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“Why?” I ask. “Why does it matter if I can fight just because mobsters or whatever reside in this town?”
“They don’t reside in the town,” Zay stresses. “They fuckingownit. Everything that gets done here, they know about, and they get a say in it.”
“They control everyone,” Jax adds, his knee bouncing up and down again, like it did in first period. He has his elbow propped on the armrest and is chewing on his thumbnail. He’s wearing a silver thumb ring that occasionally scrapes across his teeth. The noise is like nails on a chalkboard, so I reach over, place my hand on his, and move his hand away from his mouth. He blinks, brows furrowing.
I offer him a small smile. “Sorry, but the ring scraping against your teeth was making an awful noise. Plus, you shouldn’t bite your fingernails.”
Weirdly, my explanation seems to confuse him even more. He looks at me with almost desperation in his eyes as his gaze searches mine.
“But anyway.” Zay’s voice sears through the moment. “It’s not just the power that makes the families dangerous. It’s the rivalry. Every family hates each other and are always trying to dethrone each other. Since the Capperellies are the highest up, we’re at risk most, but we’re also the most powerful.”
Yeah, this is definitely mobster stuff. Still …“You guys are in high school,” I say, feeling Jax shift beside me. He leans closer to me with his hands on his legs and his pinkie grazes mine. I doubt it’s intentional, but I feel a soft shiver kiss across my skin anyway. “I mean … does all of this affect you that much?”
Zay nods with zero hesitation. “We’re always expected to honor our family’s name, even when we’ve disconnected from our family, like me, Jax, and Hunter have … You know Porter? Well, his family is constantly trying to dethrone the Capperellies, so it’s not a good thing he was paying so much attention to you this morning.”
“But I’m not a Capperellie,” I stupidly state the obvious.
“But you’re spending time with two of their sons. And Hunter, while his last name isn’t Capperellie, his father is best friends with Jax’s father, who is the boss.”
“The boss seems like a very mobster term,” I say.
Zay’s gaze never wavers from mine. “That’s because they are mobsters, despite what Jax tells you. And he’s the scariest motherfucker you’ll ever meet.”
“She won’t ever meet him,” Jax bites out, straightening.
“You know that might be out of your control.” Zay presses him with a look. “He’s already shown an interest in her family.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Jax snaps, rising to his feet. “She’s not going to see him. I don’t care what he wants. And if he tries to make her, I’ll stop him myself.” With that, he storms out of the room. Seconds later, I hear a door slam.
Silence ticks by, and my heart is beating deafeningly in my chest.
“He’s right,” Hunter says quietly. “We shouldn’t let him see her. Or any of our fathers, for that matter.” He swallows audibly. “Unless we want to risk history repeating itself.”
Silence settles amongst them again, and Zay’s gaze drifts to the painting of the tree. “Maybe,” he utters, I think to himself. Then he glances back at me. “Maybe you shouldn’t help us. I mean, now that you know all this, perhaps you should just change your mind.”
Is he asking me or telling me? It’s really difficult to tell.
“Even if she did, she’d still be at risk since they’re already looking into her,” Hunter reminds him as he sets the iPad down on the coffee table.
“So … your parents are the ones looking into my family?” I ask, unsure how I feel about that.
Hunter pulls anoh-shitface, like he wasn’t ever planning on telling me. “You technically weren’t supposed to know that.”
I restlessly ravel a strand of my hair around my finger. “I wouldn’t tell anyone. I don’t even have anyone to tell.”
“I know you think that, but there are people here who have a way of getting the truth out of anyone,” Hunter says with a remorseful look.
“Like Porter,” Zay states. “So, you need to be careful if you’re ever around him.”
A chill slithers up my spine, but I remain calm on the outside.
“You’ll be fine.” Hunter levels his gaze with mine. “We’ll keep an eye on you. You’re not alone in this.”
While I’m certain he means his words, I have a hard time accepting them—that I’m not alone in this. I’ve been alone in this—in life—for a very long time.
Zay’s phone beeps suddenly, and when he glances at it, a frown forms on his face. “We should get going. We have about thirty more minutes before lunch is over.” He gets to his feet without waiting for anyone to respond.
Hunter sighs then twists to face me, giving me back my phone. “We’ll work more on this later, after Jax takes you to get you a new phone afterschool. I’m thinking that it might be easier to track the number from a device that’s more compatible with the programs I use.”
