“She goes here. I didn’t know that at first, but I figured since he told me her name, I should look her up. When I saw she was a student here, and what dorm she lived in, I was guessing that Drake was telling me to go to her. I didn’t know why. I didn’t—I mean, I remember Kess. She was nice. Quiet, though. She was the only other girl in a crew back home and I thought, it’s Drake. He’s crazy, but he tends to know shit, and because I didn’t want to wait, I went to her place. Knocked on the door, and a guy opened up.”

I was remembering that, too.

She stopped, still frowning, and looked up.

The guy—he seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Dark hair. Blue eyes that almost matched Kess’, but not quite. A brother? I didn’t remember if Kess had any other siblings, but no. There was an air about them, about them both. He moved into her, also looking at us, but he wasn’t looking at me.

He was watching Harper, and seeing who Harper was talking to—now he saw me and he saw me watching him. That was enough. He grimaced, swearing under his breath (not hard to read lips when someone says ‘fuck’) and then two guys walked past them, and they were gone.

I looked but couldn’t see them.

“I saw him. At a street party. He was looking at Harper and I thought that was weird. Kess was coming to help us out because that’s how she is.”

“She was crew. That makes sense.”

“That guy, he’s her boyfriend?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He opened the door and introduced himself, and as soon as he did, I knew I wasn’t supposed to tell Kess. I was supposed to tell him.”

“Why? Who was he?”

“His name was Chris Raith.”

Raith.

Maxwell Raith.

Then I remembered what Cross told me.

“My brother told Cross that there’s rumors the Red Demons had a student on campus.”

“I don’t know about that, but I recognized that name you guys said at your meeting. Maxwell Raith and this guy had the same last name, and I saw a motorcycle in the dorm room’s parking lot so I just told him. I had no clue.”

Jesus.

She was blindly going forth, sending a message that she didn’t even fully understand.

She kept on, “The guy said Kess was grabbing her laundry, but I could wait if I wanted. And I told him, ‘I think I’m here for you actually.’ And then I said Harper’s name. I said, ‘Drake sent me. It’s Harper.’ After that, I bolted. Literally turned and sprinted out of there. I never even saw Kess. And I didn’t know what would happen until the next morning. Jessinda came in my room, half-sobbing and hysterical because the guys all witnessed Harper get kidnapped. Right in front of them. Guys with masks and guns. Scary shit, huh?”

She had no clue.

“I was there, Tab.”

“What?”

“I was there.” I already told her before. “They took him in front of me.”

I was remembering them, too. The guy in the white mask. Heckler stopping and staring at me.

Another shiver went down my spine.

I didn’t want to go back there, when Maxwell Raith was in my backyard. No way, no how. Another nightmare for someone else, not me. That was behind me, or it would be now that I knew all the connecting dots.

And that also meant that Drake had used me.

“I’m sorry, Bren—”

I stood up, cutting her off. “I don’t want to hear it.”

My stomach was churning.

Tabatha.

Drake.

I didn’t know how to do any of this. How to be used and be okay with that? That wasn’t the game I played in life.

I played no games. I didn’t know how.

But fuck them. I knew that much.

“I’m okay, I think.”

“What?” She looked up, frowning.

I looked out over the houses, knowing who was sitting at my feet, and knowing that I was different again. “I think I’m good with friends. You got that guy killed, and I even understand why you did it. You wanted the problem to go away. You wanted your mom to be okay. I understand that, but I don’t like this feeling I have. You used me and two guys are dead because of that.” Three. My assailant. Three were dead. “And I had a hand in that, whether I knew it or not and I’m good. I mean, I have to live with that and I have to live with some other things, but you and me. We’re done. Clean slate. I’m going to be friends with other girls like Aspen, like her crazy floormates. They kinda make me laugh. You. Jessinda, if she comes around because of Jordan, I don’t know what’s going to happen between you all and Jordan, but I’m out. You come around for him, you and I are civil to each other, but that’s it. I’m done.”

With that, I walked.

And there was no regret.

BREN

It took me six months to get approved, but I needed to do this in person.

It was the only way he’d be honest with me.

Once I was sitting at the table, it took a few moments for them to grab him, but it didn’t seem long enough until Drake was coming toward me.

He looked good.

And I wasn’t noticing in that way, as his ex. I was noticing it as someone who knew him, had once cared for him, and knew this would be the last time I saw him again. Or I was hoping.

He’d never been bulky, but he was lean and muscled now. The angles on his face seemed harder, more chiseled. And he just seemed tougher. I caught a few of the other prisoners glancing his way as he sat across from me, and then I noticed the tattoo on his neck.

It was the emblem for the Red Demons.

That. Right there. That told me what I came to find out, but I’d driven all this way, waited all those months to get approved, I wanted him to say the words.

“Heya, Bren.” His eyes twinkled at me, and he grinned. “How are you? You look good.”

A small nod. A small smile. Some polite conversation.

That was fine and dandy.

Now to business. “I know what you did.”

His small grin vanished, and he leaned forward, dropping his tone. “I know. Tabatha gave me the heads-up.”

I kept lingering on that tattoo on his neck. “Is that why?” I nodded at it.

He reached up, covering the tat, and an awkward sounding chuckle slipped from him. “Why’d you make the drive if you already knew?” He frowned, his hand fell away and he cocked his head to the side. “You didn’t know, did you? You just found out.”

“I couldn’t think of why you did it because you don’t do anything unless you’re getting something out of the deal. Tabatha getting in touch with you, giving you a problem to help with? That’s not you to do it out of the goodness of your heart. So I thought about it, and I just figured—just come and ask. Maybe he’ll be honest for once.”

The corner of his mouth tugged up. “Ah. Bren. When you talk to me like that, you don’t make me want to be forthcoming at all.” He started soft, sweet, and then ended with an edge, and his eyes flat. “Jesus. At least be kind with your request?”

I mashed my lips together because what I wanted to do and what I wanted to say, I couldn’t without getting arrested myself. So I sat put and waited because a mean glint showed in Drake’s eyes and he jerked even more forward over the table. “You’re going to come here and judge me for what I did? Fuck you, Bren. Fuck. You. You know why I did it. I have a kid. I came in here with a target on my back already. Excuse you if I got an opportunity to help myself out, to get me some protection because that’s what I did. That was my deal with them. They got a whole group in here. You should know. You joined ’em.”

“You used me—”

“That’s your pissing point? That I told you bullshit, knowing you’d never take me on the offer? Sending someone to overhear and do the dirty work for you? I set you up to say some words. That’s it. I needed someone that made sense of why I’d be calling them. You’re my ex, that shit makes sense. And it worked. It all worked. She got a mom that’s not going to die. I’m not going to die. My kid gets a father in a few years. You got to decide not to get dirty and help your pops out, and what? That’s it.”

“Two men—”

“You don’t know anything. You got no clue if they’re dead or not. They’re just gone. That’s it, and I heard the chatter. I know it happened in front of a bunch of college kids. The other Demons filled me in. They all know you know, so you’re in this box with me. Get off your high horse and stop judging me for trying to survive because that’s all I’m doing.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Maybe Drake would have a soft spot with me because I loved him for a moment in my life.

Or maybe he wouldn’t, and when I walked out of here, I truly hoped to never see him.

All that said, all those conflicting thoughts and emotions, I knew what else he was saying. We were stuck where we were. I was going to keep quiet for my life, Channing’s life, Cross’, Jordan’s, Zellman’s, and anyone else affected by loving me. And for Drake, I’d focus on Drayana because he was right. He got a kid and that little girl would love and worship her dad, and I didn’t want to take the dream away from her.

“Okay.”

That was all I had.