His lips press into a hard line until he says, “Now isn’t the time to tell you. But one day, I will.”
I shake my head defiantly. “You will one day? What’s going on, Max? I’m not a kid anymore. And I’m not your average teenager.” I slap myself on the chest. “I’m the one who developed Killer Firewall, remember? I have a stake in adult business too.” I’m shaking, and I’m afraid my anger isn’t the only reason why.
Max pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. He does that when someone like me pushes him to the brink and he needs a few seconds to reset. But I’m dizzy, and I don’t want to let him know, because then our conversation will be over, and I won’t learn anything about our feud with the Valentines. As it stands, I might learn something soon—even if he’s only willing to give me a morsel of what I’m seeking.
But why am I dizzy? Why in the hell am I so dizzy?
“I’m not minimizing your value to our family, Paisley,” he says with carefully crafted restraint. “I can say this—if you think it’s bad, then you’d be right. And if you’re guessing that we’re the ones who received the bitter end of the stick, then you’d be right too.”
It’s getting harder to keep my composure. My brain is foggy. I’m trying to piece together what he just said.
“Bitter end of the stick?” I think I’m slurring.
“Paisley?” He says something else, but I can barely hear him. It’s as if he’s at the other of end of a long street, shouting at me from a distance. “We’re almost there…Paisley?”
I’m flailing.
“Stay awake. You can do it. Fight.”
My head falls on Max’s shoulder, and I lose consciousness.
Chapter Seven
Vengeance Is Mine
Hercules Valentine
I’m toughing it as I stride up the avenue.Shit. I have to think my way through this. I’m holding some cards, and how I play them counts. I pinch my top lip.I kissed Paisley Grove.What the hell was I thinking?I enjoyed it. I want more of her, but that’s impossible. I have to scrub her out of my head, at least in that way.
She hurled in that trash can—that’s a start.
I walk faster. Paisley Grove isn’t going to help me stop them. I bet she’s in her house, safely tucked in bed. I don’t want to dislike her for not doing what I think is right. I get having to please demanding parents who are never happy. I have two of my own, and they can’t even make each other happy. I've seen shit go down between them that no son should see. I don't even want to remember what I’ve seen and heard. I step on the gas and walk faster. If I don't want to be derailed, then I can’t think about my parents.
I’m no vigilante, but I have to do something for Blossom. She’s a girl I liked, but my cousin Nero, who’s a year older than me, worked his charm on her, and they became a couple. I like her because she’s kind to everyone and thinks about others before herself. And Blossom isn’t faking it, either—that’s how she really is. But like the other girls who went out with Nero, she found out that he’s a hard guy to pin down. If she wanted stability, I would have been the best option. I would have been a loyal and dependable boyfriend if she’d chosen me. At least that’s what I like to think, although I’ve never had a solid girlfriend.
Regardless, no girl should have to go through what Blossom went through. She never filed a police report, because she waited three months to tell Nero what happened to her. But later, she heard about another girl at her school who said it had happened to her too. That girl didn’t report the incident to the authorities either. Then they found others, and they all compared notes. Nero and I went to several parties, trying to catch them in the act, but the crew stopped taking advantage of girls for a while. After tonight, I see they’re back at it.
I don't want to make a mistake. O’Brien was caught trying to get into Paisley’s pants. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to unsee what I saw. If they’re smart, they’ll clean up their mess and fly right for the rest of the night. But Blossom and her friends’ stories would go a lot further with someone like Paisley Grove to vouch for them. The families of Blossom and the other girls aren’t more powerful than their abusers’ families. But Paisley is a Grove, which makes her the nail in their coffins. O’Brien messed up big-time fucking with her.
Why would he risk it? Sure, she’s sexy as hell, but still, her brother, Max, I heard, is a ferocious asshole.
If only she’d go to the hospital and get tested for pinkies. I’d vouch for walking in and saving her. Donovan would follow my lead and confirm that he saw O’Brien leading Paisley out of the party and that she appeared to be drugged. After that, it would be a slam dunk.
I take out my cellphone. It’s too bad I have to involve Paisley Grove anyway. I have two ferocious assholes of my own to help with this matter, and I know which one to call.
* * *
When Orion answers my call,the first thing he says is to make it quick. So I give him the rundown of the night.
He groans, irritated. “I’m too fucking busy for this, Herc.”
I was prepared for him to take that position, which is why I have one name locked and loaded. “You’re not too busy for this girl,” I say as a teaser.
“What girl?”
I lean against the brick wall to the parking garage of Darby’s building. “Her name is Paisley.” I want to save the punchline for the right moment.
“Who the fuck is that?”
