Ash cleared his throat and liftedbothbrows at me. “Watch the attitude, boy. Let’s go inside. I wanna know everything.”
Fine. “Yes, Sir.”
Now that the danger was over and I was wedged between James and Mister Ash on the patio, I was so curious to get a tour of the place. Kit wasn’t here anymore, so I would say hello to him next time. Maybe he was in their Founders’ cabin? I knew he had one with Mister Colt and Mister Lucas, who were founding members.
“Can you focus, Jordan?” James requested.
“What?” I asked. “That’s the whole story. You showed up like a minute after Sir Copperhead used himself as a straitjacket for Noa.”
Ash’s mouth twitched, and I kind of wanted to kiss him. “Reese.”
Right. Copperhead’s name was Reese. Another Founder. He had an antisocial twin brother I’d seen online—River. It was as if he was being charged by the word. Nine times out of ten, his sparse responses were one or two words. He didn’t hang out in the brat groups or anything like that, though. He stuck to his partners’ posts, some journal entries, and the history group.
I glanced over at the pool area and wished I had swimwear with me. I could so go for a soak.
“How long do you think the others will be?” I wondered. “I wanna make sure Noa doesn’t get punished. Like, I mean, I know violence is wrong and all that crap—but he was really hurt by the bullying.”
Noa might not admit it, but come on. Why else would he have gone berserk on Axel?
“I’m sure they’ll be out soon,” Ash said. “But whether Noa gets punished isn’t up to you, sweetheart. I trust Reese, Colt, and KC, though.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I hope Axel gets banned.”
Ash hummed. “Terms of use apply to everyone. We’re not biased with bans out here. Unless he’s broken the rules, he’s welcome.”
“He’s an asshole,” I argued.
He chuckled. “No rule against that, I’m afraid. My guess? His online account will be restricted for a while, and he and Noa will be told to steer clear of each other.”
I huffed.
“How would it look if we banned everyone we didn’t like?” he countered patiently. “Penelope, one of my closest friends out here—she broke up with her girlfriend a few months ago. The ex cheated. I’d say that’s more than asshole behavior. But it was a private matter and no ground for a community ban.” He paused. “I’m not saying this Axel kid is someone I’d like to be around—and I fucking adore Noa—but the community management needs to mind its distance in some matters.”
Well, crap. I guessed that made sense.
“Besides, these things tend to work themselves out over time,” he went on. “Pen’s ex left Mclean of her own volition, and you mentioned Axel’s not very popular online. Sooner or later, he’ll discover that his behavior is alienating him.”
Okay, that made me dubious. “Do you not know people at all, Sir? They will blame others for their own shortcomings until they’re blue in the face.”
James chuckled, and I knew he agreed with me. My dad and I didn’t have a good relationship because he could do no wrong.
“Then so be it.” Ash shrugged. “Considering he hurt Noa, I can’t say I’m invested in Axel’s future happiness.Ican be biased. Reese can’t.”
That was a bias I could get behind. Team Noa!
“Just so you know, it’s usually less drama out here,” he added. “Every now and then, we get some dick who thinks they know better, but other than that, it’s only brats raising hell at Mclean.”
Only…!
“Because Sadists are innocent?” I shot back.
“Yes.”
I snorted. “You liiiiiie. It’s a good thing I’m here, because the Brat Squad needs reinforcements.”
He smiled and leaned in to kiss my nose.
I liked that a lot!
