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Reed’s brothers were even more intimidating up close than they were from a distance. They carried the same cold demeanors that had brought the party to a standstill, and their powerful bodies radiated tension as they stalked down the sidewalk toward us. I could see why Mia was wary of them. Mia and, apparently, everyone in Sunshine Hills.
As I watched the two boys, it was easy to tell they were related to Reed. All three were tall and muscular, and they all had the same blue eyes, strong jaws and dark hair. Their gazes were menacing, and I couldn’t help but imagine the fear they could probably instill in others with just a single look. Though I thought the scowl on the larger brother’s face seemed even less forgiving, if that were possible. He was just that little bit scarier, and if he had been the one to stop and help me with my car, I certainly would have run in the other direction.
I found myself taking a step closer to Reed as they drew near, and I had to wonder at what point my body had decided he was a natural source of safety, especially considering he had looked just as threatening as his brothers when they first arrived at the house.
“Where the hell did you disappear to, Reed?” one of them asked. If I had to guess, I’d say he was the youngest. Now he was closer, I could see there was a roundness to his face the other two boys didn’t have, and his voice wasn’t quite as deep as Reed’s. He was slightly smaller than his brothers, but saying that was like trying to call a grizzly bear small—he still towered over most normal people.
Sensing my attention on him, his gaze flicked past Reed to me, and a smile began pulling at his lips. His face practically transformed, and a cheeky grin replaced the rigid expression he’d worn as he walked from the house.
“Violet, I presume…”
“Leave her alone, Parker.” Reed groaned.
Parker either didn’t hear his brother or didn’t care because he stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Parker Darling. You’ll have to excuse my brothers. They can be so uptight.”
The large one grunted while Reed rolled his eyes.
“Also, I believe this is yours,” Parker said, reaching out his other hand. I frowned as I realized he had my purse. “I was on official bag duty,” he continued, sounding particularly proud of the accomplishment.
“Uh, thanks.”
“You left it in your car,” Reed explained. “I thought you might need it, which is why we came…”
“Oh…” I flushed, surprised he’d gone to so much trouble for me. “That’s really nice of you guys.”
“What can I say, us Darling boys are well known for our selfless good deeds.” Parker grinned, clearly well aware how untrue that statement was. “And we’re especially good to our friends. What do you say, Violet? Want to be friends with us?” His tone was playful, but I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just messing with me. “I’d make a great bestie.”
“Ignore my brother,” Reed said, stepping between Parker and me. “Let’s get you home.”
I had no idea what to make of these boys. They seemed so menacing at the party, and no one from school had anything nice to say about them. But they had gone to the effort of bringing my handbag here for me. And Reed had stopped to help a strange girl broken down on the side of the road. Were they really as bad as Mia made them out to be?
Reed lightly placed a hand on my lower back, and I felt a little more at ease around his brothers knowing he was close. He guided me to a pickup truck that was parked a little farther down the road. It was blue and white, and while it had a vintage look about it, the paintwork shone like it was brand-new. Even from the outside, I could tell Reed looked after his car. There wasn’t a single scratch on the paintwork, there was no ice crusting over the wipers despite the terrible weather, and the hubcaps were sparkling like they’d just recently been polished.
Reed opened the front passenger side door for me while his brothers piled into the back seat. There wasn’t much room for them both in the back, and I might have offered to let one of them take my place, but I was still a little too nervous to instigate a conversation with them. Especially since I’d yet to see the big one crack a smile.
I climbed in the truck while Reed walked around to the driver's seat.
“Man, that was fun,” Parker said as Reed got behind the wheel and started the engine. “Those Sunshine Hills guys were wetting themselves when they saw us.”
Reed cast a quick glance in my direction. “As I said before, it’s best to just ignore Parker.”
“We always do,” his other brother added in a low voice.
Reed smirked in response. “This is my twin, Grayson. Parker’s a year younger than us. Although, with the way he acts, you’d think he was far younger.”
“What Reed is really trying to say is I’m the fun one.” Parker winked.
The boys all seemed a lot more relaxed now than they had been at the party. Parker was grinning, and Reed had a glint in his eyes as he told me about his brothers. Even Grayson’s expression had softened slightly, although his frown was still visible, and he gave me a slight nod in greeting when Reed introduced him.
“Where am I going?” Reed asked me as he took off from the curb.
I told him my address before I fell quiet again. The reality of my current situation was only just starting to sink in. I’d run off from a party I wasn’t supposed to be at with three boys I didn’t know who had seriously concerning reputations. They’d been nothing but nice to me so far, but who knew how long that would last. Most people in Sunshine Hills wouldn’t be waiting around to find out. Still, it felt like a better option than staying behind and confronting Jeremy.
That didn’t mean I had to act completely stupid though, so just to be safe, I decided to send Mia and Nicole a message letting them know I’d left the party and how I was getting home. They were going to lose their minds when they checked their phones and found out who I was driving home with, but at least if something bad happened they’d know where I was.
“So, Violet, are you brave, crazy, or both?” Parker asked.
"Parker!” Reed hissed.
