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He wasn’t going for my face, obviously trying to keep our parents from finding out. At the moment, I didn’t give a shit. There was a reason I’d kept this to myself since coming home. I had no plans of telling them now. Clenching my fist, I aimed for his jaw, and he ducked away right before my hit landed. His eyes grew stormy when he realized I wasn’t playing by the rules.
He jumped to the side when I tried darting past him to the door. Reaching behind my back, I went for my gun, but Eli grabbed my wrist before I could touch it. I grunted in pain when he wrenched my arm up and kicked the back of my legs, making me fall to my knees. West grabbed my other arm hard enough for me to grit my teeth as they dragged me across the room.
I had always been the quickest and most agile out of the three of us, but they both had more muscle. We used to make a good team, using all our strengths as one. That was ancient history now. And my struggles were useless against the both of them as they slammed my back against the wall.
“You can beat the fuck out of me, and I still won’t tell you shit,” I spat out, my usual joking attitude long gone.
Each of them had a grip on my arms, and they kept me pressed to the wall. Eli was still taking shallow breaths as he glared at me.
“We don’t need to do all that,” West murmured, his gaze going to my shirt. “We figured it out, River.”
Dread claimed me, but I kept my face blank. “Figured what out?”
“Why you don’t shower in the locker room,” Eli answered, his grip on my arm turning painful. “Or why you come to practice already dressed.”
My heart thrashed, my fight to get away increasing when West reached for the hem of my shirt. Eli gripped my shoulder with his free hand, keeping me against the wall as West lifted my shirt. They both studied the black ink that covered my chest and stomach. They shared a look before yanking me away from the wall.
“Fuck,” I hissed out when they turned me around, my chest ramming into the wall hard enough to bruise. They kept my arms pinned, and one of them gripped my hair, keeping my cheek smashed against the wall.
“Want to just tell us, River?” West asked tauntingly as my shirt was lifted again.
My laugh was hoarse. “Tell you what? If you wanted to see me with my clothes off, all you had to do was ask. Not sure I’ll get you off as much as Kat does, though.”
They ignored me as they looked at the rest of my tattoos. My fight left me, knowing they wouldn’t miss it. And their anger was about to fucking skyrocket when they found what they were looking for.
“Son of a bitch,” Eli muttered.
“I knew we’d find something, but I didn’t think it would be that,” West said, his anger quickly raising. I went still, feeling my gun leave its place in the waistband of my jeans before they released me. I spun around, and my face exploded in pain, making me stagger back into the wall. Before my vision cleared, one of them threw another punch, and the copper taste of blood filled my mouth. I didn’t defend myself or fight back.
I fucking deserved it.
“You fucking bastard,” West roared, shoving me to the floor. “They’re the reason everything went to shit that night. Why you flipped on us. And we find out you’re with them? Were you with them that night too?”
I stayed silent, wiping the blood from my busted lip onto the back of my hand. My head throbbed from their punches. I climbed back to my feet. Eli was holding my gun at his side while West looked like he was ready to attack again.
“Do the families know?” Eli grated out.
“My mom does.” I raised an eyebrow. “You going to tell your daddies my secret?”
Neither of them answered. I slumped against the wall, lightly banging the back of my head on the drywall. I knew this would happen, but I had been hoping I would have everything figured out first. I scrubbed a hand down my face and sighed.
“This whole thing is bigger than what happened that night—”
“Yeah, it’s fucking bigger,” Eli cut me off. “There’s a damn reaper on your back. A Detroit Reaper. I knew you were involved in gang business, but fuck. I didn’t think you were a part of one.”
“Not to mention one of the largest,” West added. “And if I remember correctly, they’re enemies with Cole’s gang.”
Eli nodded. “They are.”
Nerves coated my stomach as the silence stretched on. They both seemed to be in disbelief about my gang affiliation. I was surprised they didn’t want more details on what happened the night I left Braidwood. Not that I’d tell them even if they asked.
The reaper on my back was small compared to most. I didn’t want it to be as noticeable. I let it blend into my other tattoos, but it was still easy to spot.
“Does it have to do with the girl?” Eli asked, studying me. “The one that guy Richie was asking about when we were in Detroit?”
Ice chilled my veins. I hoped I’d stayed far enough away from Marissa in the last few months for them to miss that connection. They were pissed, and I didn’t trust them. This wasn’t just about my life. For her, staying hidden was life or death.
“No,” I said, pushing off the wall. “I don’t have anything to do with her. She fled when shit went down.”
