Page 4 of Sinner
Lake sat up straight the second West appeared in the kitchen. “How is he?”
West was moving a bit slower than usual, the injury on his side still healing, but he’d managed to carry a tray of tea upstairs to Lake’s room, where Nix and his cousin were currently holed up.
They’d rescued Briant and convinced him to come to the Roost to wait while they went to help Nix. His cousin had been shaken from his altercation with Juri, enough so that he’d only put up a little resistance, giving in and following them silently. He hadn’t told them anything important other than confirming Juri had kidnapped him.
Lake wondered if Nix had gotten around to telling his cousin that Juri was now dead.
They’d only been back for a few hours, not returning until the sun was already cresting over the mountains. Nix had insisted on staying at Juri’s until he’d gotten all of the answers he could, though he’d yet to tell them anything more about what he’d learned aside from that one conversation they’d had in the middle of his investigation.
About poisoned tea and his cousin’s potential innocence.
Lake sent a sidelong look at Yejun, but his friend had yet to comment about that weighted possibility, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to be the first one to bring it up again.
“Not good.” West set the empty tray on the counter and heaved a sigh. “I think this was the last straw. I think…I think this may have finally broken him.”
“Bullshit,” Yejun disagreed. “He’s stronger than that.”
“He just watched a guy he’d considered a close friend vomit blood and basically die in his arms,” West snapped. “That’s enough to shake anybody. Hell, remember how you were when you found me unconscious?”
“That’s different.”
“He’s right,” Lake interrupted before they could argue any further. He understood Yejun was merely coping, but pretending away Nix’s pain wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “This was too much for him.”
“How many betrayals does this make?” West said. “And in the span of such a short time, too.” He cursed and ran a hand over his shaved head. “If we’re not careful with our approach, I’m afraid we might lose him. Which means no cursing Juri’s name or rubbing salt in the wound.”
“Why are you staring at me?” Yejun scowled and crossed his arms, leaning back against the sink after neither of them replied. “Fine, yeah, I get it. I’ll rein it in.”
“We’re just as pissed off as you are,” Lake told him. “But Nix doesn’t need our anger right now.”
“I said I got it. I can be a supportive boyfriend, have a little faith.”
It wasn’t that Lake didn’t know that; it was just…things were still rocky between Yejun and Nix. They’d patched things up and were on the right track, but that didn’t mean they were on solid ground just yet. What if this whole thing with Juri set them back again?
Nix had been the one to say it first, but he’d been right when he’d claimed they were stronger together. They needed a united front if they were going to make it through this.
“My dad isn’t going to take this lying down,” West warned then, seemingly reading Lake’s mind.
Before Juri had gotten sick, they’d been in the process of exposing his underhanded deeds to the rest of the Order. They’d gotten enough in to plant a seed of doubt, but a dead club member might overshadow even Demitrious’s dirty laundry.
“We only managed to turn two members against him,” Yejun said. “Do you think that’ll be enough?”
“Club Essential is going to be in mourning. Juri may have been a traitor, but his family have been members for generations.” Lake pursed his lips. “Not to mention the paternity test results he shared.”
He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. About Juri Ferd potentially being a secret half-brother of his he’d never known about. There’d always been the chance, of course. Always a fear in the back of his mind that eventually one of his parents' bastard children could come out of the woodworks and try to stake a claim on what was his, he’d just never imagined it like this.
Lake wanted answers, but that would have to wait as well.
“Demons Passing begins tomorrow,” Yejun began, only for West to lift his multi-slate and tap the screen, reminding him how they’d spent the entire night and what time it really was.“Well shit. It’s today. Guess our celebrations are off the table. Do you think the rest of the school will bother?”
“Dew didn’t get anything,” West stated. “And he threw himself off a building in the middle of campus.”
“But he wasn’t Essential.”
“They’ll take a day for mourning,” Lake figured. “Maybe two, given the Ferds standing. The family hasn’t been faring well amongst the rest of the members, though. I doubt their son will get more.”
West let out a low whistle. “Guess that answers that.” At their questioning looks, he shrugged. “We really are shitheads. If Nix is right, and all Juri was trying to do was gather dirt on us? Can you really blame him?”
“I’d do worse if someone turned the entire school against one of you,” Yejun admitted, and it seemed to be a real struggle for him to do so.
