“Ew, no. I ride with Aiden usually. Rook takes me sometimes, but no one really wants to be that close to their brother.”
“So you don’t want to drive one and they don’t care?”
“Why would they care? The only time they care is when they want to take someone home, and apparently Aiden has no game because that is a rare occurrence.”
“Um, have you seen Aiden? I don’t think he would need any game if he wanted to take someone home.”
She glanced over at him, but then her attention quickly went back to her nails. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Maybe he just likes taking you home.”
She rolled her eyes. “Doubtful. He feels obligated. Rook has basically made him my bodyguard. He’s forced to be around me.”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he could say no, but I don’t know much about your friend group.”
“Oh, well, you know Rook. Aiden is and has been his best friend for the last ten years.”
I looked over at Aiden. Confidence radiated off him. He was muscular, and his dirty blonde hair was cut shorter, but it was still a mess. Not quite like Rook’s messy hair. He had one of those smiles that made girls lose their minds and tattoos that snaked down his arms. He had that same quiet authoritative look like Rook had, like people would respect him when he walked into a room, and I wondered how they had gotten that.
He glanced over at Evie again, a scowl crossing his face before he glanced back at the girl he was talking to. Evie noticed, but continued on. “Hero is over there at the bar with Mason. He has been with us for a few years now, and Mason, too. Those two are close, but complete opposites.”
I turned my attention to them. Hero was taller, and thinner, but still muscular. The first thing I noticed about him was green eyes. I didn’t know that I’d ever seen such green eyes on a guy, and while he was good-looking, too, something about him made me uneasy. She pointed out Mason next to him. He looked more like Rook. Dark hair, dark clothes, tattoos covering his arms andone on his neck. He seemed funny, but the dark, brooding thing really made me keep my distance still.
“Zack and Kane are the two over there by the pool,” Evie continued. “They have been around for less than a year, so everyone still keeps them out of the loop a bit, but they are funny.” Those two looked less like the group, and I wondered if it was because they were newer. They had fewer tattoos, less of a menacing look, and while they both were apparently fine with the killings and hiding bodies, they both seemed friendlier.
“And you?”
“Well, Aidenlovinglyrefers to me as psycho. I don’t get out much, and really the only thing I’m good at is computers, so, you know, not much.”
I laughed, smiling when she turned to me. “You are saying this to a girl who is basically locked in her house watching TV and drawing all day. I think that’s a lot. I think that’s plenty, and it sounds fun.”
She gave a tight grin, but jumped up. “I’m going to find another drink and bother Aiden a bit more. Good luck with my brother. He’s…a lot, but he’s the best. Promise.”
I searched for his face in the crowd. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and I tried not to wonder if it had been on purpose or not.
My heart sank when I didn’t find him, but I ignored it. He was ignoring me, I could ignore him. I grabbed another drink, taking it to my friends and quickly downing it.
Somehow, another hour went by, and I had lost count of how many drinks I had thrown back. Soon, I was bleary-eyed, trying to make it around the pool, realizing immediately he would find the farthest spot and sit there.
I saw Rook right away, and I didn’t love what I found.
My stomach rolled and my hands clenched at the girl leaning over to touch him. It was innocent enough, the hand on his arm. He sat back, saying something to her, which made her laugh.
Did he really come to my party and say he was staying the night with me, only to flirt with other people?
Or maybe this was a part of his game.
My palms grew hot and itchy as I watched. I needed to get closer and hear what they were saying. Maybe he wouldn’t even notice if I sat down near them.
His bright eyes locked onto mine the moment I stepped closer. Someone came and sat down in the only open seat making the panic of embarrassment bubble up in my chest. There were no open seats now.
Rook’s head tipped with a smile before he kicked out his legs more and patted his lap.
I would have to walk over, in front of everyone, and sit on his lap. It wasn’t just a seat, and I knew it. It would be a clear show that I was here with him.
He wanted to challenge me to be a rebel, and just like every time before, I would take it.
Twenty-One
