Page 3 of The Devils They Are

"Right," I mock-agree. "And howdidyou even obtain the photo in the first place?"

Creases form around his eyes, a telling sign of rising fear as he tries to pull a lie from his puckered funnel of doom. After this, I would recommend he visit the doctor because it can’t be healthy to have shit coming out of your mouth.

"It was sent to me anonymously," he says quickly—too quickly.

When I smile slyly, a few people step back.

Archie rolls his eyes as Joshua takes in my expression, unsure how to react. He has every reason to be nervous, especially since I know that only one person had that photo. The person who dared me and took it.

Steele is a long-time friend—and my currentstress reliever. I know without a doubt he'd never share anything intimate. He’s a good guy, but gets easily distracted and has no password on his cell. What kind of person doesn’t password protect their cell these days? I’m surprised he hasn’t been taken advantage of before now.

The only time that Steele is away from his cell in public is in the locker room. And who is his locker neighbor at the academy? Ahh, that's right. Dear Joshua here.

I raise my hand, looking over my shoulder. I tap the back facing me, watching as Steele turns around, grinning.

"What's up, Bex babe?"

His light brown eyes sparkle but when he takes in my expression, they harden, looking behind me. He pauses on Joshua, a frown appearing as he steps closer to me.

"What did he do?" Steele asks curiously, instinctively tightening the chocolate-colored man-bun on his head like he’s getting ready for a fight.

"Joshua here says that he received a picture of my pussy anonymously," I tell him. "With a glowstick in it."

As the seconds tick by, I'm grossly aware of the circle of people watching our interaction. Some seem perplexed about the glowstick comment, while others appear amused. But Steele's expression darkens, connecting the dots. "You fucker! You went through my phone!"

"I didn't mean to!" Joshua argues, throwing his hands up defensively. "I thought it was mine. It was on the bench."

"Bullshit!" Steele snaps back. "I have an Android, and you have an iPhone. They don't even look the same, you wet, flaccid noodle-fucker."

I place a hand on Steele's chest, holding him back as he takes a step toward his teammate. "I don't like liars, Joshua. And I hate people who share intimate things without consent even more."

"I'm sorry," he mumbles apologetically, colliding with Archie's chest as he steps back. "I won't do it again, I promise."

My eyes flicker to Archie, giving him a nod. "I know you won't. That's why I've taken the liberty of arranging your apology."

Archie smiles, holding in a snort as he braces for what’s coming. Just because I rule alone, it doesn't mean I don't have a right-hand man or see value in having someone watch my back. We’re a family at Cedar, and Arch and I have been friends since elementary school. But in chaos, there still needs to be order. Which is why I have to do this.

"Oh." Joshua sighs with relief. "What can I do for you?"

I nod my head toward the cage. "Since you're such a big, tough man, you're going to fight on behalf of Cedar Heights tonight. I know you won't let me down. It's an honor, after all."

For a linebacker who spends his days shouting aggressive taunts at people, he sure looks like he might piss himself right now. Where's that brute mentality from the field gone? Well, you know what they say… fuck around and you shall find out.

"Wait!" Joshua squeals as Archie starts to push him toward the cage. "Bexley! Please!"

I ignore him, holding in a sigh as I scan the cage to check out his opponent. He won’t do this again–let this be a lesson on behalf of not just me, but all women. And certainly a lesson not to shit where you eat. I do everything I can to protect my people, and he crossed the line when he violated my trust.

Willowbrook's first fighter dances around in circles, trying to boost crowd morale as he waits. If I had to guess, I'd place money on this guy being a jock too—except he's bigger than Joshua.

As much as I hate losing a fight to these assholes, sometimes the lesson you learn and price you pay is more valuable. We can always win the next fight.

Archie pushes Joshua into the cage with a slap of encouragement on the back, closing the door behind him. Instantly, my ears ring as the crowd screams loudly in excitement.

On the other side of the room, Rylan leans forward with interest, locking his eyes on Joshua. His lips twitch into a smile, quickly assessing that our fighter is no match for his. His gaze moves away from the cage, finding me again, probably to gloat.

I give him a sweet smile back, letting him know with a silent message that this was deliberate. Even though I can't hear it, Rylan laughs, slumping back casually in his seat as he turns his attention back to the cage as the bell rings for the fight to start.

I didn’t deliberately give Joshua a losing match–I don’t even know who this other guy is or what his abilities are. But the message is still the same. Don’t fuck over your family.

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