Page 47 of Rebel

Stray chuckled. “It’s wild that River would make such a move after the way you beat his ass at the party. He’s either incredibly brave or unbearably stupid.”

“Unless this is exactly what he wants. To lure us right to him. Maybe this is a trap of some kind or a set up. Did any of you stop to think about that?” Twisting in his seat to fire a glare into the back, Auryn affected a haughty, know-it-all expression.

I wasn’t in the mood for this discussion. We were already halfway to the Venom house. Anyone who didn’t want to come along would have to get the hell out and walk home.

“Then I guess he’s going to get exactly what he wants,” I said. “Nobody is forcing you to come, Auryn.”

“Bullshit,” he scoffed. “You are. I can’t very well let your dumbass go off and cause shit without me.”

“Good. Then we’re all on the same page. We’re only going to have a little talk. I’m not ready to kill them yet. That will take some planning.” My fingers tightened on the steering wheel as I thought about the best way to kill a guy like River. Slowly.

Casper laughed softly to himself, but of course, didn’t say a word. The one thing I liked about him was that he was always ready and willing to finish the trouble someone else started. He made the perfect partner in crime.

Auryn settled back in his seat, knowing he was outnumbered. “Fine. You’re the boss. Don’t forget that we have a meeting at the graveyard in less than two hours. We probably shouldn’t miss that.”

“No worries. We’ll be there on time.” I sure wasn’t about to miss out on a deal that would make me an easy twenty grand.

By the time we rolled up in front of the Venom hangout, I was almost vibrating with adrenaline. I could hardly wait. The marks I’d left on River during the fight at the party were nothing compared to what I would do to him before this was all over.

I’d come prepared for anything. Even though I didn’t plan to use it, I had a handgun tucked into the back of my jeans, covered by my hoodie. I knew for certain that Casper carried one hell of a hunting knife. None of us were stupid enough to come here unarmed. However, my plan didn’t include that kind of violence. Yet. My fists would work just fine for now.

We strolled up the front walk like we were out for a casual visit. This was anything but casual. When nobody answered the front door, we followed the sound of voices around the side of the house to the backyard.

All four Venom dicks sat around a fire pit, drinking beer and smoking pot. Weed most likely wasn’t the only drug running through their systems. School had let out for the day not long ago. They sure didn’t waste any time.

Letting myself into the yard through the back gate, I announced myself by loudly saying, “Which one of you dumb fucks do I need to kill for what you did to Chase Masters?”

All four of them turned in unison to find the five of us making our way toward them. Damon Price shot to his feet, ready to throw down. I respected that. River waved a dismissive hand, indicating that he should sit back down.

“What kind of crap are you spewing, Kane? What the fuck are you doing here? No assholes allowed.” River sipped from his beer before puffing on his joint. He regarded me with a lazy expression, like he couldn’t be bothered to care.

“You know exactly what we’re doing here. You killed Chase Masters and you’re trying to frame us for the murder. A pretty obvious ploy. Definitely not your best work.” Without asking, I helped myself to a beer from their cooler, popping open the lid.

River sat forward in his chair, propping his elbows on his knees. “Well for one, we didn’t do shit to Chase Masters. This is the first I’m hearing of it. And for two, why do you even care? Because you’re slipping it to his sister? Since when does that matter? I’m surprised you’re not bored with her yet.”

My hand tightened around the frosty bottle. I half expected it to shatter in my grasp. For just a moment, I contemplated smashing River over the head with it.

“You fucking wish. You’re just waiting to make your move again. Not going to happen, jackass. Storm is mine. I can’t believe you thought going after her brother would change that. All you’ve done is drive us closer together.” I slowly circled their chairs surrounding the fire pit. My friends hovered close, ready to take action the moment this little conversation ended and the fight began. “Here’s the thing. I promised her that I would find the person who killed her brother and make them die a slow, painful death. What have you got to say for yourself, River? Are you ready to die today?”

River laughed. A long, low chuckle. “You’re kidding, right? You don’t have any proof of anything. Looks to me like you want a reason to show off to your girlfriend. Is that what it takes to impress her?”

“You know something,” Stray interjected. “You’re not as good of a liar as you think you are.”

River eyed Stray, nodding slowly. “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Either way, I’m not saying jackshit to you assholes. Get the fuck off our property.”

Not in the mood to play word games with this dick, I dropped the beer bottle and grabbed River by the front of his shirt. Dragging him to his feet, I gave him a hell of a shake.

“I’m not going to ask you again,” I seethed. “Admit that you targeted Chase Masters because you’re pissed off that Storm wouldn’t give you the time of day. You’re a dead man either way. Might as well go to your grave an honest man instead of a lying piece of shit.”

River scowled at the full beer I’d dropped. “Are you going to pay for that? I have nothing to say to you, Kane. Unless you’re willing to negotiate. Give me one night with that little beauty of yours, and I’ll tell you anything you want to hear.”

That did it. Even though I knew he was trying to set me off, my temper exploded. I shoved River hard enough to send him toppling backwards over his chair. Snatching up the beer I’d dropped, I lunged forward to smash him over the face with it.

There was a brief second of hesitation before his three buddies were on their feet. My guys moved in to back me and the fight was on. Punches were thrown. Beer bottles were wielded as weapons. Stray even used one of the chairs to beat Damon over the head.

Grabbing River by the hair, I flipped him over onto his stomach, jamming my knee into his back. Mashing his face into the grass, I snarled, “You must have a death wish. I would be happy to make that come true for you.”

He let out an anguished shout as I twisted one of his arms behind his back, jerking it hard. “Go fuck yourself, Rebel. Kicking my ass isn’t going to stop what’s already been set in motion.”

---