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And I take a step back.
Only to watch as Elliot gets back up, laughing at me. “This is going to be fun.”
And all I can do at this point to save my best friend’s life is stand there, helplessly, as Elliot Pearson destroys Logan’s garage.
It takes so long. Every hit is a blow to my chest. Every blow makes it harder to withhold information from them.
On the North Shore, sacrifices have to be made all the time. NSC’s ultimate goal is to take back our town, and as long as I have something on the brothers, I have an advantage worth more than this garage.
Elliot is panting when he’s done, clearly enraged that I still haven’t opened my mouth. He hates that there wasn’t even the shadow of a wince on my face. He and Ethan look at each other, understanding the cause is lost, and slowly retreat.
“Take your time,” Elliot says before he’s entirely out of the repair shop. “There’s more we can do.”
The second they’re gone, I run to my car.
“Xi, don’t!” Tamar shouts after me. “Zara!”
They’ll try to stop me, and there’s no fucking way. Zara sprints to me, pressing a hand on my door as I try to open it.
“Don’t waste my fucking time,” I growl.
“Don’t. Let’s talk to Emma.”
“Fuck Emma.”
I push her away and climb inside, speeding out of the small parking lot outside of Logan’s garage.
I speed through the streets of the North Shore, not hesitating one second before going into Kings’ territory. Fucking shoot me for all I care.Try.
The brothers’ house is deep into Kings’ turf. There’s no way I could have taken a wrong turn. I make it there before they do. I park on another road so they don’t find my car the moment they arrive and check everything is clear before I get out.
Feeling for the pink lighter I bought earlier in the pocket of my hoodie, I put my cap on, then the hood on top of it. I take the crowbar I keep in the bed of my truck and run to their backyard. Then I slide between the two garbage cans they use as a delimitation of their property and make my way across the yellow grass. I try the bedroom window in case it’s unlocked, but it’s not. In one swift movement, the glass is broken, and I undo the lock before pushing it up. I slide into their house like a thief in the middle of the night. Except I’m a raging brute in the middle of the day.
I don’t waste time destroying the house. I go straight to the kitchen and kick open the door leading to their basement. I run downstairs and immediately find what I want—a nice big canister of gasoline. I run back up the stairs, knowing my time is limited.
I’m done in less than a minute, anyway.
And when I hear their car park in front of their house, my body finally wakes up. I think it’s excitement. The door unlocks, and they both stop in the hallway the second they walk in.
Elliot’s eyes look down at the oily liquid covering the floor between them and me.
“How was the drive?” I ask with a composure Elliot could never even dream of.
I grab my pack of cigarettes and the pink lighter, taking my time to put a stick between my lips. I light it up and look at both of them, exhilaration feeding my heart.
“You shouldn’t come for my friends.” My voice is low and a clear threat they can’t miss. “Ever.”
I pinch the cigarette between my thumb and forefinger. I take my time removing it from between my lips, tempting him to come to me.
And it works.
“Motherfucker!” Elliot is about to jump toward me, except level-headed Ethan holds him back by the t-shirt, dragging him to him a second before I throw my cigarette on the floor.
We all take a step back as the heat blazes us in the face.
If only he’d let him throw himself at me. I would have watched Elliot burn alive and finally smiled at the fucking world.
I’ll settle for their house burning to the ground. The smoke starts prickling my eyes, but I still keep them on the brothers.
