It took Jackie forty-five minutes to get here from Provo, which was as impressive as it was telling of her character. I nodded, and Cole caught my gaze as his own flared with interest. Arching a brow, he stuffed his hands in his pockets as my own smoothed my shirt and cut.
“What, Cole?” Irritation sharpened my tone, and he rocked back on his heels to shrug carelessly. His reaction only served to frustrate me, and my lip curled in a snarl. “I don’t need you starin’ at me like I’m a dumbass. I know I am.”
“You’re gonna do exactly what Spyder did and let her get away?” Shaking my head mutely at the jibe, I started toward the side of the house, and Cole fell into step next to me. I could almost smell his interest seeping from his pores, and it was bitter. “Spyder told me to let you know he’s gonna try to convince his parents to move to Margot. What’re you gonna do about your ol’ lady?”
“I’ll give it a week. She’s that kinda person. If I hound her, she’ll get overwhelmed and hide.” With that, I forced thoughts of Nicole to the back of my mind, and Cole grunted in acknowledgment as we rounded the side of Spyder’s mother’s house. “I’m guessing Mam ain’t gonna be that easily convinced, huh?”
“I don’t know. Hellraisers went too far this time. It’s one thing to be dicks. It’s another to try to get someone killed.” I glanced over my shoulder at the road. The guy Nicole had run over was gone, but his blood and skid marks still remained. The street disappeared, and I blustered a sigh as I tried to figure out how the fuck this all happened. “What do you think prompted them to do that? Nicole was literally a delivery person, and they could’ve seriously hurt her, Bruiser.”
“I didn’t see that troll Mathew out there today. I wonder if he knew about it. . . or knows how bad it got.” My comment earned me a frosty silence, and I frowned as shadows played on Cole’s face. “You need to redirect that anger at someone that deserves it, Cole. I know he knocked up your sister, but the one good thing about the guy is, he decisively doesn’t care about Camden and doesn’t play par for the course. He’s a total piece of shit in every other way, but at least he’s not using a kid as a weapon.”
“I know. I believed him when he told me it was a one-night stand. He wouldn’t lie with a gun to his temple. It’s just . . .” Trailing off roughly, Cole exhaled a sharp breath and shook his head roughly as we entered the backyard. Spyder’s mother was gobbling down cake, and I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I scanned the noticeably muted party. “Forget that. The problem right now is that Hellraisers started shit, and we’re gonna have to finish it. Spyder wants me to take the kid to Vegas. How was he last weekend?”
“I think he’s better. He’s just toughin’ it out. It’s gonna take time to get over what happened to him. If you take him to Mick and Mack, don’t bet on him, though. He’s scrappy but really can’t hold himself in a fight.” My gaze landed on Rook, lookin’ mighty uncomfortable as he tossed a bean bag between his palms and squatted against the house. He kept away, and I knew he wanted to wallow, but he was gonna have to grow up. Fast. “Make it a point when you’re down there to beat him down if you gotta.”
“Yeah, I will. What about you?” I inhaled a deep, calming breath and held it as I contemplated that question. What about me? What was I gonna do next? Really, Spyder’s the one with the heat on him right now. That’s what he gets for being the Prez. Decision-making wasn’t really my forte, anyway. Shrugging lightly as Cole and I reached the cake, I picked up a small paper plate and grabbed a fork to glance over at my best friend.
“I’m gonna do whatever I have to. You know what happens when you kill someone, Cole?” My question caught him off guard, and I arched a brow when Cole paused, his hand on the edge of the plate. Slowly shaking his head, his eyes flashed when they met mine. “They shit themselves. There’s no sound. There’s no feeling. There’s just the taste of shit, piss and blood stuck to the roof of your mouth and a hole in your chest. Killing chickens and people is basically the same.”
“What happened?” I shook my head, reaching to clap Cole on the shoulder before walking toward my little cousin. Rook scowled at me, but it seemed less mean, for lack of a better word. Hiking himself up to his feet, he dropped the sack to take the piece of vanilla cake from me.
“Thanks.” Gruff and abrupt, Rook’s gaze flickered to mine briefly, and I leaned against the house to watch him. “What?”
“We haven’t talked about that shit.” His eyes darkened, and Rook grunted lowly as I crouched to clasp my hands between my knees. “What happened in Canada, Rook? You gave an overview, but what happened between you and your ex?”
Maybe, he expected me to dig into him; the scowl I expected wasn’t twisting his face when I rested my head back against the siding. Spyder’s mother’s birthday was turning out to be the shittiest one yet. The atmosphere was muted, and now that Nicole wasn’t here, no one tried to pick up the mood. Even Hailey was keeping her mouth shut for once and not trying to force things along.
I shook my head and inhaled a sharp breath, clearing my thoughts as I turned to Rook expectantly. He swallowed his thick mouthful heavily, a noise of disgust bursting from his lips as he slumped against the house.
“She looked at me with
