Page 71 of The Demons We Hide

Lex snorts. “Oh, he had affairs,” he corrects. “It took me a while to confirm because he wouldn’t admit it, but he was discreet about them. I doubt even Juliet knew about them.”

“Okay, so you think she … what? Embezzled from his company and framed him as revenge for cheating on her?” I grind my teeth. “That still doesn’t explain why she’d leave her fucking daughter here afterwards.” Did Juliet haveanyoneon her side in that old life of hers?

“I’m going to do more digging on that,” Lex informs me. “But I think it’s time I visit old man Donovan to get some more details.”

“Formally or informally?” I ask.

There’s a pause and I can imagine Lex’s evil, maniacal grin. Psycho fucker likely wants to scare the piss out of Allen Donovan simply for causing Juliet any sort of pain. Even if he was a half decent dad, if Lex’s theory is right and Denise Donovan is the real villain here—he led her to it.

“I don’t want him to see me coming,” Lex finally says.

With a sigh, I reach for my helmet. “Alright, fine,” I say, “but make sure you get in and out fast. I don’t want to do a jailbreak.”

Lex laughs. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve already started the setup. One of the guards owes me now. He’ll get me a private meeting with Donovan, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Putting the phone on speaker, I balance the back of it on the gas tank of my bike as I settle the helmet on my head, flipping up the visor to speak through it. “Don’t miss the game this weekend,” I snap. “Eastpoint’s got a scout coming.”

“No worries, I should be back before then.”

I buckle the helmet into place and lift the phone closer. “Alright, keep me in the loop. I’m heading back to the Southside.”

“Roger that. Talk to you later.”

With that, I hang up and stuff the phone into my pocket and twist the key in the ignition. My Indian roars to life and soon enough, I’m flying back down the highway, spinning around larger vehicles on my way home, on my way back toher.

29

JULIET

The weekend arrives and with it, so does the Friday night game. My muscles are still sore from my sparring session with Gio earlier in the week as well as all of the other gym sessions he’s dragged me to. Added to that, I’ve been grabbing extra shifts at the Dionysus Lounge, overall making me ten times more physically exhausted, but I ignore it as I stretch up the bleachers in the cool twilight air.

Several other students shoot me dirty looks from where they sit with their cliques. I ignore them all in favor of finding my own seat. Once I’m sat and comfortable with a tub of popcorn in one hand and a big ass bottle of soda in the other, I hear my name above the noise of the crowd.

Craning my neck, I scowl as I hear it again and then I sigh and lift my arm when I see the person it’s coming from. Roquel stands at the end of one row a few spaces down from the one I’m on, scanning the crowd as she calls my name a third time. She’s dressed in what I can only describe as the cross between a hooker’s go-dress and a Wednesday Addams reject.

The black sheath is practically saran wrapped to her body with cut outs on either side, and the only thing she has for warmth is a faux-fur coat. It’s… kind of horrendous, but I see the way several guys eye her legs up and down like she’s a lollipop and they’re candy addicts, so I guess it works for her.

When she finally sees my waving hand, she jumps up and down and then jogs up the next few steps before squeezing past a few freshmen to join me. As she draws nearer, I realize that even if she chose an outfit that she’ll surely freeze in, at least she’s wearing a pair of Converse instead of heels. When I comment on the fact, she shrugs and tucks a strand of choppy black hair over her ear.

“I’ve got some in my car for the afterparty,” she admits, because of course she does.

I shake my head and offer her some of my popcorn. She takes a handful and starts munching away. The announcer comes across the loudspeaker and as he begins the usual hype-speech for the crowd, I start searching the stands. Roquel bumps me.

“Who are you checking out?” she grins conspiratorially. Does she really think I’m trying to check out another guy when she just asked me earlier this week which of the Scorpion Kings I was fucking? I roll my eyes.

“I’m looking for the scouts from colleges,” I say.

Her grin dims. “Oh. For the players?”

“Yeah, they said there might be one here tonight, and Gio’s going back on the field.”

Roquel frowns. “So soon? I thought he still needed to heal.”

“It’s been over a month since he got jumped,” I say. “He says he’s fine and he’s been doing practices like regular.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s completely healed,” Roquel murmurs and I can’t help but agree with her in some small way. G’s been hardcore trying to get back to the shape he was in before he got jumped. I can’t blame him, but at the same time, football isn’t exactly a safe sport.

I chew on my lip as I peruse the people in the stands. The banner holding back the opposing team rips as their players jump onto the field to the boos of those from Silverwood.

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