Page 2 of Pretty Lethal
Wilder hasn’t allowed any of us to forget about how he was left out of killing Mel—as though we’d deliberately planned the whole thing without him.
“Yeah, it sucks being left out of the loop, doesn’t it?” Hawk gripes from the other end of the table. My good mood instantly deflates a little.
While the scene may look like one of a large, happy family, all of our damage is sitting right beneath the surface, just waiting to come into the light. The fissures in our relationship are large, contradicting the happy, carefree people we’re pretending to be for the sake of the holidays.
Wilder and Hawk are sitting at opposite ends of the table, the two of them having barely communicated all week since Wilder dropped the bomb that it was he who leaked private information about a client of Nocturnal Enterprises in order to fulfill some agenda for some secret organization, and seemingly meet his family.
It’s all one giant mess.
While I can understand Wilder’s need to get to know his own flesh and blood, I don’t understand why they are forcing him to jump through all these hoops and why this society means so much to them.
I don’t like it one bit. I haven’t even met any of his family and I already know I don’t like them. Anyone who asks you to betray your friends like that does not have your best interests at heart. I don’t know why they asked that of Wilder, whether they were using him to gain intel or if they had ulterior motives like wanting to cause a rift between him and Hawk. However, if that’s the case, then why?
It’s all too much speculation for my liking. We don’t have enough information; worse, we don’t know how to get more information. I plan on scouring each of the libraries on campus when classes start back for any information on this King’s Elite or even information on the history of Kappa Epsilon. Nothing irritates me more than not having answers, especially after not having answers to who Mel was and why she was fixated on me. I refuse to allow us to be backed into another situation where we are in the dark because we don’t have all the information we need.
Unfortunately, finding out what Wilder’s family and the King’s Elite want with him will do nothing to fix the issue between him and Hawk. I can’t stand the tension between the two of them. I’d rather they both go back to hating me than this, because at least then they were on the same side. It’s painful to watch the sadness that Wilder tries to hide at Hawk’s dig, and I hate how antagonistic and surly Hawk has become in his presence. I might as well be back at Pac with the version of him I hated. Except, I could never hate anything about Hawk now, and this version of him only hurts my heart to watch.
Hadley and her guys cast a fleeting glance between Hawk and Wilder, but thankfully no one says anything, and Kai—ever the peacekeeper these days—quickly changes the topic.
“So, West, any update with Mel’s phone?”
I arch a brow at Kai before turning to look at West. We had all agreed on no Mel talk today. We planned to forget our problems, set aside our issues, and enjoy our Thanksgiving.
One normal day.
All of us deserve at least that.
Except, it would seem I’m the only one sticking to the agreement, what with Wilder regaling stories of how he was left behind, Hawk making low digs at him, and now Kai mentioning the M-word. I don’t know why we even bothered to make the agreement when we are all incapable of actually having a nice, typical day without our bullshit getting in the way.
“I’m close,” West says, and I instantly perk up in my chair. “She had several layers of encryption on it, but nothing too high-tech. I guess she probably figured no one would actually get their hands on it. It was running through a program before we left, so it should be done by the time we get home.”
“Are you expecting to find much?” Hadley asks.
Kai shakes his head. “Not really. It would just be nice to find out who she was. She made some implications that she was somebody, so I just want to rule out any possibility of someone coming looking for her.”
I tense in my seat, and Kai’s arm, which had been resting on the back of my chair, moves to run across the back of my shoulders, his fingers drawing soothing circles on my upper arm. “You think someone might come after us if they discover what we did?”
Kai looks down at me, his arm still a comforting weight around my shoulders and his relaxed expression a reassuring balm to my soul. “It’s a slim chance. I just want to tie up any loose ends so we can put all this behind us and move on.”
Leaning into his warmth, I nod in agreement. It would be nice to know for sure. To get that closure, then move on with our lives. I think permanently closing that door and putting the past in the past would also help Hawk get over Wilder’s betrayal.
Then we’d only be left to sort out whatever situation Wilder has gotten himself into.
I glance up and notice Hadley frowning as she stares at her brother. Specifically at the long, ghastly scar that runs along the edge of his face. I can see she’s gearing up for a fight simply at the possibility of more harm being brought on him. We’d given her and the guys a brief rundown of what happened with Mel. However, as soon as she saw the scar on Hawk’s face and the bruises littering Wilder, she insisted on getting every last detail. By the time we were finished, I was fairly sure she wanted to bring Mel back to life so she could brutally kill her all over again.
Although she’d have to get in line behind Wilder.
Underneath all that anger though, I can tell she’s hurting on behalf of her brother. Hawk may say the scar doesn’t bother him, but it must. It certainly bothers me every time I see it. Not the physical disfigurement. I never thought it would be possible, but somehow the scar only makes Hawk more handsome. Rugged in a threatening and entirely seductive way. What bothers me is the reminder it serves of the pain and suffering I brought into his life—into all of their lives.
If I’d only connected the dots sooner. If I’d been able to see Mel for who she truly was…
A whirlwind of guilt and anger kicks inside me, bringing flashbacks of that night.
Her manic grin.
The terror of seeing Hawk strapped to that chair.
Of watching helplessly as the blade glinted in the light as she dragged it across the side of his face, blood spilling like water as she permanently scarred him for life.
