Page 121 of Wicked Ends
Yesterday, I had been furious, and today, I already missed her. Maybe loving someone was just realizing that no matter what they did, the way you felt would remain the same… I had no idea, but something dark and lost inside me felt better now that I was at her side. Like I’d come home.
Her hazy gaze swept over my jacket, and she frowned and shook her head.
“You don’t wear that. You wear the goalie’s jersey. You’re the goalie. You make all the saves.”
She was clearly pretty out of it, but there was something endlessly endearing about her sweetness right now.
She poked a wavering finger into my chest. “Take it off. I have a jersey you can borrow if you want.”
“Do you?” I mused.
She nodded. “My boyfriend gave it to me.”
Yes, birthday girl. Your boyfriend.It seemed like in her heart of hearts, Ari hadn’t written me off for being an asshole at the presentations.
“Find out where the money is, Marcus,” Cole instructed from across the table.
I bit down my snap of a response and instead focused on Ari.
“Beautiful, I need to know what happened with the money in the bag,” I said.
I knew she’d given it to her brother, but the Harbor Hounds had no idea.
Ari shook her head, her gentle expression shifting to a tearful one.
“I don’t have the bag anymore,” she confessed.
“Who did you give it to?” I pressed. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. I’d hoped to spare Ari all of this, but my brother wasn’t going to give up on the money so easily.
“No one. I’d never give it away,” she protested and had the gall to look offended by the question. “I would never give it away,” she said again and poked me in the chest. “Don’t you know that by now?”
Yes.I thought I did, but it seemed that I’d been wrong.
“But my brother doesn’t ask for permission. I guess he followed me. Dale doesn’t ask for permission when he does things. He promised he’d ruin my life.” She chuckled, but it sounded sad. “I guess he did, after all.”
“You gave your brother the money?” I tried to clarify.
“No, I told you I’d never do that. I’d never want Cole to be hurt,” she said.
“And why is that?” I wondered.
“Because he’s Marcus’ brother,” she said immediately, in a tone that made it clear she thought I should know the answer already. “And I love Marcus,” she whispered.
And my heart stopped.
“I love him—I’ve never loved anyone before.”
The feeling is mutual.
“How did your brother get the bag?” Cole cut in, taking over when I clearly lost the ability to talk.
“How did he get anything he has in life? By cheating and stealing and being a snake. He broke into the lockers and took it,” Ari burst out and fanned her face. “I’m hot. Are you guys hot?”
She struggled with her sweater.
“It’s just the drugs,” Cole reassured me when I looked at him askance.
“I hate him. I’m going to kill him. If he comes back, he’s dead. I can do it,” she was babbling now. “I should have finished him off the first time.”
