Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
I continued over a knoll and stopped, searching out Jeremy among the students crisscrossing branching paths to get to their different colleges. None of them wore a leather jacket or a crow on their neck.
Another message came through.
New Boy One: D Parking Lot. By the welcome sign.
I finally walked up to Jeremy’s car idling by the back entrance onto campus. I gave him a look as I slid in.
“What’s with the treasure hunt? I look like I got time to waste?”
He grinned. “Why so touchy? Just taking a few precautions.”
I tugged off my heel and flashed him my bandaged foot. “Like you took these precautions? I was in the fucking living room when that rock came through the window. Don’t tell me it wasn’t you.”
“It wasn’t me, it was Micah,” he said, wincing. “But fair enough, you should be pissed. I forgot they make you sleep in the living room like a literal dog.”
“What was that about, Jeremy? Why did you do it?”
“Why do you think?”
He started the car, peeling out of campus and setting a course for who knew where.
“They told the world I was fucking my brother. I’ve got friends in HC giving me shit now, saying they always knew ‘we were too close.’ Fuck that!” He punched the dash. “They deserve everything they’ve got coming to them.”
I grunted something.
“What’s up with you? I thought you’d get off on watching the Bedlam Boys eat it for a change.”
“Maybe I would if you weren’t happy for me to get caught up in the process. You can’t care all that much about what happens to me if you forgot I was sleeping under the window you shattered.”
“Hey, I apologized for that.” His voice softened. “We really weren’t trying to hurt you. We just gotta make sure the message sinks in. A week ago, I was willing to go easy on them. That’s over now. The Bedlam Boys are out. The Crows run this town now, and no one is going to hurt you when they’re gone. I told you, Rainey, the Crows will worship you.”
Jeremy felt up my thigh. My stomach heaved.
I’d do the rounds with a barroom full of unshowered, incontinent, flea-bitten randoms before I got naked with this guy. The Bedlam Boys spanked me, paddled me, fucked me raw and in the dirt, and not even they would disregard my safety as casually as the Crows did.
“Besides, if you think about it, your little cuts work in our favor. Sharpe wasn’t supposed to see us together the other day. We can’t have him thinking we’re friendly, or he’ll look to you when we start knowing things he doesn’t want us to know. From here on, we’ll make it look good. You want nothing to do with us.”
“Fine. I’ve got no problem putting on the show.” None at all.
“It was good though, right?” He laughed. “Creed shat himself when he saw that car.”
I pushed down my nausea. Jeremy believed I hated the guys as much as he did. I couldn’t play the spy if he guessed my allegiance wasn’t with him.
“I’ve never seen Arsenio like that,” I said honestly. “You broke him.”
“Whoo! Nice.”
He held up his hand for a high five. I smacked his palm and vowed to take three baths when I got home.
“I’m surprised you burned Arsenio’s car and not Roan’s.” We passed the turn for Bay Avenue. “I thought he was at the top of your hit list.”
“Banks has money. Not as much as his boyfriend, but enough that a little car fire wouldn’t slow him down. He’ll just get another or, like I said, ride around in one of the six St. James has parked in his driveway. Nah.” An odd note crept into his voice. “I’ve got something special for all of them, and Roan... he’s going to get it worst of all. When I’m through, they’ll beat it out of Bedlam so fast, they’ll leave the phone on the dresser and the shampoo still in their hair.”
I observed him for a moment, saying nothing. “Where are we going?”
“Just driving around. Don’t know how close an eye the Bedlam Boys and their buddies keep on you.”
“I know they’re having too much fun with this pet thing, but I haven’t been chipped, Jeremy,” I said. “But they do expect me home after class. Start driving back. This is a short conversation since all I’ve heard them say is Mayor Creed is planning to address the rumors of the town splitting at the next town hall.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. They’re not talking to me about it, but I get the feeling they don’t take you or the Crows seriously. Not after how easily Roan showed you up at the party.” I admit it, I said that to wheedle him. “If it’s between the devils they know, or the devils that screw their brothers, no one in Bedlam is going with you.”