“Dante is waiting for me,” I said shortly. The Delta heirs might have been scary as fuck, but I wasn’t letting them walk all over me. Not today. Not. Ever.

Evan shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck, girl. It could be God himself waiting for you, and I’d still be here stopping your ass from walking out into danger.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I said, getting irate. Maybe it had been a bad idea to befriend these controlling fucks. “I’ll be five minutes.”

Shaking him off, I tried to step around him, but he was much larger and moved a lot quicker than my injured ass. Before I could start screaming, and I was pretty damn close to that, a shadow washed over us, and Evan swung around, his body moving into a defensive position. He placed himself in front of me, and I wondered if maybe I’d underestimated how dangerous it was here in school. I mean, I hadn’t forgotten that someone had forced our pilot to blow up the plane, but I’d thought I’d be okay in public.

Evan was acting like we could be taken out at any moment, and a trill of fear raced along my skin.

This time though, it was only Dante, dressed all in black and wearing a fucked off expression. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, getting right in Evan’s face. “If you step in front of Riley one more time, I’m going to end you. I don’t even care who your family is.”

Evan was a few inches shorter than Dante, but he didn’t look remotely intimidated. The memory of the boys stealth missioning it in the forest was strong in my mind, and I feared for my best friend. He had no idea how dangerous Delta was.

Edging around, I tried to slip in between Dante and Evan, but before I could, strong hands wrapped around my biceps and lifted me full bodily out of there. Beck’s face was awash in fury as he maneuvered me behind him.

“What the hell?” I shouted, slamming my hands on his back, and getting … stinging palms in return. I legitimately wanted to hurt Beck, but he didn’t even turn his head.

“What are you doing here, gangbanger?” he said, his voice low.

I’d heard this sort of lethal tone from him one other time, and it turned my blood to ice, because I knew Beck was pissed. I glared and edged toward Dante. “Leave him alone, he did nothing to you.”

Dante was smirking at them, taunting them, because that was his style. But he had no idea how dangerous they were. Especially Beck.

Dylan, who I hadn’t even noticed until now, stepped forward. “I think it’s time you left town. Permanently,” he advised Dante. “We’d hate to have to send you back … in pieces.”

The look in his eyes was making me nervous. Sucking up as much courage as I had, I met each of their dark stares. “If you touch one hair on Dante’s head, I will hunt you assholes down and cut your balls off. Right the fuck off!”

I waved my hands to emphasize my point.

For the briefest moment, it almost looked like the corner of Beck’s lips twitched, but I knew I was wrong when he turned those dark as sin eyes on me, because I could see nothing but pissed.

“Did Evan tell you not to leave the building?”

I blinked. “Well, yes. He said there was danger.”

Beck stepped into me, and I fought against an urge to back up. “And you decided not to listen?”

Crossing my arms, I scoffed to hide my nerves. “You don’t own me. I’m my own person. I take my own risks.”

Beck just shook his head, one hand wrapping around the back of my neck as he pulled me into him. “That’s where you’re wrong, Butterfly. You’re in the circle now, and once you’re in, there’s no way out.”

“We have rules, Riley,” Dylan added, backing up his best friend.

Dante made a rumbling sound from where he’d been edged out. “What the fuck do you mean she’s in and can’t get out? You bastards are involved in some dangerous shit! Why the hell would you drag Riley into that?”

My head was starting to ache, and my body was starting to ache, because Beck still held me captive. And all I could think about was him … the strength in his hands and body as he fucked me.

Beck didn’t turn from me when he replied. “Riley was dragged in long before she met us. Her birth dictated the rest of her life. Now she has to fall into line.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I jerked my head out of Beck’s hand, and he let me go. Two steps to the left, and I was standing with Dante. “What if I just take off now?” I said, sounding desperate and devastated all in the same tone. “Can I run?”

Evan snorted. “Maybe if you run to Mars. Otherwise Delta’s reach is too far.”

Dante’s huge hand cupped my shoulder, and he pulled me closer to him. My side ached as he did, and I tried not to flinch. Beck’s eyes followed that movement, and I shivered at his dark stare.

Dante saw the same thing, and that only made him hold me even tighter. “You’re hurting me,” I bit out quietly, hoping the others didn’t hear.

His grip loosened a little, and it must have been the opening Beck was waiting for, because he moved then. Faster than I’d ever seen a person move. I was in his hands and then passed off to Evan before I could blink. Beck went at Dante, and my tough as nails, highly trained, badass best friend, was knocked to the ground in about a tenth of a second.

Dante got back up quickly, and even managed to get two swings in. Both of which Beck dodged before he stepped in and punched Dante so hard I heard bone crack.

“No,” I screamed, struggling against Evan, my pulse racing as I frantically ran my eyes across Dante. “Leave him alone. Please.”

Beck swung around, and I shrank back. “Make him leave. Now. Before I lose my fucking mind.”

He turned and strode away, and I was shaking as Evan lowered me back to the ground. “Say your goodbyes,” he said, giving me a little nudge forward.

I stumbled to Dante, wrapping my arms around him. “I love you,” I said softly, “But it’s too dangerous here for you. You have to go.”

He groaned before hugging me back. “If you need me, Riles, I’ll be here so fast their heads will roll. And I mean that literally. I can have a lot of very bad people here...”

It’d be war if that happened, and I was so scared that I might lose one of the guys I cared about. Which unfortunately also included the stubborn assholes in Delta.

“I’ll be okay,” I promised, letting his familiar arms hold me for a minute more.

Dylan cleared his throat, and I shot him the meanest glare I could muster. But I did step back, my eyes hot and irritated as I tried not to cry.

“I’ll text you,” I told Dante. His jaw had a dark red splotch on it, and I wondered if Beck had broken anything. “Please be safe.”

“I love you, Riles.” He was so serious. “I’ll be watching.”

That appeared to be directed at both me and the two guys behind me. Then Dante turned and left. I watched him until he got into the unfamiliar car and then disappeared.

A part of me broke then, and I couldn’t stop the tears that trailed down my cheeks.

Evan and Dylan moved so they were framing me on either side, and while neither of them said anything, they did reach out and take my hands. Holding me while I fell apart. I wanted to hate them, because they were insane and damaged and violent. They’d forced my best friend out of my life, the controlling fucks, but … maybe it was for the best. If my life was as dangerous as they were implying, then Dante could only be in danger being around me.

It was the five of us against the world.

“Let’s go to class,” I said, freeing my hands to wipe at my tears. Dylan’s fingers gently wiped away the ones I missed.

“You’re not alone, Riles,” he said softly. “It’s better this way.”

I shrugged because I somewhat agreed with him, but they needed to work on their delivery.

All the violence was exhausting.

17

We’d missed the first class, but my teacher didn’t even bat an eyelid when I slipped into my second class with Evan’s arm wrapped around me possessively. I was too emotionally drained to argue with him about this “Riley Duty” bullshit, and his closeness was bringing me a weird level of comfort. Especially in the wake of Beck’s macho bullshit with Dante.

Evan guided me to the back of the room where two younger boys—younger as in my year group—hurried to grab their shit and abandon the desks they’d been sitting in, so we could have them.

“That was rude,” I murmured, sitting down so we weren’t causing any more of a fuss. “We could have just found empty seats.”

Evan shrugged. “I wanted these. Now stop chatting and learn things.”

The rest of my morning classes were strangely enjoyable, thanks to the little paper airplane notes which kept landing on my desk. Apparently I needed to learn, but Evan was bored as shit.

“How do you know that?” I whispered to him as we left my last class before lunch.