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“Don’t let that asshole get to you, Raina.” Knight touched my face, bringing my gaze to his. “He’s a washed up piece of shit. His opinion doesn’t matter.”
Didn’t it though? I doubted that Nate was the only one that felt that way. Maybe our families had been enemies for too long. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as easy as Havoc thought it would be to bring that to an end. Maverick may be dead but clearly his rivalry lived on in his brother and those closest to him.
I leaned into Knight, finding comfort in his assurance. Still, I didn’t really believe it. How could I?
No matter what Havoc and I shared, I would always have the blood of the enemy in my veins.
EPILOGUE
RAINA
“So…I guess it’s safe for me to go back to campus and stay in the dorm. There’s no real danger now. Nothing forcing me to stay here.” I stabbed a piece of syrup drenched pancake with my fork.
The funeral had been a few days ago. The four of us had fallen behind on classes. We were heading back to campus today to try to get back into the swing of things. I’d been doing as much as I could online. If I wanted to keep my grades up, I needed to get back in the classroom.
“Nothing except for me.” Havoc looked up from his plate, searching my face. “Unless you don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Since when does what I want matter to you?” I joked. Well, it was more of a half joke.
“Would you rather stay at the dorm?” he asked, shoveling a forkful of pancake into his mouth. “It’s your call, Raina. I want you here though. You belong here.”
Did I? The warmth that his claim filled me with was offset by the doubts I’d been harboring since the funeral. Nobody in the crime world gave a shit how we felt about each other. It was a system that had existed long before us and would continue long after. Did we really have the power to change what our fathers had started?
“What about you guys?” My gaze darted between Gage and Knight. “How do you feel about it?”
Knight didn’t hesitate to say, “I want you to stay. It’s nice having you here. If you’d rather go back to the dorm, I won’t stand in your way. I’d want to though.”
He offered me a small smile. Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about leaving. We’d all grown used to our living arrangements. It was me that suddenly felt different about everything. My insecurities had instigated this conversation.
Gage crunched a piece of bacon. Then another. He took his sweet time answering.
Finally, he shrugged. “Do whatever you want. You always do, don’t you?”
Ouch. That hurt. I stared stonily at him, refusing to let the wounds he’d created show. How could he be so cold and crass? He owed me.
“You know, Gage, it wouldn’t kill you to show some fucking humanity sometimes,” I snarled, the anger I’d been withholding for so long breaking free. “Fuck you too.”
Unable to finish my breakfast, I shoved my chair back and stormed from the kitchen. Gathering my bag from where I’d placed it near the front door, I slammed out of the house. Angry tears burned my eyes. I blinked them away as I climbed into my SUV. Hopefully I’d get to class earlier enough to find a seat surrounded by other people so Gage couldn’t sit near me. Maybe he wouldn’t even want to.
During our first class, I managed to find a seat on the end of a row near the front. When Gage entered the room, I stared straight ahead at the front of the class. He paused, his gaze drifting over me before he continued on to the back row.
He was a stone cold asshole. I knew that. Maybe it was on me for expecting him to show a shred of emotion once in a while. After what he’d done, I thought he owed me that much.
We shared two more classes that day. I managed to avoid him in the second class as well. Unfortunately, he was within my sight line. As much as I tried to resist, I couldn’t help but sneak glances in his direction.
More than once I caught him staring at his phone, brow furrowed, anger gleaming in his eyes. I wondered what that was all about. When he looked up to find me staring, I averted my gaze. Dammit.
Every time class let out, I hurried from the room, almost knocking people down in my haste. Then I’d hide out in the restroom until I knew for sure that Gage would be gone. I didn’t have it in me to deal with him right now. He’d hurt me, and he didn’t seem to give a shit. That only hurt more.
“When the fuck did you become so soft?” I muttered to my reflection when I was alone in the restroom. “Since when do you care what any of these jerks think about you?”
Since I’d formed a damn attachment to each of them. Even Gage. I couldn’t help but think back to when I’d cleaned him up after he got his ass beat by the Angels. When he’d told me that the fire in my eyes was the only thing to warm him these days.
Did he still feel that way? And if so, why couldn’t he bring himself to show it?
By the time our last class together rolled around, I was mentally and emotionally fatigued. Maybe it would be best if I went back to the dorm. I’d be closer to Clover. She was screwing an idiot with bad vibes. She needed me. In many ways, I needed her too.
That’s what I told myself as I waited for Gage to walk into the classroom. The instructor arrived and promptly got started. Five minutes later, still no Gage. By the time class ended, I was worried. Gage had never showed.
