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Page 38
“I know you aren’t, but I still feel bad.”
I grinned. “So Taylor reamed you out?”
He laughed, his hand falling from his hair. His shoulders seemed to loosen. “Yeah, and Mason came out shirtless in the middle of it. Another time and place, and I would’ve been all over him for doing that. I think he came out to find you.”
I tried to hold in my grin. “And he found your girlfriend instead.”
“Good thing I’m Logan Kade. I mean, come on. If I wasn’t the #sexmachine, I might’ve felt a little self-conscious.” His eyes grew thoughtful. “I’d never noticed how ripped he is. I think he needs to cut back on some of his training. He’s lean cuisine now. Does it hurt? When you’re bumping and grinding against him? Do all those hard muscles give you road rash or something?”
I clapped him on the shoulder, turning for the house. “Stop while you’re ahead.”
“But—”
“Stop, Logan.”
“Okay.” He sighed, reaching around me and opening the door.
Nate, Matteo, and Mark waited for us inside. No Taylor, and no Mason.
“Where’s my boyfriend?” I asked.
“Getting some water,” Matteo reported.
“Where’s my other half?” Logan asked.
Nate grinned. “If she’s smart, heading back to Cain without you.”
Logan scowled. “Not funny, Nate. Not funny.”
Nate laughed. “I think she’s downstairs watching TV or something.”
“So what’s going on?” Logan asked, sitting down. His hand rested along the back of the couch. “What’s Malinda Junior doing here?”
Mark sneered at him. “So funny, Logan.”
Logan shrugged. “You never call. You never email. I don’t get letters from you. What’s going on? It’s like we’re not even brothers anymore.”
“I’m Sam’s brother, not yours.”
“Means the same thing.”
“And you read your own mail? I thought that’s why you got a girlfriend. So she could go through all your mail and fan letters.”
The joking suddenly stopped, and Logan leaned forward. “You want to say that again?”
Mark’s lips formed a line. “You haven’t been around all summer, and the first time I’m seeing you, you’re giving me shit about not talking to you? I’ve been here. Where’ve you been?”
Mason came back from the kitchen, but paused behind Mark.
“I know you were with your girlfriend, but fuck, man,” Mark continued. “All you care about is your brother, Sam, and now your girlfriend. From what I’ve been hearing, you haven’t been such a good friend to Nate, much less Matteo.”
Nate looked confused.
Matteo shot him a look. “I’m the lowest on the totem pole? Is that what he’s saying?”
Logan ignored them both and shot to his feet. “You want to be penpals now? I was joking. That’s what I do. But fuck, man, if you really want to have Dr. Phil phone calls, just call me. If I’m not fighting or having sex, I’ll pick up.”
“No.” Mark shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying—”
“You sore because I didn’t stay for your bday pool party? Well, I’m sorry about that, but we had things to deal with.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Mark pointed at him, snapping his fingers. He gestured to Mason, too, seeing him behind him. “You, too. I heard about the party last night—that there was some biker feud and someone pulled a gun. I got a text from Matteo asking me what was going on, and I had no idea. He couldn’t get ahold of you two.”
Mason and Logan looked at Matteo, who shrugged and lifted his hands. “I didn’t know what to do. I was with Tiffany last night. She got a text about a big party at Channing’s, and we were headed there. We’d almost gotten there when we heard the gun. A huge crowd came running down the street after that.” He indicated Nate. “I saw this one running and picked him up.”
Nate grimaced.
“Yeah,” Matteo added. “We came back here, but no one was around. I knew you guys were here because the two Escalades were in the drive. But I didn’t want to turn creeper and look in the bedrooms.”
I flushed, knowing what Matteo would’ve seen if he had.
Mason looked at him. “You brought that girl here? To this house?”
“Yeah.” He looked at Logan, then me. “Was I not supposed to?”
I met Mason’s gaze. Kate had said someone was talking. Could it be her?
“You met her at Channing’s fight?” I asked him.
“Yeah.” Everyone looked at me as Matteo continued. “She was hanging with some of her friends.”
“Who are her friends?” Mason asked.
“What?”
“Who are her friends?”
Matteo slowly stood. “Look, if you have a problem with her, I won’t bring her around.”
“Have you?”
“What?” Matteo ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired.
Mason asked again, “Have you been bringing her here?”
“Once or twice. Not a lot. I’ve been at her place.”
“She has her own place?”
“She’s got roommates.”
Oh, fucking hell. I closed my eyes, cursing in my head. This was the leak. “Would one of those girls be named Kate?”
“Yeah,” Matteo confirmed. “How’d you know?”
“And does Kate’s boyfriend hang out at the house sometimes when you’re there?”
“Yeah, he’s a big mofo. Some of his buddies were at that bar the other day, too. That’s why I said hello…” He trailed off, suddenly seeing angry faces around him.
Mason turned away. I hung my head, but Logan shot to his feet. “Are you fucking serious? You’ve been hanging with our enemies?”
“I didn’t know they were your enemies. I swear!” Matteo moved around Logan. “Mason, I didn’t know. I’m being honest.”
“What is going on?” Mark sat down, his gaze jumping around the room.
Mason said to Matteo, ignoring my stepbrother, “There’s a shit ton of history here. You’re always so happy. I didn’t want to rain on your parade. We’ve got enemies around these parts, and if you get involved, it can make you paranoid. You seemed like you were having a good time.”
“There’s no way he would’ve known about Kate,” I offered.
“Who’s Kate? Other than Tiffany’s roommate,” Matteo asked.
Mark snorted. “Some chick that went psycho on Sam a while back.”
“What?!”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t out of nowhere. She and Mason used to have a thing, before me.”
Matteo turned to Mason. “You dated her?”
“I used to fuck her.” His lips thinned. “Unfortunately.”
“She and her friends thought they were in an actual girl gang and jumped Sam,” Logan said. “They put her in the hospital one night.”
“Oh. Wow.” Matteo’s voice grew quiet. “I’m sorry, Sam. I had no idea Kate was like that.”
“You guys were told someone was snitching?” Nate asked Mason and me.
I nodded. “Kate found me at the carnival one night. She said we needed to be wary, that someone in the inner circle was talking.” I looked back at Matteo. “You had no way of knowing, so don’t feel bad.”
“He didn’t really know anything, right?” Logan asked Mason.
“Not really.”
Matteo frowned, scratching his head. “Yeah, you guys talk in riddles sometimes. I think I’ve gotten used to it, but now I’m starting to realize it’s just all code for things. Look, don’t tell me anything. I’ll stop seeing Tiffany. We’re not serious. We were just having fun until I go back to school and football.”
Nate and Logan seemed satisfied with that. Both leaned back on the couches, stretching their feet out.
I grinned. “So Taylor reamed you out?”
He laughed, his hand falling from his hair. His shoulders seemed to loosen. “Yeah, and Mason came out shirtless in the middle of it. Another time and place, and I would’ve been all over him for doing that. I think he came out to find you.”
I tried to hold in my grin. “And he found your girlfriend instead.”
“Good thing I’m Logan Kade. I mean, come on. If I wasn’t the #sexmachine, I might’ve felt a little self-conscious.” His eyes grew thoughtful. “I’d never noticed how ripped he is. I think he needs to cut back on some of his training. He’s lean cuisine now. Does it hurt? When you’re bumping and grinding against him? Do all those hard muscles give you road rash or something?”
I clapped him on the shoulder, turning for the house. “Stop while you’re ahead.”
“But—”
“Stop, Logan.”
“Okay.” He sighed, reaching around me and opening the door.
Nate, Matteo, and Mark waited for us inside. No Taylor, and no Mason.
“Where’s my boyfriend?” I asked.
“Getting some water,” Matteo reported.
“Where’s my other half?” Logan asked.
Nate grinned. “If she’s smart, heading back to Cain without you.”
Logan scowled. “Not funny, Nate. Not funny.”
Nate laughed. “I think she’s downstairs watching TV or something.”
“So what’s going on?” Logan asked, sitting down. His hand rested along the back of the couch. “What’s Malinda Junior doing here?”
Mark sneered at him. “So funny, Logan.”
Logan shrugged. “You never call. You never email. I don’t get letters from you. What’s going on? It’s like we’re not even brothers anymore.”
“I’m Sam’s brother, not yours.”
“Means the same thing.”
“And you read your own mail? I thought that’s why you got a girlfriend. So she could go through all your mail and fan letters.”
The joking suddenly stopped, and Logan leaned forward. “You want to say that again?”
Mark’s lips formed a line. “You haven’t been around all summer, and the first time I’m seeing you, you’re giving me shit about not talking to you? I’ve been here. Where’ve you been?”
Mason came back from the kitchen, but paused behind Mark.
“I know you were with your girlfriend, but fuck, man,” Mark continued. “All you care about is your brother, Sam, and now your girlfriend. From what I’ve been hearing, you haven’t been such a good friend to Nate, much less Matteo.”
Nate looked confused.
Matteo shot him a look. “I’m the lowest on the totem pole? Is that what he’s saying?”
Logan ignored them both and shot to his feet. “You want to be penpals now? I was joking. That’s what I do. But fuck, man, if you really want to have Dr. Phil phone calls, just call me. If I’m not fighting or having sex, I’ll pick up.”
“No.” Mark shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying—”
“You sore because I didn’t stay for your bday pool party? Well, I’m sorry about that, but we had things to deal with.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Mark pointed at him, snapping his fingers. He gestured to Mason, too, seeing him behind him. “You, too. I heard about the party last night—that there was some biker feud and someone pulled a gun. I got a text from Matteo asking me what was going on, and I had no idea. He couldn’t get ahold of you two.”
Mason and Logan looked at Matteo, who shrugged and lifted his hands. “I didn’t know what to do. I was with Tiffany last night. She got a text about a big party at Channing’s, and we were headed there. We’d almost gotten there when we heard the gun. A huge crowd came running down the street after that.” He indicated Nate. “I saw this one running and picked him up.”
Nate grimaced.
“Yeah,” Matteo added. “We came back here, but no one was around. I knew you guys were here because the two Escalades were in the drive. But I didn’t want to turn creeper and look in the bedrooms.”
I flushed, knowing what Matteo would’ve seen if he had.
Mason looked at him. “You brought that girl here? To this house?”
“Yeah.” He looked at Logan, then me. “Was I not supposed to?”
I met Mason’s gaze. Kate had said someone was talking. Could it be her?
“You met her at Channing’s fight?” I asked him.
“Yeah.” Everyone looked at me as Matteo continued. “She was hanging with some of her friends.”
“Who are her friends?” Mason asked.
“What?”
“Who are her friends?”
Matteo slowly stood. “Look, if you have a problem with her, I won’t bring her around.”
“Have you?”
“What?” Matteo ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired.
Mason asked again, “Have you been bringing her here?”
“Once or twice. Not a lot. I’ve been at her place.”
“She has her own place?”
“She’s got roommates.”
Oh, fucking hell. I closed my eyes, cursing in my head. This was the leak. “Would one of those girls be named Kate?”
“Yeah,” Matteo confirmed. “How’d you know?”
“And does Kate’s boyfriend hang out at the house sometimes when you’re there?”
“Yeah, he’s a big mofo. Some of his buddies were at that bar the other day, too. That’s why I said hello…” He trailed off, suddenly seeing angry faces around him.
Mason turned away. I hung my head, but Logan shot to his feet. “Are you fucking serious? You’ve been hanging with our enemies?”
“I didn’t know they were your enemies. I swear!” Matteo moved around Logan. “Mason, I didn’t know. I’m being honest.”
“What is going on?” Mark sat down, his gaze jumping around the room.
Mason said to Matteo, ignoring my stepbrother, “There’s a shit ton of history here. You’re always so happy. I didn’t want to rain on your parade. We’ve got enemies around these parts, and if you get involved, it can make you paranoid. You seemed like you were having a good time.”
“There’s no way he would’ve known about Kate,” I offered.
“Who’s Kate? Other than Tiffany’s roommate,” Matteo asked.
Mark snorted. “Some chick that went psycho on Sam a while back.”
“What?!”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t out of nowhere. She and Mason used to have a thing, before me.”
Matteo turned to Mason. “You dated her?”
“I used to fuck her.” His lips thinned. “Unfortunately.”
“She and her friends thought they were in an actual girl gang and jumped Sam,” Logan said. “They put her in the hospital one night.”
“Oh. Wow.” Matteo’s voice grew quiet. “I’m sorry, Sam. I had no idea Kate was like that.”
“You guys were told someone was snitching?” Nate asked Mason and me.
I nodded. “Kate found me at the carnival one night. She said we needed to be wary, that someone in the inner circle was talking.” I looked back at Matteo. “You had no way of knowing, so don’t feel bad.”
“He didn’t really know anything, right?” Logan asked Mason.
“Not really.”
Matteo frowned, scratching his head. “Yeah, you guys talk in riddles sometimes. I think I’ve gotten used to it, but now I’m starting to realize it’s just all code for things. Look, don’t tell me anything. I’ll stop seeing Tiffany. We’re not serious. We were just having fun until I go back to school and football.”
Nate and Logan seemed satisfied with that. Both leaned back on the couches, stretching their feet out.
