Page 88 of The Unravelings

“Carefully,” he grumbles. “We need to tread lightly until we know all the facts. No reckless bullshit.” His gaze cuts to me. Again.

“That’s rude.” I point a finger at him. “I’m not reckless.” Hux scoffs at me, muttering something under his breath. Jerk. But I guess he does have a point. “Okay, maybe just a little.” I hold my index finger and thumb a millimeter apart.

“A little?” JJ scoffs.

“Not you, too. I thought we were friends,” I gripe, pulling at my bow tie. Relief whooshes through me the second I loosen it and shove it in my pocket. “Finally,” I groan.

We walk through the casino, dodging the drunks and the patrons high on winning. Too bad they won’t be winning for long. The house always wins. Everything. Suckers.

I take a deep breath the moment we step outside into the fresh night air. The stars sparkle in the sky, and the moon helps to illuminate our path through the crowded parking lot.

Hux holds out a hand from the driver’s seat when we all get into the SUV and buckle our seat belts. At least he was responsible tonight and didn’t have more than one drink.

“First things first, we’ll have to go down to the damn docks and see the building for ourselves. See the damage and make an appearance.” Hux blows out a breath. “This seems really…odd for them to attack us like that, right?”

I nod. “It is weird. They’re docile puppies.”

“Puppies?” Hux quips, starting the engine and slumping back. “They’re up to something. Obviously. Maybe that psycho thinks I’m still responsible for Meredith.”

“He did adultnap you right out of the damn house. Really easily, too. We need to beef up our security and shit.”

“We’ll start by locking the doors every time we leave or when we go to sleep,” JJ pipes up from the backseat with a frown.

“Solid first step. And Waffles, that double-crosser. He needs some attack training. A sic balls, on command. Can you imagine the look on old Mal’s face the second Waffles gets a whiff of him and latches onto his sack?” I cackle to myself at the imagery. “Besides, how can he let some massive asshole into our house without alerting us?” I scoff, loosening my tie more so I can finally breathe. “Not even a damn bark of alarm. Just ate the steak without protest. He’s a traitor.”

“Better camera angles, too, apparently,” JJ mutters. “Couldn’t see him sneaking around the property. I’ll fix that.” There’s an extra edge to his voice, and his face hardens. “So, if you drop me off at home, I’ll check the security footage from the buildings at the docks and order more surveillance supplies. Especially if there’s about to be a fucking war.”

“Don’t jinx us with war talk,” Hux grumbles. “The last thing we need is to bring that on campus. We’ll all be at each other’s throats with civilians in the mix. What a joy that’d be.”

No. War could be exactly what we need. Shut down Greenwood U for good. Get rid of the extra crimes and take back our future. Grab it by the damn balls and seize the day.

“Well, if this does end in war, I call dibs on Wilder. That fucker needs a good unsanctioned punch in the throat.” I fake a karate chop, grinning at what could come.

Hux scoffs. “Your own brother?”

“Don’t you judge me. You didn’t have to live with the fucker or see him around giving hateful looks,” I grumble. “You know he’s a pain in my ass.”

In the past, present, and future. If I could knock some sense into him, I’d be more than happy to do it. His misery is his own doing. A long time ago, I invited him to join me at Franco’s mansion. But no. He turned it down. Stuck his damn nose in the air like he was too good for the gang and me.

I still don’t understand why he spent so much time and money on our mother. No. Fuck that. She wasn’t a mom. She was a body in the house, starving us, letting her boyfriends beat us, and making us miserable.

Whatever. He chose the opposite side of me, turning his back on me at every turn.

Fuck him. Fuck Malic. And especially fuck that Shade asshole in charge.

“All right, let’s get this over with,” Hux grumbles, swiping a hand through his hair, as we begin our drive.

In the mirrors, I gaze at the casino, and its flashing lights get smaller and smaller behind me, replaced by the beaming streetlights, pouring over the vacant streets as we head toward campus to drop JJ off and change our clothes. The closer and closer we get, the more settled and content I feel.

Some days, I can’t wait to put this entire town into my rearview mirror, but there’s one anchor I have a hard time leaving behind, nestled in the graveyard. A person I can’t seem to get over or think less about.

Olivia.

25

Olivia

I groan, putting an arm over my eyes as the sun beats through the window. Shuffling outside my bedroom door makes my ears perk up as someone enters and then slams the bathroom door. Way too loudly. The boom echoes in my aching head, making me want to do nothing but hibernate for the next few hours.