Page 22 of Tell Me Why
She nods slowly. “What kind of debt?”
Jesus.She’s not shy about getting into personal details, is she?
“I don’t think I can say,” I answer.
“Hmmm.” She nods again, accepting that, thank God. “How long are you here for?”
“Three months.”
She sucks in a breath. “Oh,damn.That’s a long-ass-time to work off a debt in this house.”
My stomach flips. “What do you mean?”
She shakes her head. “The guys at Rush House are horny, rabid beasts on agoodday. Continue to walk around here naked like you were earlier, and sooner or later, one of the guys is going to claim you. There’s no leaving after that.”
“Claimme?” I stiffen at her statement. No one has assaulted me so far, but it’s come close a couple of times. Usually, one of the Sacred Sons is there to put a stop to it. “I thought guys in the Burning Crown had to adhere to a strict code of conduct?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Listen, I don’t want to freak you out, but you really have no idea what you’re in for. If I were you, I’d try to back out of this whole thing. It’s not safe for you here.”
Um…yeah, I don’t even know if that’s an option. And even if it were, the Sacred Sons would still have a vendetta against my brother. If I walk out of here today, then Sin will be killed. No question. And I’d have to live with the fact that I could have stopped it, but chose to walk away.
Sara stands up. “If Christian is gearing up for a hunt, then you might want to get some rest. It could be the last decent sleep you get in a while…”
Great. She’s the second person to give me that same advice today.
She leaves the door ajar, and I stare at it, her words on autoplay inside my head.You really have no idea what you’re in for.
Sara’s right. I don’t. The last two weeks have been relatively tame, but I have a sense that tensions are ramping up. The whispers in the hallways are growing louder, the curious stares becoming more suspicious. Even the air feels charged, like the house itself is holding its breath, just waiting for something to happen.
And now with this mysterious Fox Hunt tomorrow, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m standing at the edge of something dangerous, something I don’t fully understand…
But what other choice do I have?
CHAPTERNINE
Christian
“We have a visitor,”Jackson says, storming into the living room, drawing my attention away from the chessboard in front of me. My opponent, Dorian, glances up with mild irritation, his fingers still positioned over his knight.
I lean back in my chair, balancing on the back legs. “Who is it?”
With the private security we have surrounding the house, it’s hard for anyone to visit Rush House these days. Even Burning Crown members are given the third degree before being allowed inside. So, our visitor could be anyone.
Jackson’s arms are crossed over his chest. “Sin Savano is out front, demanding his sister. Andre says he’s making quite the scene.”
Andre is the head of our security team and more than capable of dealing with Sin and his crew.
“Let Andre deal with it,” I say dismissively, sliding my bishop across the board into a defensive position. Dorian’s pieces are steadily surrounding my queen, and that can’t go unanswered.
“Sin will just come back later,” Jackson replies.
There’s a glint in his eyes. A glint I recognize. “You just want a fight, you bloodthirsty psycho,” I laugh. “Admit it.”
Jackson doesn’t flinch at my jab. It’s a joke, but he knows it’s true. He craves violence the way the rest of us crave pussy, and he’ll find any excuse to beat the shit out of someone. It’s why he spends so much time in the basement gym—to burn all that psycho energy.
“We’ll have to deal with him eventually,” Jackson says. “And the more he shows up, the more disruption it will cause. Might as well deal with him now.”
Fair point.
