and I say, “You took out one of my distant cousins in the Game. His dad was fucking livid and went after you with a blowtorch.”
Lips stares at me for a second and then, with zero remorse, she says, “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
And just like that, I believe her.
I’ve fallen head first into an obsession with the Wolf of Mounts Bay.
There’s nothing left for me to do than just tip my head back and roar with laughter because what the fuck is happening right now? This is not how today was supposed to be going, and I don’t think I can be mad about it. “I can’t believe we were all worried about Joey killing you. If only he knew everything you’ve done. Why didn’t you just sneak into his room and slit his throat while he slept?”
Her eyes are suddenly anywhere but on me, her cheeks pale as she chews on her bottom lip.
Morrison elbows me and growls, “Shut up, asshole, you’re freaking her out.”
Fuck.
Fuck, I’ve let my own complete fucking meltdown freak her out.
She takes a deep breath before looking back up at us, her eyes flitting over each of us like she’s expecting one of us to pull ou
t a knife and I want to fucking scream because I did that to her.
I made her afraid of our reactions.
“I’m at Hannaford to get as far away from that life as I can. I wasn’t a willing participant. I had two choices: play the Game or die at the Jackal’s hands. Everything I’ve done has been to keep myself alive,” she says quietly but firmly, with that same strength that’s been in her from day one.
“I didn’t mean—“ I say, but Avery cuts me off.
“Lips, you should head to class. I’ll meet you there, I need to have a chat with the guys.”
She nods and stoops down immediately to grab her bag, hobbling out of the dining hall as fast as her damaged leg will carry her.
Morrison shifts like he’s going to go after her, and Avery snaps, “Stay right the hell there, Morrison, so we can talk this out.”
He doesn’t even spare her a glance. “She needs help, I’m not just going to leave her—“
“What are you going to do, throw her over your shoulder? She’s armed at all times; that’s the quickest and stupidest way to get stabbed.”
Shit.
Shit, I have to adjust myself discreetly under the table, because there’s nothing quite like hearing the girl you want is both armed and prepared to kill. I grew up in the Bay, so that shit is a big turn on.
I’m fucking doomed.
Morrison huffs, crossing his arms like a petulant child, but Avery just leans back in her seat until she has our full attention. Ash looks completely cut off, nothing but the cold, blank trademark Beaumont mask on his face.
I definitely don’t have my shit locked down that well.
“I spoke to Lips about choosing one of you.”
My stomach drops and I have to swallow around the lump in my throat. Morrison starts fucking twitching in his seat, and I want to snap his hands off.
“She didn’t want to choose. Apparently she’s just as obsessed with the three of you. Personally, I think you’ll all only really work if you’re with the same girl. I’ve said it a million times, but you’re all painfully codependent.”
There’s a beat of silence, because that is absolutely not what any of us were expecting.
Morrison and Ash share a look but my brain isn’t making the same leap theirs clearly are. “What the fuck are we going to do, share her?”
Avery rolls her eyes. “Like you haven’t shared before.”
My teeth clench together. “I’m not talking about some piece of ass that doesn’t matter to us. I’m talking about someone who is family; there’s too much at stake to be playing games.”
Avery leans forward in her seat. “Look around, Arbour. You’re not the only person who’s obsessed with her, you’re just the only one too blind to see how far all three of you have fallen.”
She looks around at each of us again and then stands, her phone in her hand. “I have some calls to make. I’ll wait over by the door for you, Ash.”
He doesn’t say a word, just watches her with that same protective intensity he always does.
I can’t help but start the fight with him. I can’t risk Lips with his games. “I’m fucking serious, Ash, if you hurt her—“
His eyes snap to mine as he leans forward in his seat, his tone scathing as he says, “From where I’m sitting, you’re the only one who hurt her today and if you do it again, I’ll beat the shit out of you without hesitating. You want to know how serious I am about her? I’ll tear this family apart for her if I have to… it’s the only one I’ve ever had, but it’s not a real family without her. I’ve spent fucking months fighting it, but this is just the way it is.”
Morrison nods and adds, “She’s ours. She has been from the second she walked through those doors. So either get on board or leave, because if she’s decided she wants us to share then that’s what’s happening.”
I blow out a breath and glance over at the doors again, almost convinced someone is going to come running through them to ruin this for us all because… fuck I want this. I want it so fucking badly. “I’m not arguing, I don’t give a fuck about sharing her, I’m just saying I don’t want to go into this thinking we’re all in and you’re just thinking it’s casual.”
Morrison gets up and slings his bag over his shoulder. “No one thinks this is casual, dickhead. Anyway, we’re late to class. Get your shit and get moving, because she’s out there on her own right now and I don’t give a fuck if she’s the Wolf, someone needs to watch her back while Joey is out there in withdrawals.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blaise
I don’t even make it to my first class for the day before Avery texts the group message.
Lips isn’t going to class, her leg is bad. I’ll go sit with her after my exams.
I smirk and immediately change directions, because I’m the only one who’s finished all of my exams and can skip classes without Avery having to run damage control.
Don’t worry, I’ll go watch out for her.
I shove my phone in my pocket so I don’t have to see the bickering and bullshit from the others about me getting to be the one to be with her. Fuck, I don’t know if they’ll be assholes about it now we’ve sorted shit out but I’m too goddamn excited about having her to myself for a while to give a fuck.
Even if she is in pain and all we do is sit around together, I’m so fucking pathetic for her that I don’t give a fuck.
I stop by my room first to change out of my uniform into an old Vanth shirt and some sweatpants, shit I’ll be comfortable sleeping over in the girls’ room in, because I’m not leaving Lips again until the summer break starts or Avery kills me. Whichever one happens first.
My bet is on my grisly death, because Avery’s cleaning standards are fucking ridiculous.
When I get to the girls’ room, I knock but there’s no answer. That freaks me the fuck out, and I have to coordinate a key pickup from Avery to get in there. Avery is also freaked about Lips not answering her messages, so she meets me at the staircase with a frown.
“Message me the second you get in there. She messaged and said she was taking pain meds and passing out so she should be fine and if I didn’t have Ms. Kierstone I’d just come with you—“
“Avery, relax, she’ll just be asleep and I’ll study or something while I keep an eye on her. I’ll text you, just calm down.”
She nods and takes a breath before she stalks back down to class, her phone in her hands as she texts Ash her exact whereabouts at all times. Next year will be different. Without Joey, Hannaford is going to be a piece of fucking cake and having two peaceful years with Lips here and no daily death threats sounds fucking amazing.
When I get the door open I hear Lips mumbling to herself which calms some of my worry down, but the moment I get a look at her, I don’t know if I should laugh or call Avery to get a nurse sent up because Lips is… so ridiculously high. She’s lying on her bed in one of her oversized men’s shirts and her thrashing around has pushed it up over her hips to reveal the tiniest pair of shorts I’ve ever seen. I’m instantly hard, and I have to take a second to remember she’s clearly drugged to her eyeballs and off-limits, because she’s stroking the fucking bed and talking to herself.
“Only Avery has keys. Avery bought me these sheets. She’s so nice. I think about telling her that.”
Fucking hell. I try not to startle her as I answer, “You’re not thinking anything, you’re speaking. How fucking high are you?”
Her eyes pop open but they stay fixed to the ceiling. “That’s not Avery’s voice.”
Fuck, this is too much for me to handle right now. She’s too… sweet, too freaking innocent like this which is beyond weird. “No shit. She’s still got exams so I came up to check that you’re okay. She told me to force the pills down your throat but it looks like you’ve got that under control.”
Her eyes squeeze shut but that mouth of hers just keeps running. “Nope. I cannot have Blaise in this room while I’m off my tits. Bad idea. I can’t have him around until I�
�m back… on my tits. Or whatever the opposite of this is.”
My dick is definitely mistaking this as dirty talk, and I need to shut it down fast.
Nothing will do that like talking to Avery’s condescending ass, so I need to get Lips tucked into bed to give her a call. “Stop saying tits. Look, I can’t leave you here like this. Fuck knows what you could end up doing to yourself. Stop stroking the sheets, it’s… kinda hot and I’m feeling like a perv watching you. Just get in the bed.”
She lies there like a plank of wood, and I have no choice but to gently maneuver her between the sheets. “In, Lips. Get in bed. Fucking hell, here.”
She shivers and then seals her mouth shut, slapping a hand over it like she knows just how deep she can dig herself into trouble right now, and I can’t help but huff out a laugh at her as I tuck her in like a child.
Then I climb up onto the bed with her, sitting on the sheets because sliding between them would be more torture than I want to endure right now. Once I’m comfortable I get my phone out and give Avery a call. She’ll be on her way to her next class by now and I’d rather have a three minute conversation than spend three hours messaging her reassurances.
“Have you ever seen Lips high before? It’s adorable.”
Avery huffs down the line at me. “Cut your shit, Morrison, is she okay?”
“She’s fine but I’m not leaving her.”
I can hear Ash talking in the background but not what he’s saying, and then Avery says, “Where is she right now? If she’s that… high then you need to have eyes on her because she might hurt her leg more if you don’t.”
“She’s in bed.” I glance over but Lips is still just lying there, her hand tight over her mouth as she watches me. Her phone buzzes on the nightstand, but she ignores it.
“Okay. Okay, fine, I’ll get you out of your classes today, and we can figure tomorrow out if she’s still in pain.”
I couldn’t give less of a fuck about what I’m supposed to be doing right now. “I’ve finished my exams, I’ll email the rest of my classes for the day and tell them I have a migraine or whatever.”
