by G N Wright
Bang. His words hit me like a fucking gun shot as they smack me right in the gut. I feel both the guys tense next to me at his words, but I feel nothing. I stand up so quick, my chair falls backwards and the clang of it hitting the floor halts the entire cafeteria, until every eye is on us.
“I’m done,” I say simply, I can’t sit here and play nice with him, not if he is going to spout shit like that. Anyone else would receive a knife in the fucking crotch for those kinds of comments. One more word like that and he will be lucky if he’s even got a dick to get up for fucking Cherry here. I am ready to get fucking stabby.
“Well, that was easier than you are,” he replies smugly.
Before I can even respond Jace jumps out of his seat and drags Marcus across the table by the collar of his jacket.
Unphased by him Marcus adds, “Woah, King, that pussy must really be good, if it can get a reaction from our resident playboy here,” a devilish smirk curving his lips. The punch is so fast I barely see it coming, Marcus definitely didn’t. The force of it causes his head to swing to the side and blood to spit out of his mouth.
“You can be a real fucking asshole, Marcus,” Jace seethes at him but Marcus just laughs and that’s when it hits me.
I bend down getting close enough to smell his breath, “Are you drunk?” I ask him in a low tone so only me and the guys can hear.
“None of your fucking business,” he spits back at me, only enhancing the whiskey on his breath. Fuck. I huff out a breath as I stand and look to Lincoln, “Take him home, he needs to rest.”
Lincoln nods and leans down to help him up, ignoring Marcus’ attempts to push him away as he mutters traitor under his breath. Once he is on his feet, he goes to lead him away when Jace stops him with a firm grip on his arm.
“One day, you will learn what that was for and you’ll wish I would have done worse to you,” he says, through gritted teeth before he looks at me and nods as he walks away.
I watch as they leave with Cherry running after them. Fuck this Monday!
Chapter 8
JACE
The rage I feel is something I haven’t felt in a while but fuck if I am not burning with it right now. Never in all the years since we met, have I ever wanted to hurt one of my brothers until just now. We aren’t brothers by blood but by choice. Our connection runs on a deeper level. We can communicate without words. Always on the same page, same wave, same team. Until now.
Marcus and Lincoln saved me from myself. After my sister was raped and murdered by that fucking scum of the earth, Donovan, I was spiralling. Drinking and doing more drugs than any child should, but they came along and gave me what I was missing: a family.
Losing Rachel left a hole in my heart that can never be filled, but with Elle around, well damn, if I don’t feel a little better. Yeah, she’s fucking beautiful but it’s not her face that draws you in, it’s everything. Her heart, her presence, her fucking badass nature. She has been through shit that no one should have to endure and come out stronger on the other side. Just thinking about what she has gone through and survived makes me want to bleed for her. I know she won’t replace my sister but having her around gives me something to live for again. I want to help her get her revenge on them all until there isn’t a threat left that could hurt her or Cassie. She is the perfect missing piece for our little fucked up family and I can easily see the love between her and Marcus.
How Marcus doesn’t see it, blows my mind. Her heart and soul fucking beats for him yet he is too fucking stubborn to accept it. I get it, I do, what he thinks he knows and how he found out, he must be losing his mind. But how does he not want to dig deeper and see the bigger picture here?
He is so fucking dumb, the way she looks at him, a lesser man would kill for that. That kind of love and adoration, a love that is so fierce, she is willing to push it away to keep it intact. He is too busy worrying about little Donovan to see what is right in front of him. Pure unconditional love. The kind that only comes around once in a lifetime, if you're lucky.
I stalk from the cafeteria on the lookout for something, anything, that can kill this rage inside me. I head to Elle’s safe haven on the bleachers and spark up a joint. Weed is the only drug I allow to course through my veins these days. I take a few drags and am grateful when the effects start to calm my body. I pull out my phone and start scrolling through social media to distract myself.
It isn’t long before I find the perfect one I’m looking for. Taylor Kennedy looking fine as fuck in her Hallows Prep uniform. She has posted a picture where someone has caught her off guard and she is laughing, her lips full and luscious, the sun framing her perfectly. Damn, if that girl doesn’t turn me into a walking hard on. Her defiant green eyes stare back at me and I just imagine what it would be like to see those eyes looking up at me, as she took my cock in her mouth. Damn.
“Pretty boy, if you’re gonna start jerking off, I will stab you,” Elle’s voice cuts into my perving and I smile, looking down at her as she climbs the steps to the top of the bleachers.
“What makes you think I’m gonna be jerking off up here?” I reply with glee.
She snorts, “Please. I know you well enough by now to know that pervy look in your eye,” she says, getting closer before trying to peek at my phone, “Who’s your next target anyway?”
I click my phone shut before she can see I was lusting after her only friend, “No one important, princess,” I say with my usual jokey attitude and she frowns.
“That’s just sad,” she replies, like she feels sorry for me which is laughable. What is there to feel sorry for? I am an eighteen-year-old male who is getting more pussy than most guys will see in a lifetime.
“What? So, should I fall in love and watch them with someone else instead?”
“Ouch. Harsh, pretty boy,” she throws herself down beside me and leans her head on my shoulder.
“You know I’m only teasing,” I say, putting my head on hers and it feels exactly how I used to do it with Rachel. We sit in comfortable silence knowing words are pointless right now. We are both upset and pissed off with Marcus and talking about it won’t change that. He is going to need to sort this one out himself.
The bell rings but neither of us move and I can feel the tension still pulsing out of her and I can no longer bear it. I sit up and she jumps at my quick movement and looks at me with a slight frown, so I just hold out my hand for her to take.
“Come on, let's go,” I say with determination.
“Where to?” she asks but takes my hand anyway and I love that she is putting her trust in me. Fuck knows what I did to deserve it but I don’t question it either way. She is exactly like Rachel in that sense, it’s probably what dealt them both the shitty hand of Greg Donovan.
“We are ditching, you need cheering up, and I need chilling out,” I say simply, and she just shrugs and follows me down the bleachers. It isn’t until we reach the parking lot that I realize Lincoln took our only mode of transportation, fuck.
Elle isn’t fazed though she just laughs and pulls out her phone and dials someone.
“Hey, I need a ride home now, can you come get me? You’re the best, see you soon.”
“Who the hell was that?”
“Ash,” she says simply. Oh great, we are inviting the little psycho to join us. Perfect. “And why did you presume we were just going to your house”.
She laughs loudly before catching her breath enough to reply, “Oh please, pretty boy, don’t think I haven’t realized that the number one girl in your life right now still needs parental supervision for everything,” she says, with a smile and I smile back.
Damn it, she caught me. Of course, I was suggesting we go to hers and see Cassie, that little girl has me wrapped around her finger already just like her mommy. It feels good to be around girls again in a family sense and not just for mindless fucking.
“What?” I say with a shrug, “Can you blame me?”
“Of course not. She's perfect,” she says with a h
uge smile and it’s only ever that big when she is talking about her daughter. I smile back because it really is infectious.
We don’t wait long before Asher Donovan pulls up in a blacked-out car and jumps out to open the passenger door for Elle.
He nods at me with a grimace, “Conrad.”
“He’s coming too,” Elle says before she gets in and the look on his face is funny as fuck, he really does hate us Rebels. I flip him off before I jump into the back seat and spread out like I own it and his face is still set in a grimace when he climbs back behind the wheel. I offer him my smuggest smile when we lock eyes in the mirror.
On the drive back to the house, Elle fills him in on everything that went down this morning. He looks as murderous as always which for some reason just makes me laugh. By the time we arrive, my excitement at seeing mini-Elle has increased tenfold. What can I say, there's just something really enchanting about seeing the world through the eyes of a child.
It’s just another thing I don’t understand about Marcus. How did he just walk away so easily, without falling in love with the little version of his best friend. I can’t help but feel sorry for him, no matter how fucking angry I am at him right now. Because when he finds out the truth, and he will, I know him well enough to know that. He is going to hate everyone but no one more than himself.
“He’s a fucking idiot,” Donovan says as we pull up to Elle’s house.
“For once we agree on something, Donovan,” I say with a smile and then flip him off one more time before climbing out ignoring his chastising of Elle about hanging around Rebels too much.
Elle just laughs him off as she climbs from the car and heads for the door and lets us in. We follow her through the giant hallway and into the main living area. I have been here more than a few times now and still I am astounded by the amount of wealth here.
I have more than I ever imagined I could, now, in terms of a home, cars, and stuff, but I am still not used to it. I’m not like Marcus, I didn’t grow up with any sort of wealth. I barely lived hand to mouth as a child and Rachel and I suffered together. Our parents were a pair of crackheads, who were more concerned with their next high than their children's wellbeing. So, standing in a house worth millions, that is just something I don’t think I will ever get used to.
It’s the same feeling every time we get paid by Zack. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the illegal money we have coming in under the table too, but something about that legitimate payment hitting a real bank account does something to me inside. Makes me proud to know I can afford more than basic necessities now. I wish Rachel were still alive to experience it with me.
We find Helen sitting on the sofa reading to Cassie and they both look up and smile as we enter.
“Mommyyyyy!” Cassie squeals as she struggles to rush off the sofa to run to Elle. When she dives into her arms it hits me in the heart every time. This is what a mother should be like: loving, attentive, and willing to burn the world to the ground for their children. I see that in both Elle and Helen. I only wish I could have been as lucky to have someone like them as a parent instead of the shitty hand I was dealt.
Helen immediately starts fussing over us asking if we need anything, offering us snacks, and drinks. I can’t help but feel happy about it. She is no relation to me; she barely even knows me but the way she mothers over me makes my heart light and happy. A feeling I am becoming accustomed to for the first time ever.
Cassie turns to Donovan next and I swear it’s the only time the ice around his cold, dead heart thaws. For her and only her. Okay, maybe Elle too, but mostly Cassie. I wish I could say I didn’t understand him, that I didn’t relate to his psychotic nature, but I do. Knowing what happened to Rachel, what his brother did to her fills me with a rage I can’t even describe. So, to be in his shoes and have witnessed the aftermath with Elle, got her out of there, only to find out they had left her pregnant. I can’t even imagine how psychotic that would make me.
I see it on his face every time I look at him. That rage, that pure unfiltered murderous look that tells me he will level this fucking city for these two and not have one single regret. How he holds onto that level of anger and doesn’t plant a bullet in the skull of his father and brother every day he sees them is beyond me. But he does and it’s all for them, kind of hard to keep a hatred towards him.
Cassie finally looks to me and in an instant all my anger and rage from the day disappears when she screeches my name.
“Jaceeeeee!” She shouts as she clambers down from Asher's arms.
She bundles her arms around my legs, and I reach down, lifting her up into the air and throwing her above my head while her giggles filter through the air.
“Careful!” Asher snipes at me and I just laugh causing him to curse under his breath.
I ignore him in favor of Cassie as I bring her down and ruffle her hair, “How’s my favorite little lady?”
“Happy!” she shouts excitedly and makes me smile wider as I look at Elle, Helen, and even Asher as they all share the same smiling expression at her words.
“Well, we can’t ask for better than that, can we, mini?”
Chapter 9
MARCUS
Iwake to water being dumped onto my head and jump up to find Jace leering down at me.
“Time for school, asshole,” he says, with a scoff as he steps over me and my eyes follow him to find Lincoln looking at me with distaste too. He just shakes his head and they both disappear into the garage and it isn’t long before I hear the rumble of an engine as it takes off.
I guess it’s time to get up. I stand with a grumble trying to ignore the pounding in my head. I lost track of how much I drank yesterday, hell, how much I drank in the last two weeks. The only answer I know, is a fucking lot. I ignore my soaked t-shirt and head straight into the kitchen for coffee and aspirin, my only salvation right now, and feel the buzz of my phone in my pocket. I ignore it in favor of the coffee and then head to take a shower.
Looking in the mirror I see a reflection I barely recognize. Looking back at me isn’t the man I am used to, the leader of the Rebels, the King of the South Side. No, the only thing I see is a broken, betrayed boy. I haven’t shaved since Elle ripped out my heart and stomped on it, so I’m rocking an unusual amount of stubble.
I grimace at the sight. Everything hurts. My head, my back, my fucking heart. I put up a good defense yesterday, but I would be lying if I said I still wasn’t hurting like fuck over everything that happened.
I thought leaving town when Elle dropped the bomb of Cassie on me was the perfect solution. I still can’t believe it, Elle King is a mom and not only is she a mom but her kid’s dad is none other than Asher fucking Donovan. Fuck, just thinking about them together makes my skin burn with jealously. However, disappearing didn’t work, out of sight but definitely not out of mind. She was all I could fucking think about.
I came back to town with every intention of acting like she meant nothing to me. I rocked up to school with my pride back in place and a girl on my arm, yet it still didn’t deter my little King. No, instead of being deterred, she fought back with that smart mouth and what I hope was a fucking joke with Jace. If not, I think I might murder my own fucking brother. Watching him touch her should not make me feel the way it did. I am fucking done with her. She is, what I thought she always was, a liar and a traitor.
I shower quickly and throw on some clothes and grab my jacket off the floor on my way out, opting for my bike. My phone buzzes again as I go to swing my leg over and I remember I still haven’t checked it. I pull it out and see numerous texts all from the same person. Cherry.
CHERRY: Can’t wait to see you baby!
CHERRY: What are you doing?
CHERRY: Wanna come over?
CHERRY: Are you picking me up?
CHERRY: I’ll guess I’ll see you at school
Fuck me. I knew picking a girl to show Elle I don’t need her wasn’t really my best idea, but fucking hell. I didn’t think about how th
is would pan out. Now not only am I dealing with Elle and her lies, but also a clingy fucking girl, who thinks she has finally locked down a fucking Rebel. Things are just going from bad to worse, but can I really back down now? I saw the way Elle looked at her yesterday, how her hand would flinch to reach for her knife every time Cherry’s hand stroked down my chest. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I did.
I could tell she wanted her gone, but if she is going to play games with Jace, then I need a partner to go toe to toe with her. Who is a better candidate than Cherry? Honestly, probably fucking anyone but it’s too late now. I pocket my phone and get on my bike and head to what I am sure is going to be another fucking awful day. My little King wants a war. She’ll get one.
It isn’t long before I get to school and am both exasperated and excited at finding Cherry there waiting for me. I don’t want to use her like this, but I don’t have a choice. She thinks she has a chance with me, but I can’t even touch her without feeling like I am betraying Elle in some way. After what she has done, how fucked up is that?
I think about ignoring her until later, but then I spy Elle sitting on the hood of Linc’s SUV, with both Lincoln and Jace by her side. Seeing my brothers flank her like this would have made me happy before, now it just pisses me the fuck off. So, I do what any self-respecting, scorned male would do, I act like I don’t fucking care.
Cherry only sweetens things when she sees me and runs at me as she shouts, “Baby!” before throwing herself at me until her body is flush against mine. I will for my body to react, to have even a flicker of a fucking erection to anyone that isn’t Elle but nothing, nada. I am starting to think he is the biggest traitor of all. What kind of dick only gets hard for a fucking liar?
I shutdown my thoughts and begrudgingly put my arms around Cherry, at the same time I lock eyes with Elle. She looks murderous. I shouldn’t be giddy about that but I am. That feeling lasts all of two seconds when I see Elle go to slide off the trunk and Jace grips her thigh to keep her in place while speaking closely to her so only they can hear. Oh fuck no.
