Page 59 of Crooked Crows (Boys of Briar Hall 1)

My shoulders slumped. “You smell it too?” I asked, relieved. I was starting to think I was going crazy when it didn’t go away after the shower. It was somehow soaked into my blankets. In my pillows. Whatever I ate yesterday, I was never eating it again.Barf.

She poured herself a coffee from the elaborate chrome machine in the kitchen and pointed to a second cup. “Want one?”

I moaned, chasing the aroma of fresh coffee to the kitchen. “Careful,” I warned. “I could get used to this.”

She snorted, but set another cup under the weird coffee drippy thing and started frothing some milk. “Here,” she said, nudging the already made cup with her elbow. “Take that one.”

I took a sip, and it didn’t even matter that it nearly scalded my tongue. It was fuckingdivine. Like, call me religious because I might have just been converted to a devoted member of the church of Becca Hart Lattes.

“God.”I groaned, clutching the mug under my nose to inhale. “I’m going to steal you away from whoever you go see in the mornings and make you my coffee bitch.”

Becca barked a laugh but didn’t reply, instead eyeing my outfit. The usual knock-off jeans, softened by too many owners, paired with a long sleeve black t-shirt today. “No run this morning?” she asked as she finished pouring off the frothed milk into the espresso basted cup.

I shook my head. “Nah, I had to wash that stink off. Two showers in one morning goes against years of two-minute shower conditioning. Just can’t do it.”

“Speaking of,” Becca said, leaning against the counter to sip her latte. “Maybe close the oven after you’re done baking. When I got home last night it was hot as balls in here.”

I winced. I’d always been taught to leave it open, especially when it was chilly outside. It was a waste of heat to keep it closed. But I supposed that wasn’t a worry here, where the air temp was controlled to within an inch of its life by the crazy touchscreen panel by the fireplace. I probably only managed to make the AC work harder. I snorted. “Sorry. Habits.”

She smirked, getting that look she sometimes got that told me she didn’t really understand but was trying to.

“No worries. You saved me a cookie, so I guess I’ll let you off this once.”

“So kind.”

Becca swirled the coffee in her mug. She looked amazing in whatever the thing was she was wearing. A one-piece black romper with a long gold necklace and cage heels. But then, she always looked like a supermodel next to me. It was a wonder the Crows didn’t take an interest in her instead. She wasn’t like the other girls here, either.

Then again, maybe they had. What did I know?

“So,” Becca started, a mischievous gleam in her brown eyes. “Has Josh texted you yet?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

She bit her lower lip. That wasn’t what she wanted to ask. I could tell she was holding something else back.

“What?” I hedged. “Just spit it out. Is the guy a creep or something?”

Becca pursed her lips. “No, it’s not Josh. It’s just...people are saying they saw you in the elevator yesterday. With the Crows.”

The flash of betrayal in her eyes cut me to the quick. “Oh.”

“Oh?” she pressed.

“Look, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to freak out.”

Her brows lowered, worry creasing the skin between them.

“See?” I said. “You’re already freaking out.”

She smoothed out her expression and gingerly sipped her latte. “Well, what did they want? Someone said they saw Corvusliterallyfireman carry you into the elevator.”

I gritted my teeth.

Becca set her mug down with a clatter and crossed her arms over her chest. “They’re dangerous, babe.”

“They wanted me,” I admitted before she could say anything else. “They said they’d make what I did to Bri Friday night go away if I agreed to fucking bow down to their reign, be a good little girl and keep my pretty mouth shut unless they asked me to open it.”

Bri’s face screwed up into a scowl. “And you didn’t take the deal, did you?”

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