Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I was the next in line to her family. But I just signed a record deal, so I knew struggling for cash was now a thing of the past.
She shuffled on her feet, looking between the other guys and me nervously. “Done. I’ll do it.”
Shiloh pushed her tiny body between Jenny and me. Her back turned to me. “You don’t have to do this, Jenny. You should not do this. It’s dangerous. Those waters are bad enough during the day and temperamental at the best of times, let alone in the middle of the night. Jenny!” Shiloh snapped her fingers in front of Jenny’s face.
She shoved her glasses up the rim of her nose. “I’m sorry, Shi. You don’t understand the struggles we go through.”
Shiloh sighed, spinning around and pinning me with a glare. I knew in that exact moment that she was pissed. More than pissed. Her lilac eyes burned like a flame, and she shoved her finger into my chest.
“I swear to God, Dion. I will kick your ass if this goes bad.”
I flashed a smirk. “You’d have to survive it first.” I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if anyone was coming out of those waters alive, it would be Shiloh and—maybe—Blaire. Blaire because Shiloh had dragged her into her lifestyle all their lives.
Sparrow hit pause on the video. “Where the fuck is this going?”
I tap my thumb against my thigh, leaning my head against the wall. I know that once I say the words out loud, it will solidify the memories I’ve spent years squashing.
“The girl, Jenny, she died that night. You don’t need to keep watching the rest of it, but you wanted to know why Shiloh hated me. Probably still does.”
“—because you…killed someone?” Malyk asks, blinking. “Damn. She’s really gonna have a field day with me then.”
“No, well, yes and no. Actually, yeah, keep watching.”
The boat pulled into the old jetty that was built out from the sandy outline of the forest. I watched as Shiloh took Jenny’s hand, pulling her toward the water with Blaire beside her. The other two left—no surprise, and the rest of the boys bounced except for Ruin. The party was in full swing in the forest, so when it came to fucking girls and getting drunk or watching a couple of them fight for their lives, most of them were going to choose the prior. I knew that the second I decided I was bored enough to play this game. Play a game that I knew I shouldn’t be playing because the fact of the matter was—this was a shortcut.
Sparrow hits pause again, placing the phone onto the desk. “What the fuck did you do? Dion, tell me you didn’t go through with this.”
I breathe out a sigh and reach into my pocket for my pack of cigarettes. I play with the end and flick the Zippo between my fingers. “I was young. I had just gone through the initiation ritual. I wasn’t on my feet. Actually”—I bring my eyes to his—“I was pretty fucking pissed, and I think we all know that.”
Malyk moves across the room, taking the chair behind the desk. “We all were. Some of us just didn’t change our coping mechanisms.”
“Some need to—” Sparrow snaps at Malyk, but I know his anger is on me. “Do I want to keep watching this, or is it going to piss me off even more? You do realize you risked exposure?”
“Of what?” I throw my hands up.
Even though in the back of my mind, I understand his anger. I know that what I did back then was wrong, it was why I fought with Shi to not tell them, but I know neither of them is fucking perfect. For one, Malyk. He’s still doing shit that could ruin my career, expose everything our ancestors have fought to protect, and get both Sparrow and me locked up for fucking accessory. He has law enforcement chasing his trail up and down the West Coast, and last I checked, they slapped a label on him. The Boneyard Killer. Because why? Well…funny story. Make it make sense.
“Of the tales that have been circling the locals since the town was founded and it started? Or what? It was all hearsay back then. I wanted to know if we were chasing a fucking ghost. I mean, really—” I glare at both of them.
I love Sparrow and Malyk like they’re my brothers, but that doesn’t mean I won’t speak up when they’re being fucking ridiculous. And besides. This whole thing is an equal pack.
“Who was going to believe it? I needed proof. Proof that the Anchors to Hades exist.”
“—they exist,” Malyk sneers, and I catch his eyes.
“Aye! Don’t go all fucking Boneyard Killer on me, homie. At that time, I didn’t know.”
“And what has all of this got to do with little Shiloh St. Claire and whatever Mahlia is going on about?” Sparrow asks, moving to the bar cart on the opposite side of the room.