Page 30 of Chaos Kills

“Torin threw my sisters into foster care,” she roars back. “And put Levi in jail. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for you fuckers to figure it out.”

“Sounds a little judgmental.”

“Says the asshole who’s only been judging me since we met.”

“Mhm.” I understand she’s worried about her sisters, but they’re fine. I have eyes on them at all times. Meanwhile, she outed herself with Wallace. “You want to tell me the truth behind you and Levi?”

“What about it?”

“Why do you care that he’s in jail?”

“Because he’s my best fucking friend.”

“And what else?”

She shakes her head, her jaw taut as she returns her focus to the road and begins moving again. “That has nothing to do with anything.”

“But it does.”

“You’re going to stand with your boys,” she accuses me. “And I’m not about to give you my life story.”

I prop my elbow along the center console and turn my body to engage more in my own interrogation. “Make it make sense, Little T. You used to date De Leon, but you were friends with his enemy. Then you leave and start fucking around with his other enemies.”

“Torin and Levi might not like each other, but I’d hardly call them enemies.”

“You call them almost dying over Peer Pressure Point not being enemies? Torin was going to take that South Shore seat. I wouldn’t think that’d sit well with Wallace, and I’ve known that prick for a long time.”

A few beats go by before I hear her mutter, “I forgot about that.”

“So, convince me.”

I see her nostrils flare, but she’s loyal to a fault.

And she’s loyal to Levi Wallace and no one else.

It’s what I expected all along. I don’t reject the fact she may have developed feelings for either Reeve or Torin, but they were always going to play second fiddle to her beloved King of South Shore.

Just like I’m unwavering and protective over my brothers.

“I’m going to give you this advice one more time, Little T, and then the rest is up to you. You can shit on it, discard it however you like, but I’m going to stay true to my bargain with you and what I’ve always said. Stay away from Torin and Reeve. Do not seek them out. Don’t look at them. Don’t breathe in their direction. Torin is not in a good place right now, and you’ve gotten lucky tonight. Consider it the last time you speak to him. Because the next time, I can almost guarantee that it’s going to be bloody.”

“I won’t,” she replies, stretching her jaw once and setting her concentration on the road.

“I’d love to believe you on that front, too. However, contrary to what I just said, I might bet money you’ll be dead by the end of the week.”

“Tell them I’d like to be buried next to my father.”

My eyebrows collapse at the morbid request. “That’s a bit pessimistic, don’t you think? Your father?—”

“He’s dead,” she almost chokes out, and my whole body freezes.

I didn’t hear anything about Roger passing away.

The last I heard, he was at the hospital after suffering another stroke.

“Bay—”

“Tellthem,” she says roughly. “If it’s as bad as you’ve painted it out to be, I’ll stay away. But know that I didn’t mean to hurt Reeve. I didn’t kill Judah, for the millionth time. But I don’t expect you to side with me?—”