AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I headed to my room and sat on the edge of the bed, feeling more tired than I felt before. I sighed, wishing things could be solved easily, but nothing was easy when it came to delicate matters like this. I should have asked Rupert to describe those men and given Jansen the lead, but my energy was too low and I couldn’t muster up more to look for my phone and talk to them.
“You look like you need a massage.”
I glanced up and found Sophie standing by the open door, already dressed in a semi-loose shirt and cotton shorts. Worry furrowed her brows, but I waved it off.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“So, you don’t need a massage?”
“I do. But I think you need it, too, and it wouldn’t be fair.”
Fingers dug deep into my shoulders, connecting to muscles I didn’t even know would feel this good when pressed. I bit back a groan, then sent her a warning look.
“Sophie…”
“Don’t argue. I’m offering a service here. And I’m good at massages.”
I was reluctant to let her, but she wasn’t kidding about her skills when she continued massaging me like a pro. The tension eased off my shoulders, and the good feeling went on until I was slackening under her touch. Still, a part of me was aware that it was Sophie touching me—that she was so near and it wouldn’t take much to close the gap between us.
Forcing myself out of that thought, I pondered over the situation instead. I made plans and discarded them in my head, then became aware of her again when she pressed harder once before she let my shoulders go.
“Thank you, Sophie.”
“You’re welcome, Matthew.”
I waited for her to say goodnight and leave, but she sat on the bed instead. I tamped down the urge to reach out to her, noting her thoughtful expression. Sensing what she was about to ask, I beat her to it.
“The men who attacked you are part of a rival gang called the Wolf Warriors.”
Blue-green eyes met mine as she nodded. “Rupert told me about them. Not their gang’s name, though.”
“Did he tell you that he and Sebastian are the reason for the start of the rivalry?”
That caught her off guard. “No.”
I debated telling her, then surmised that her getting in trouble with them meant she had a right to know where it all began.
“There was this woman. She was young and pretty, and Sebastian met her during his partying phase. They hit it off and began dating, and it got serious enough for him to consider moving out of here and moving in with her. He was on a high, always happy whenever I saw him, and he told me she was probably the one.”
I noticed the frown on her lips. Maybe she sensed what was coming next, but she still asked. “What happened?”
“It turned out she was dating Rupert, too, who was more secretive about dating someone. It didn’t click until it did, and they both eventually realized they were being played. And… It gets worse.”
“The woman was from the Wolf Warriors?”
“Yes. And she was another member’s lover. It made things more complicated and hostile between our two groups, and now their gang keeps causing trouble in an act of revenge. We’ve had egg incidents, slashed tires incidents…”
She gasped. “The rats!”
“The rats,” I confirmed.
“But why would they do that? It’s not like Sebastian and Rupert knew.” Her eyes widened. “She told them it was the two men who played with her.”
“Yup. She made them think that way. She made Sebastian and Rupert the bad guys, not the other way around, and we don’t have evidence to prove otherwise. It’s not like we could convince them, anyway, since the Wolf Warriors already made up their minds.”
“That’s crazy. And she’s evil for doing that.”
I nodded in agreement. There wasn’t much to comment after, but Sophie looked at me like she wasn’t done yet.
