I stare at my father’s grave as he’s hoisted inside. My mother cuddles up to Kai for hugs as she sniffles into a handkerchief. Neither of us says a word.
Not because we have nothing to say but because it wouldn’t be positive.
Even if she’s crying, she’s probably only mourning the idea of the power he had over this city, not the love he dished out occasionally, like one would throw a bone at a dog.
She swiftly tucks the handkerchief into her pocket and blows out a sigh.
Not one of regret but one of relief.
My eyes flutter up to Kai, who just blinks and nods.
Finally, it’s over.
This fucker has been laid to rest along with the dirt he belonged to.
And I doubt any of us will ever miss his presence.
When the funeral is finished, my mother is accompanied by family from her side, while Kai stays behind with me.
“Who knew a bastard like him could leave such a stain on this world?” I mutter.
Kai spits on his grave, and I look up in surprise. “Desecrating holy grounds already?”
“He deserves nothing less. Hope he rots in hell.”
I smile. “Nah. That’s where all the fun people are.”
He smirks back at me. “Wherever he is, I never want to follow.”
“You sure about that?” I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I mean, the Torres company is left without anyone to lead it now.”
“I don’t want a legacy built on blood and lies,” Kai answers, tilting his head. “Father would’ve hated for you to take over.” A filthy smile forms on his lips. “So how about we give him one final big fuck you?”
Sly little brother.
I shake my head and chuckle. “I knew you’d pull something like this.”
“Fuck what Father said. You’re the smartest, most reliable one of us.” He places a hand on my shoulder. “I mean it. It’s yours.”
“What about Mother?”
“I’m sure she’s just happy her sons are still alive,” he says. “Besides, I’m far too busy.”
“With what? Sex and murder?”
He shrugs, and a dirty grin spreads on his face. “You, of all people, should know.”
Busy with his murderous girlfriend?
We really are a family of devils.
“Love ya.” He winks. “See you at school.”
“Definitely. And don’t think I’ll let you off the hook with the Torres company. I’m going to need extra hands to take care of the mess he left.”
He lifts both middle fingers in the air. “This enough hands?”
I laugh and shake it off. “Love you too, Kai.”
I gaze at the graves and the lonesome, round-faced girl with blond hair and big eyes sitting behind one of them. She didn’t want to attend the funeral, but she still wanted to be here for me, even if only from a distance.
I walk toward her, the pebbles beneath my feet giving my presence away.
But she doesn’t move.
“I miss you,” she mutters at the grave, touching the ground as tears form in her eyes.
I kneel behind her and place a hand on her shoulder.
“You did it,” I say.
She turns to look at me, eyes filled with both sadness and hope. Hope for a future beyond the suffering.
“You took your revenge.”
The most beautiful, heart-wrenching smile forms on her lips. We both know the duplicitous nature of that smile. How, on the one hand, she’s overjoyed to end this chapter of her life, while on the other, the guilt of knowing she killed my father will forever stay etched within her soul. “I did.”
But if she hadn’t ended his life, mine would have been forfeited.
And I am forever grateful she chose me. Even if it cost my brother and me our own blood.
“If your father was here … I just know he would tell you how proud he is of you.”
She breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Blaine
Weeks later
Crystal sits beside me on the bench beneath the tree in the rose garden and pats her thighs.
“Do we really have to do this?” Ares grumbles.
“Yes. Stop complaining,” I reply.
Caleb sighs out loud and lays his head on Crystal’s lap, his legs splayed over my lap and the edge of the bench.
“How long is this going to take?” Ares asks, sitting on the bench’s armrest next to Crystal.
I rub my forehead. “Do you guys really have such a short attention span?”
Ares folds his arms. “No one ever asked if I wanted to do this.”
“Do it for me, please?” Crystal begs, looking up at him with those sweet eyes of hers.
She knows just how to wrap all of us around her pretty little fingers.
Ares’s eye roll makes me chuckle. “Fine.”
“Great,” I say. “Then let’s begin.”
“With what?” Ares asks. “What book is this even? What’s the genre?”
“Romance, darling.”
“Romance?” both boys say in tandem.
Caleb tries to lean up. “Nuh-uh, I ain’t reading that shit.”
“No one asked you to read. I’m reading it to you,” I reply.
When he moves his legs off, I grab them and place them back on top of me where they were before. “Stay.”
“Jesus,” he grumbles.
“Caleb, just shut up and listen,” Ares growls at him.
“What? Like you don’t feel the same way.”
“She wants us to do this together,” Ares says, throwing his hand over her shoulder. “So let’s just get it over with.”
“Yes. I want us to have more bonding time,” she says, melting my heart.
“You’re so sweet. Whatever did we do to deserve you?” I say, pecking her on the cheek.
“Enough with the slickness,” Caleb says. “Just start already.”
“Chapter one? Or chapter fifteen?” I wriggle my brows.
“What’s the difference?”
“The spice.”
“Oh yes, all the spice,” Crystal muses, biting her lip.
“Of course, you’d pick that chapter,” I reply, winking.
“Well, if you want spice, I’ll give you all the spice you desire later,” Ares says, slipping his hand down her shirt. “Start reading, then. Let’s see how far you get before she begs you to put it down and play out the scene instead.”
“Oh …” A mischievous grin spreads on my face. “Now that’s a plan I can definitely get behind.”
Caleb
Months later
“So wait, let me get this straight … first, you tell me you want to be close again, and now you’re dating Crystal and Ares together?” Nathan sloshes his coffee around in his cup.
I shrug and take a sip of my own. “You make it sound more complicated than it is. And I already told you I wanted to be friends.”
“You are complicated,” he rebukes.
I snort. “Aren’t we all?”
“True,” Nathan says, taking a sip. “But I never expected you to succumb to the power of pussy.”
“Takes one to know one.” I wink.
He shoves me. “Always the fucking know-it-all.”
“Hey, I’m just saying, maybe we’re not so different after all.”
“Just say you miss me,” he retorts.
I tilt my head and pout. “Fine. I miss you. Can we be friends again?” When he narrows his eyes, I add, “Please?”
He sighs out loud. “Fine.”
I throw my arms around him. “Thank fuck.”
“Watch it!” Nathan yells. “Almost spilled my coffee on my lap.”
“Like pain ever stops you,” I retort.
“True.” He snorts. “But I’m normally the one dishing it out, not receiving it.”
“Maybe that’s why we weren’t a good match after all,” I say, winking.
“What are you guys talking about?” Crystal says as she sits down beside Nathan.
“Oh, nothing, just two bros hanging out,” I muse.
Until I feel a familiar set of hands squeezing my shoulders, making my whole body turn to mush. “A bro that happens to be your ex?” Ares mutters.
“I’m taken. I’m taken,” Nathan says, hovering off his stool like a bug scared to be squashed.
Crystal snorts from her seat. “I missed this. I missed when we were all just … happy.”
I look at her and feel my heart swell with the need to smile.
I haven’t smiled in such a goddamn long time.
But after losing my mother, Crystal’s the only one who’s managed to bring that smile back to my face. And even now, when I lean in to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the blush on her cheeks makes me feel like the world might not end today. Or ever, as long as I have these two with me.
Crystal
“Happy? Those two?” Blaine interjects as he places his hot cocoa on the bar and sits beside me. “Darling, those two don’t know the meaning of that word.”
Ares shoves him, nearly making him spill his hot cocoa.
“Hey! These are Ralph Laurens, can you not?” Blaine scoffs.
Ares raises a brow. “Watch your tongue, or I’ll force it down his ass next time we have play time.”
Blaine grins with slyness and giggles. “Well, that’s one way to get me to never shut up.”
“Well, you all seem to get along nicely,” Penelope muses, throwing her arms around my neck. “The game’s about to start. Are you coming?”
I look over at the gang. Lana, Felix, Kai, Milo, Dylan, Nathan, and Alistair are all sitting in a circle in front of the fireplace of the cabin we rented while Felix sorts the cards.
“Pass,” Blaine mutters. Everyone looks at him. “What? Games are not my thing.”
“What is your thing exactly?” Penelope asks him.
“Books. Books. Books. Hmm …” He taps his finger against his chin. “Books.”
“Wow, you got yourself an actual book nerd,” Penelope mutters, squeezing my shoulders.
I snort, but Blaine seems offended.
“Excuse me, reading does not constitute being a nerd. It’s called sophistication. Something your lot obviously lacks, judging by that one over there nearly lighting this whole place on fire.” Blaine stares at Dylan, playing with his lighter near a bottle of rum.
“Point taken,” Penelope says, laughing it off.
“Who’s talking about me?” Dylan scoffs.
“No one,” Penelope yells back.
Felix grumbles as he places a deck of cards in front of everyone. “SIT!”
My brows rise. “Is he always this domineering?”
Penelope laughs. “Pretty much, yeah.”
Everyone chuckles a little.
“Guess we’ve been summoned.” Penelope snorts before she leaves.
I hop off my stool and sit down with the rest of them while Blaine and Ares drink at the bar and talk with each other.
“Who goes first?” Alistair asks.
“I’ll go first,” Kai says, placing down a card.
“That’s not how it works. We all gotta throw the dice,” Dylan tells him.
“Says who?” Kai retorts, narrowing his eyes.
“I do,” Felix barks. “Now shut the fuck up and play this game like normal people.”
Everyone’s quieted.
“Yay for no more fighting,” Milo murmurs, twirling his fingers around in the air.
Nathan pulls out his knife as he eyes Felix. “I’ll give you something to f—”
“No knives!” Lana warns, giving everyone a death stare. “Can’t y’all be nice for one evening?”
“One?” Alistair raises a brow.
“Thought you said we were going to do this more often?” Milo asks.
“Not if you guys keep trying to kill each other,” Penelope says.
“Exactly,” I say.
“So … you’re part of the Death Gang now?” Milo asks me.
“The what now?” Kai asks, frowning at him.
“Well, you know, we murder everyone who crosses us. She kind of helped us kill people. To save Ares, of course,” Milo explains. “Death Gang.”
“I’d be honored,” I say, snorting.
“Welcome to the Death Gang, apparently,” Alistair says, rolling his eyes.
“What the fuck?” Caleb mutters. “No.”
“What’s wrong with Death Gang?” Milo asks.
“It’s corny as fuck,” Caleb adds.
“Guess we finally agree on something,” Nathan says.
“What about Murder Maniacs?” Milo suggests.
“Oh God.” Kai rubs his face.
“I’m trying not to associate with these fuckers at all,” Felix growls.
“Well, you’re here.” Milo shrugs. “So I guess that failed.”
Felix raises a brow. “You think I’m here because I want to be here?”
“You’re here because I want you to be here,” Penelope interjects, and she looks around the circle. “All of you.”
“That’s right,” Lana pitches in. “And if you guys don’t start behaving, we won’t hesitate to punt you out.”
All the men look in the other direction like they don’t want to fight with their girls.
“Wow. Should call them the Girl Boss gang,” I say, folding my arms.
“You mean the Pussy-whipped gang,” Dylan says, snorting, and Felix smacks him in the head with a stack of cards.
“Your fucking turn,” Felix growls.
“What game are we playing?” Dylan asks as he leans back.
“You’re asking that now?” Nathan makes a face. “We already started.”
Dylan shrugs. “Didn’t want to kill the vibe.”
“I’ll kill something else soon,” Kai mutters under his breath, and Lana throws him a death stare. “I didn’t say what.”
“Save the murderous intentions for later. We’ve still got plenty of targets to kill,” Alistair says as the boys each place down a card.
“What do you mean?” I ask, placing mine down.
“Remember that woman who tried to sell you?” Lana mutters. “She sold a bunch more girls to the Bones Brotherhood too, who then sold them on to rich folks. She’s a real nasty one. Guess what? We’ve tracked her down.”
My eyes widen. “Oh my G—You’re going after them all, aren’t you?”
She winks and leans in to whisper, “Why do you think we rented this remote cabin in Priory Forest? That woman lives nearby, down the mountain slopes, near the road. And we’re gonna make all of these fuckers pay for what they did.”
“When?” I ask.
Her eyes sparkle. “Tonight. But shhh.” She puts her finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone. The boys and I are going out on our own for a little fun. But I promise we’ll catch her.”
A filthy grin spreads on my face. “My lips are sealed.” I wrap my arms around her. “Thank you.”
Even now, when the dust has settled, my friends will go to extreme lengths to secure my safety and punish those who deserve nothing less.
I used to be terrified of the mere idea of aggression and murder, but now …
I welcome it with open arms.
Because these girls and boys are violent incarnate.
And it is their violence that makes me feel alive…
Without a single ounce of fear.
