Page 19 of In the Light of Sin

V straightened, bat clanking to the ground as he smoothed his now messy hair, the blood of our enemies silking it back. He shot us a quick glance before bending to retrieve his bat. Turning, he started to make his way back to the door we came in through.

“V!” He paused when he heard Husk call his name out. “Prez is already gonna be pissed they’re all dead, but we still gotta get rid of the bodies.”

He made no indication he heard Husk when he walked right out the door, his motorcycle engine roaring to life moments later.

“Fuckin’ bastard,” Husk grumbled as he looked over at me, getting back to his feet. “I’m not wrestlin’ four of ‘em with only two of us. Get outta here. I gotta light this place up.”

I nodded curtly at him. I couldn’t be here if this place was going up in flames. I never like to leave a brother behind, but we both knew he would be better off dealing with this inferno alone.

“I’m gonna scope this place out. It shouldn’t take long.” Every place we went to, he always looked for her. “I’ll be right behind you.” A war playing inside my mind, my traumas fighting one another. My fear of fire and the fear of leaving a brother behind. “Fuckin’ go, Sarge, or I’ll light it up and leave you here.”

“Bastard,” I told him, collecting myself enough to push past my roaming thoughts.

I hopped on my bike, telling myself the loud boom was just my bike, not a fire.

* * *

“Why aren’t you at Hellbound?” Prez shouted at us as we made our way inside the common area.

“They’re dead,” V’s monotone voice answered, red instantly blooming on Prez’s face. We’d always completed every task we were handed to perfection, but not this one.

“What happened?”

“What happened,” Husk said mockingly as he rubbed his hands on a rag he always kept tucked in his back pocket. “Is V’s a fuckin’ impulsive idiot.”

Prez’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do, V?”

“Had some fun.” He put a hand in his hair, the guy’s blood he killed still sticky as it attached to his fingertips. He wiped it on his forehead, the copper clashing with his tanned skin. “They know about the crematorium.”

Grim crossed his arms over his chest, hazel eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

“Rat.” Intakes of breath spread throughout our group.

“Shit,” Grim cursed, letting his head fall back. Prez steeled his features, outwardly remaining impassive. Inwardly, though, I know he was boiling with a need for answers. We all were at this point.

“They could be bluffing.”

“I don’t think they are.” Husk shook his head as he answered Tyrant. “They wouldn’t know about the crematorium if they were.”

“Do you think—“

“Hollow wouldn’t do this.” Prez was appalled that Tyrant would even consider it. “Even though he hates us right now, we’re still his kin.”

“Then who else could it be?” Grim rubbed the side of his face. “The only other brother we had was Dagger. It’s not like he’s spillin’ information.”

Prez snarled at Grim before looking at each of us. “Dunno. You’re all in the Souls for a reason. I know you motherfuckers better than you know yourselves. If there was a rat, I would know, and you’d be dead.”

Tyrant let out another exasperated sigh. “Just more shit heaped on our plates, then.”

“What about Joslyn?”

“Joslyn wouldn’t do that!” My defensive words for Joslyn were guttural, hurting my throat at the power of them. Hearing all the shit everyone had planned for her life is teetering me over the edge.

Knight held his hands up. “Just throwing it out there. The only people who’ve escaped Hellbound are the girls and Jordyn from the party we crashed. Oakley wouldn’t tell anyone because of Law. We made sure Nyla didn’t tell anyone. We couldn’t keep close tabs on Joslyn because of her sister. We don’t know what she told her.”

He was right. I hated it, but he was right. We didn’t know what was said. But Joslyn would rather hurt herself than hurt anyone else. Whoever leaked this type of information knew it would get us all killed.

She wouldn’t be able to live with that on her conscience.

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