Page 39 of Tell Me Why
Half the front lawn is on fire. It looks like shrubbery and driftwood have been piled up to provide more fuel, and it’s working. A wall of flames engulfs the lawn and reaches into the night sky. Behind that flickering wall, in the driveway, are thirty or forty people—oneveryfamiliar face standing at the forefront.
It’s my brother.
Shit.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Eve
It’s chaos outside.Everyone attending the hunt is now crowded on the porch, straining to see what’s happening. I push past them, a tight fist of panic squeezing my windpipe as I stumble off the front steps and onto the walkway.
Up ahead, the security guys have guns drawn on Sin while Christian, Jackson, and Ash stand back. They’re all yelling, their voices carrying over the crackling flames.
“Wherethe fuckis she?” Sin yells, while at the same time, Christian and Jackson are screaming for him to leave.
It’s a total shitshow.
Rushing forward, I put myself between the guns and my brother, looking between Christian and Sin, addressing them both. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Sin looks at me like he’s seen a ghost. “Eve,fuck. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Sin.” I shake my head. “You shouldn’t be here.”
His face goes stone cold. “Get in the truck.”
I knew this would happen. I knew if he came to Rush House, shit would get out of hand quickly—my brother doesn’t shrink from anything, especially when it involves someone he loves.
“Eve, get in the fucking truck,” he repeats.
“She stays,” Christian says, stepping between Sin and me. “She made a deal with the Burning Crown.”
Sin’s eyes narrow, and his gaze shifts from Christian to me. “What the fuck is he talking about?”
“It’s true,” I tell Sin, emotion clogging my throat. I hate having to do this to him. But Sin’s way of “resolving” this thing with the Burning Crown will get him killed, and I can’t let that happen.”I can’t go with you.”
“Eve—”
“Sin,” I say, cutting him off. “I’m fine, I swear. You need to leave.”
Seriously, if he doesn’t leave now, I know something serious is going to happen. Something we can’t come back from. And whether they want to admit it or not, Sin and Christian are a lot alike—ruthless and stubborn. Neither is going to back down.
“I’m not leaving without you,” Sin says, his tattooed hands flexing.
“Sin,please—” I plead. “Don’t fuck this up. You have to trust me.”
Jackson leans over and whispers something to Christian. Christian nods and addresses my brother. “I get it. You’re worried. Tell you what, we’ll give her access to a phone and you can have a nice brother and sister chat tomorrow.”
I have a feeling Christian’s offer has more to do with wanting to get my brother off his front lawn and less about some newfound empathy. But, whatever. If it means I can talk to my brother, then I’m not saying a damn thing.
Sin’s calculating gaze shifts from me to Christian to the guns pointed at him and his guys. He’s not going to win this fight, and he has to know that. Still, Sin doesn’t like giving up ground. But for me, he might.
After several tense moments, Sin takes a step back. “I’ll talk to hertonight.I’ll expect a call in twenty minutes.Oneminute over, and I swear to God, I’ll put my fist through someone’s skull—” He looks directly at Christian. “Starting with yours.”
Christian doesn’t say anything, and neither do the other Sacred Sons.
As Sin and his guys back away, he jabs a finger into the air at Christian. “You think you won?” A deadly smile cuts across his face. “I’m just getting warmed up. Next time, you won’t even see it coming until you’re already bleeding out.”
Trucks and motorcycles peel out of the driveway in a din of chaos, and I finally release the air that’s been trapped in my lungs. Thank God no blood was shed. That went way better than I thought it would.
