This is ridiculous.
But then I hear a scream. “Farrow! We got a Rebel jersey on a Pirate here!”
I look over to see Nicholas on top of Dylan, my cousin fighting him off as he tries to cuff her.
“Goddammit,” I bite out.
“This one’s insane!” He laughs as she swats at him, thrashing.
I grab him by the hair and haul him back, hearing him grunt as I throw him down on the floor.
I drop down on him, my knee on his neck, and lock one cuff on his own wrist, trying to get the other one on.
Aro pulls at me. “Hawke, stop!”
But then she’s gone, and I look to see Schuyler yanking my girlfriend off of me.
Aro shoves her into the wall, anger etching both girls’ faces.
Well, this has stopped being fun, I guess.
“Bitch!” Schuyler yells.
I give up on Nicholas and climb off, scowling down. “You don’t touch her!”
But Aro is there, helping him off the ground as he smiles.
“Hawke, relax,” Aro says, standing with him. “Nicholas is a good guy.”
His grin grows bigger and he puts his arm around her, the cuffs still dangling from one wrist. “Trust her,” he chirps. “She’s known me a lot longer than she’s known you.”
I stare at them, hit with the reminder that they’ve lived together. For a lot longer than she’s lived with me.
“Hawke, let them have her!” Schuyler yells. “She’s trash!”
But I ignore her.
Chaos whirls around us as people give chase and laugh, others already tagged as they sit on the floor. I notice Weston people out of the corner of my eye bringing in the foam machines and small water tanks. Suds spill out inside the house now, but all I feel is the need to kick his ass and give her a head start back across the river before I chase her down and fuck her on her own turf.
“Come here,” I tell her.
She straightens, lifting her chin as Nicholas stands at her side. “I don’t have a Visa card,” she says.
He snorts, burying his forehead on her shoulder.
But all I see is the glint in her eyes. God, I love how much trouble she is.
I barely notice how the commotion has died down and Rebels grab me, locking my wrists together as I watch her to see what she’s going to do.
Dylan and Kade stand close, being secured, and Schuyler stands next to the wall, watching us.
Farrow approaches, phone out and snapping pictures. “This is excellent.”
Kade drops his scowl, not giving them the satisfaction. “Watch your back,” he taunts, but it sounds like a promise.
But then someone else approaches. They walk up, standing with Weston and wearing a mask. No one else wears a mask.
A backwards cap covers his hair, and he wears a white mask with blacked-out eyes.
Farrow looks over at him. “Where were you?” he asks the stranger.
Whoever he is doesn’t answer. He just walks up to Kade, looks to Dylan at his side, and then gestures to both.
His crew must know what he wants, because the next thing I know, the guys are fastening one cuff to Dylan and another to Kade, locking them together.
Kade thrashes. “No!”
“What the hell?” Dylan jerks, trying to free herself.
The masked one, whom I’m sure is Reeves, leaves, disappearing out the front door.
How the hell did he get out of jail?
Laughter echoes all around Weston, and I shake my head, looking to Aro and waiting for her to tell her people that we’ve had enough fun for the night.
But Aro just grabs Tommy and yanks her away from them.
“She’ll just come back to us,” Hugo says.
But my girl isn’t having it. “You need to leave.”
“And why would we do that?”
“Because I can pay her ransom.”
I jerk my eyes to Aro. Ransom. As if Tommy Dietrich is a hostage too.
But she is thirteen, and she shouldn’t be with these people.
“You pay me, it won’t just be once,” Hugo warns her, and I know what he wants.
I jerk against my cuffs. No one touches her.
Aro approaches him, ignoring me. “Yeah, it will. Because I have your money.”
Aro, Jesus. Don’t give him that fucking money. We can’t trust him. He’ll always think she owes a debt, no matter how much she gives him.
“The bridge,” he commands. “Thirty minutes.” And then he looks to Nicholas. “Go with her.”
So she doesn’t run…
Weston drifts by with bottles of liquor and trays of food they’ve liberated from Kade’s party, one of the dudes carrying a girl over his shoulder.
“This one wants to come with us,” he announces.
“Coco!” Dylan shouts.
The girl hanging over his shoulder pops her head up, and I recognize Dylan’s friend. “What?” She grins. “I want to see their party.”
“Seriously?” Dylan tries to yank free of Kade, but he just grunts, pulling her back.
I arch an eyebrow, looking at Aro, and the knowledge that Weston is taking another Falls girl doesn’t escape either of us.