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Actually…
Nausea twisted in my stomach at my next thought. At first, I didn’t comprehend what Ginger meant by telling me to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but now, I think I had a better understanding of it. If I wanted to get close to the Ravagers, know absolutely everything there is to know about them, including all their strengths and weaknesses, I had to get on their good side. Maybe even go as far as becoming a member of their pack.
Almost like a double agent…
“That’s it!” I was so ecstatic I hadn’t realized I’d blurted the words out loud. Sky and Brian stared at me, confusion twisting their faces.
“Sorry. I was just thinking out loud. I hate to say it, but I think you’re both right. There’s no use in fighting them anymore.”
“Wait, you’re serious?” Sky stared at me with wide eyes, like she honestly couldn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I know what I need to do now. And I have you two to thank for helping me see the bigger picture.”
“Yeah,” Brian nodded. “Guess we’ll see how well that goes.”
Chapter 21
Rhett
Icouldn’tgetSamara’sface out of my head all day. How she glared at us like she was ready to slaughter all three of us in the dining hall. I’d heard about what happened later that afternoon. People talked at the academy. I wasn’t stupid. There was only one person in the academy who harbored the proper skillset needed in order to fabricate a school document.
And that person was Phantom.
I didn’t confront him about it. Nor did Isaac. The last thing we needed was for that angry fuck to explode on us at a time like this. As Griffin had promised the other night at the party, Father hadfinallycalled us, demanding we meet so we could discuss business. Thanks to Griffin, we already knew what to expect.
I reminded my brothers to keep it cool as we pulled in the driveway and parked. I opened the door and was the first to lead us inside our humble abode.
Father had been good to us over the years. Yes, we were rich, but one thing Father truly valued was money and how we spent it. We didn’t have a mansion. Our home was two stories high with a full walk-in layout, hardwood floors, a handmade custom staircase, the whole works. It was basically what most people would consider as a middle-class residence. We even had a fenced in backyard surrounded by five acres of land me and my brothers had put to good use throughout our childhood. Our back porch had a patio set with a fancy umbrella to help block out the sun. It was my mother’s favorite part about this place. This was way before Isaac and Phantom had joined the family, but I remember sitting out back with her, watching the sun set together. The smile on her face and how she embraced her last days with me and my father before the cancer had finally run its course and took her away from us. I missed her, deeply. Matter of fact, it was nearing closer to the day she left this cruel world, meaning I’d have to make a visit to her grave with a fresh bouquet of her favorite flowers.
“Boys,” Father spoke as we entered the kitchen. He was on the phone, momentarily pulling the device away from his ear to address us. “Go wait in the basement. I’ll be there soon.”
He flicked a hand to dismiss us. Isaac moved first and headed to the far end of the kitchen, opening the door that led us down to the basement. Once inside, I walked over to the built-in bar and poured myself a glass of whiskey. Isaac and Phantom dispersed towards the pool table.
I sank down in the recliner across from them and pulled back the lever so I could prop my feet up. Phantom was picking out his pool cue while Isaac got started racking the balls.
“Wanna make a bet?” Isaac asked Phantom.
Phantom lifted a dark brow at him. “What kinda bet?”
“Twenty bucks says I kick your ass.”
He snorted. “You’re on, motherfucker.”
I amusingly sipped my drink and watched as their game began. A solid ten minutes had passed, and Father still hadn’t joined us.
“8 ball, corner pocket,” Isaac called out as he leaned over the pool table, carefully aligning his cue stick. He made the winning shot and pumped a fist in the air, eyeing Phantom with a huge, shit-eating grin. “That’s game, bitch. Pay up.”
Phantom smirked as he rolled his dark eyes and grudgingly fetched his wallet to pay Isaac the twenty bucks he rightfully merited.
“How much longer is this shit gonna take?” Phantom scoffed as he grabbed his phone, checking the time. “My clients won’t stop blowing my fucking phone up and I have deadlines to meet.”
Phantom had this little side hustle business he’d started back in freshman year. There were a lot of students at the academy who cared more about partying and getting laid rather than focusing on their academic achievements. If there was a huge test coming up that the students didn’t study for, they looked up to Phantom to provide them with the answer keys. He’d invented his own computer program that allowed him to hack inside the school’s database and obtain access to every single file stored away on the teachers’ computers. It was a risky as fuck job but when it came specifically to computers, the fucker was an evil genius. What he charged for his services was indisputably ridiculous though.
I finished my second drink and sighed as I pushed the footrest down with my legs and hopped to my feet. “I’ll go see what’s taking so long.”
By the time I could place my glass down and approach the door, it opened. Father stepped inside, rubbing a stressed hand across his scruffy jaw.
“It’s about time,” Phantom huffed, his eyes narrowed. “What took so fucking long?”
