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Xi: What’s wrong? I’m on my way to pick up Billie from work.
My blood freezes, and my limbs tighten. The fucker never took my threats seriously, did he? What’s the point in punching him and telling him to stay away from her if he doesn’t listen? Do I have to kill him too? I didn’t even know Billie had a job.
Completely forgetting about our plan, I send another text.
Logan: What are you doing after?
Xi: We’re chilling at mine, so if something’s wrong tell me now because I don’t want to change my evening plans.
The world around me disappears as I taste acid at the back of my mouth. Is she fucking him? Is that why she ignores me?
Logan: Where does she work now?
Xi: Man, worry about yourself instead of getting in my stepsister’s business.
My jaw tightens, and I call Xi as my blood starts boiling. The sound of Racer kicking at the trunk and screaming is really not helping calm my rage.
“Logan, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Xi’s annoyed voice comes through the phone.
“Why don’t you stay away from my girl like I fucking warned you, and I’ll tell you what’s wrong with your dealer?” I seethe.
There’s a beat before Xi huffs. “Caden.”
“It’s King to you, preferably down on your knees when you say it.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
“There’s quite a list. Why don’t you meet me at tree number thirteen, and I’ll give it to you. What I’ll do is I’ll get your boys to start digging their own graves. If you’re there before they finish, I’ll give them back to you. If not, I guess you can bury their dead bodies as soon as you arrive. Come alone.”
I hang up on him and throw the phone on the dashboard.
“Fucking cunt,” I mumble to myself.
“Your girl?” Jade asks. “So much for not fucking the enemy anymore,” she tells me, annoyed. She rolls her eyes even though she’s still looking at the road.
“What?” I say to her. “I’m not fucking her.”
“Clearly not if Xi is,” Elliot snorts from the back.
“Shut the fuck up,” I say coolly. “He won’t be able to fuck her once I cut his dick off.”
The two men have been digging for fifteen minutes, with Ethan’s gun pointed at them. I see a car coming our way. Tree thirteen is the tree that marks the area where we start burying dead bodies. The number came just because of its ominous meaning; it has nothing to do with the number of trees. It’s deep into the forest and a place the cops never venture to. The ones who have ended up underground with all our victims. Law enforcement can’t always deal with our violence, and they’re better if they ignore it.
Xi comes out of his car, slamming the door violently, and walks toward us.
“Keep digging,” I tell the two, who stopped when they saw their boss.
Elliot checks Xi for weapons and beams at us. “Such a good boy. Coming unarmed and all.”
He ignores my friend’s remark and talks to me instead. “I’m here,” he shrugs. “What do you want?”
“We’ll start with the fucking money we lost from you raiding one of our main dealers’ house. Then with the fact that you think you can get near Billie without me ending you.”
Xi laughs in my face, throwing his head back with a casual behavior that doesn’t fit a situation he has no control of.
“You’re so fucking pathetic, Caden. We’re opposite gangs. I burn your house, and I kill your dealers.” So it was him who set fire to my house. I should have known that was his idea. The guy is known for being a fucking arsonist. “That’s how it works. I’m not stopping until you guys understand there’s only space for one crew on the North Shore.”
He steps toward me, ensuring I can see him clearly despite the night surrounding us. “And if I want to fuck Billie, then fuck Billie. That’s how it’s always been between her and me. All’s fair in love and war. I thought you knew that.” His satisfied smile wakes up the monster in me.
