by Elle East
“I was only hanging out with them because you volunteered for that stupid Threesome Pact!” I say incredulously.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m kind of a brat sometimes, I get it. That was really nice of you by the way—to volunteer in my place. Did I ever thank you for that?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Well, thank you.”
“What are big sisters for?”
We share a smile. It feels so nice to hear her say it.
“There’s more,” I continue and I tell her about what happened with the East Marters in the parking lot and how the Vicious Crew saved me, and told me that I started a war between them.
By the time I finish, Olivia’s eyes are wide again—and this time in fear, not excitement.
“Do you think we are safe here?” she asks.
“I honestly don’t know, but if we have the Vicious Crew protecting us then that’s our best option to stay safe. I don’t know where else we’d go.”
“Me either… Maybe Warren’s house by the lake?”
“Wait, did I not tell you that we broke up?”
“No! When did that happen?”
“Right when we lost everything. He said he couldn’t be with anyone ‘below his financial means as it wouldn’t be fair to me to feel like I wasn’t bringing anything to the relationship’.” I roll my eyes so hard I actually strain my eye muscles. “Ow.”
“No offense, but I always kind of thought he was a tool,” she says.
“Oh, he definitely is. Wait, you thought I was still with Warren even though you saw me making out with Brax?”
“I just thought you were getting a little action on the side with the hot guy who lives with us—I wouldn’t blame you, he’s hard to resist—and like I said, I don’t like Warren so I didn’t care if you were cheating on him.”
I consider this for a second.
“I guess we’re stuck here.” Olivia sighs and leans back on her elbows. “If we were still rich, we could get the hell out of this city—hell, we could get out of this country. Go to a chalet in the Alps and hide from the world while drinking hot chocolate and reading fashion magazines.”
“That would be amazing right about now,” I say dreamily. “Go for hikes in the mountains and take pictures.”
“—or just stay in the chalet and relax.” Olivia isn’t one for the outdoors.
We continue fantasizing about all the places we could go. Paris. Tokyo. Barcelona. Rio. The sound of the front door opening freezes us mid-conversation. We both hold our breaths until we hear Theo and Alec’s voices and we breathe out sighs of relief.
Heavy footsteps come up the stairs and then Theo enters the room.
“You guys have ten minutes to pack and then we are getting out of here.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Alec’s house,” he says and leaves the room just as abruptly as he entered it.
Olivia and I immediately start packing. I didn’t come with a ton of stuff so I’m able to shove it all in my suitcase in less than ten minutes. I bring my bag down and leave it at the bottom of the stairs. Theo is watching the road in front of the house through a crack in the living room curtains.
I run back upstairs to help Olivia. We get her stuff shoved haphazardly in her bags and then bring them down just as Alec walks in from the back of the house. The four of us silently take the suitcases and head out to Alec’s car.
Everyone is tense as we pull out and start driving down the road. Alec is driving and Theo is in the passenger’s seat. Theo keeps scanning the surrounding area and looking behind to make sure we aren’t being followed. Olivia and I sink down in the back seat so we aren’t in his way.
We wind our way quickly through the dark streets. After a little while I realize that we are driving in the direction of Sheltered Glen. The dilapidated buildings of Marter fall away behind us and we drive through the industrial area and then the forest that separates the two towns.
But before we get to Sheltered Glen, we pull off the main road and drive down a side street. We quickly reach a suburban neighborhood full of identical houses. We drive down one of the cul-de-sacs and stop in front of a house that’s indistinguishable from all the ones surrounding it. There’s a large front lawn, a modest two-story house, and a minivan parked in the driveway.
“This is your house?” I ask incredulously.
I never pictured a member of the Vicious Crew living in suburban paradise. Alec is a badass who picks locks, drives getaway cars, kicks ass—fucks like a fiend. There’s no way he lives here.
Alec shrugs but I can tell he’s a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, this is home. My dad bought it because it’s close to Marter, but safer than living there—less suspicious too. The twins don’t have to have bodyguards when they play in the backyard.”
“Definitely a step up from Brax’s hellhole, that’s for sure,” Olivia says happily and gets out of the car.
We walk through the front door and Alec’s mom comes to greet us. She’s a very pretty lady in her forties with dyed auburn hair—she’s also clearly high out of her mind.
She kisses Alec on the cheek. He lets her do it but his whole body is stiff and his jaw clenched.
“Theo,” she says with disdain. It’s clear that she doesn’t like him.
“These are the two girls I told you were going to stay here,” Alec tells her.
“What? You didn’t tell me that,” she says.
“Yes. I did,” he grits out. “Less than an hour ago.”
“Well, you didn’t. I would know.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” he mumbles.
“You can’t have your, what do the kids call it… fuckbuddies? You can’t have your tramps stay here. Whatever you and Theo have planned you can’t do it here, Alec.”
Alec throws his head back in exasperation and lets out a frustrated growl. To be honest, I don’t blame him. Must be almost impossible to deal with a mother who’s so high she doesn’t remember conversations she had an hour ago. Also, I can’t help but be a bit offended that she just called my sister and I "tramps”.
“No need to get so upset,” she scolds him. “You can’t get everything you want and I won’t have whores in my house. If you want a place to go, why don’t you ask your father? He has plenty of places to take whores to.”
“Hey!” Olivia starts, but I put my hand on her arm to quiet her.
I don’t like being called a whore anymore than she does, but this lady doesn’t know us and doesn’t know the situation—she’s also super high and not in her right mind. Right now all we should be worrying about is our safety, and if she kicks us out I’m not sure where we’d go next.
Alec reigns his temper in and makes his voice calm, but to anyone with half a brain it’s clear that he’s on the edge of snapping.
“Mother,” he starts.
“That’s better,” she says, convinced by his new tone even though it’s clearly fake.
“These two are Patricia and Melvin’s daughters. You remember Patricia and Melvin, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course I do. How are they doing?”
“They are doing well, but they had to go out of town unexpectedly and these two need a place to stay until they get back. Since they are such close friends with the family, I thought they could stay with us for a couple of days.”
“Of course! Why didn’t you just say so, Alec? You have to be so difficult all the time—just like your father.”
Before Alec snaps in frustration, his mom comes over to Olivia and I, and wraps her arms around our shoulders.
“It’s so good to see you two dears. My, how fast you’ve grown up! You’ve turned into beautiful ladies.” She leads us deeper into the house. “Tell me, how are your parents? How are they doing? Do they ever mention me? We are very good friends, but we haven’t seen each other in a little while. I keep meaning to call them, but things get so busy. I’m sure they understand. I’m sure.”
“Uh, our parents are good,” I fumble.<
br />
I look back at Alec for help.
“Mom,” he says firmly. “These two have had a long drive and are very tired. They want to go downstairs to their rooms and rest.”
“Oh, Alec, don’t interrupt us. We are having such a nice conversation. Would you girls like something to drink? Some wine perhaps?”
“Mom,” Alec says in a reprimanding voice that leaves no room for argument. He can be just as commanding as Daire when he wants to be and I get goosebumps.
“Ok, ok, geez, Alec. Watch your tone.” She scolds him, but you can tell she’s also a bit scared of him.
She lets go of our shoulders and we gratefully scurry back to the two guys. Alec’s mom continues walking to the kitchen and we can hear her mumbling to herself.
Alec is clearly very pissed off so we don’t say anything as the four of us pick up our luggage and walk through the basement door and down the stairs. The basement is fully finished and comfy. At the base of the stairs there’s an entertainment space with a large TV and a couple of couches. Alec leads us to the other side where there are two guest rooms.
“These are yours, you can decide who gets which. The washroom is right there and there’s a small kitchen in that other corner. There’s already some food and you can text us if you run out. You can watch TV and do whatever you want down here, but I wouldn’t go upstairs if I were you. I’ll tell everyone to not come down here, but I can’t guarantee my mom will remember. The basement door locks from the inside so I recommend locking it and if she starts banging on it just ignore it and text me.”
“Ok,” Olivia and I say simultaneously.
Alec sighs. “And sorry about my mom.”
“That’s ok!” I say too quickly.
“She seems… nice,” Olivia says, trying to be polite, but it’s obvious it’s a lie.
“She’s addicted to pain medication and prescription sleep aids, and she has been for a long time,” he says matter-of-factly. “Patricia and Melvin were friends of hers a long time ago when I was a kid. They stopped coming here because of her addiction. She’s in complete denial and has convinced herself that they are still friends, they just haven’t seen each other in a little while. I said that thing about you being their daughters because it was the quickest way to get her to accept you—and she won’t remember anyway, she’s probably already forgotten.”
“No worries!” Olivia and I say together.
“Just ignore her and let me know if she’s giving you trouble. As far as the situation with the East Marters, we are still trying to figure out what’s happening, but we are keeping you here to make sure you’re safe. No one in Marter knows I live here.”
“Ok, thanks,” I say.
“How long will we have to stay here?” Olivia asks.
“Not sure. I’ll let you guys know as soon as we figure out what’s going on. You probably aren’t going to school for the next couple days though. Hope you brought enough books.” He looks at me and I can’t help but smile. He remembered.
The guys head back upstairs and we hear the front door close behind them. Olivia and I are left on our own to just sit and worry about what’s happening in Marter. There is one bright spot to this whole mess though, and that’s that they are talking to me again.
22
“Being on lockdown suuucks,” Olivia says dramatically as she flops down next to me on the couch.
I look up from my book. “I know. You can watch TV or something?”
“Alec’s mom has already tried to come down here three times today, I don’t want to turn on the TV and remind her someone’s down here.”
“Smart thinking.”
I feel bad for Alec for having a mom like that. You could tell that it kills him every time he has to interact with her in that state.
This is only our second full day in Alec’s basement. Yesterday none of the guys came by and it was just Olivia and I alone. I’ve always like quiet activities like reading and photography, but Olivia’s a much more socially oriented person so being confined to a basement with just her sister and nothing else to do is torture for her.
“Want a book to read?” I ask.
“Is it compulsory for school? Because if not then—” She does a thumbs down.
I sigh and close my book. “What would you like to do then?”
“Maybe we could invite people over?”
“Are you serious? We can’t let anyone know we are staying here. You heard Alec, it’s not safe.”
“I know, but maybe we could invite the Vicious Crew over to hang out with us? They already know we’re here.”
“I’m sure they are in school right now—or just busy.” None of them care very much about attending class.
Olivia sighs dramatically and then abruptly stands up. “I guess I’ll just take another nap. I’m hoping that I pass out long enough that this whole thing is finally over when I wake up.”
She goes to her room and shuts the door. I don’t blame her for being moody because I hate the waiting too. It sucks to be constantly on edge and unsure of what’s happening outside these walls.
I can’t believe my stupid stunt to get the Vicious Crew’s attention escalated into this. It’s all my fault and now they have to deal with the fallout. If I was them I’d hate me—they probably do, and that hurts more than I ever imagined it could.
It’s dark outside when I hear the front door open and then there’s a knock on the basement door. The knock is different than Alec’s mom’s sloppy banging so I go upstairs to open it. It’s Brax.
I’m so excited to see him that without thinking I hug him. He stiffens in my arms and I quickly catch myself and let go, embarrassed. We go down the stairs and Olivia bursts out of her room and attacks him with a million questions. She’s just so happy to have someone else to talk to.
He looks exhausted. There are huge bags under his dark eyes and his hair isn’t styled. He finally tells us what’s going on.
The East Marters are the sons of a rival gang to the mafia that Daire and Alec’s fathers belong to. The East Marters’ dad’s group used to have the same name when they were in high school, but changed it to the EMs as they got older and more organized.
There’s always been a very tentative and uneasy truce between the East Marters and the Vicious Crew because they all know that anything between them will quickly escalate into a war between the EMs and the mafia that would split the town in two. Both are so evenly matched that no one wanted to start anything because they couldn’t be sure they’d win.
“The fight in the parking lot was like a match being thrown into a pile of gunpowder. It was already there, it just needed a spark to ignite,” Brax finishes.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him honestly.
Brax sighs. “Don’t be. This was a long time coming and if it wasn’t you, then it would have been something else. I never really believed that I was going to graduate high school before all this exploded. It’s just been building up for too long.”
“That guy at the motel?” I ask.
“He wasn’t a part of either group. He was just a side player—but he did work more with the EMs so that did end up being a bit of a problem.”
“I thought Seth would be too crazy to actually keep a truce?” I ask.
“Well the guy is crazy, but he’s also terrified of his dad, who’s a true monster. He tortured Seth as a kid and made him go pretty much insane.”
“Oh my god.”
“And his dad didn’t want this war to start until he felt the EMs were ready.”
“Are they ready now?”
Brax shrugs again. “Nobody’s sure, but I guess we’ll find out.”
“Are we just supposed to stay here until this is all over?” Olivia cuts in. “That sounds like it’ll take weeks! And what if you all get killed?—which, sorry, that sucks, but what about us? Then those guys will come after us and it won’t be long until they get here.”
“Which is why I’m here. If things go south someone will text you and t
ell you to get out of here. Can either of you drive?”
“I can,” Olivia says and I scoff. She turns to me. “What? I took lessons.”
“Yeah, but you failed them,” I say.
“Whatever, I only failed because the instructor didn’t like me.”
“You hit a pole!”
“It wasn’t my fault!”
“—Anyway,” Brax cuts in. “If you get a text from one of the four of us, you’ll take these keys.”
He hands them to Olivia, then thinks better of it and hands them to me. “There’s a gray sedan around the corner. I’ll text you the license plate. You’ll take it and get as far away from here as possible. Do you still have any of that five thousand dollars?”
“Most of it,” I answer.
“Good. If you get that text, just get as far away from here as possible. I need to go.” He turns and starts heading back up the stairs.
“Wait!” I call. “Why are you guys doing all this? Why do you even care what happens to us?”
Brax stops. His shoulders tense and he doesn’t turn around when he says, “It’s not my place to tell you.” Then he continues out of the basement and shuts the door behind him.
23
Two more days pass in relative quiet and it’s awful not to know what’s really going on. Theo stopped by and brought us more food, but he quickly left before telling us anything. He just said to sit tight and that they’ll tell us more when they can.
Olivia has felt like a caged animal since the first day we got here, and even I’m starting to get cabin fever now. We are also driving each other crazy. I love my sister, but she pushes my buttons more than anyone in the world—besides maybe Daire.
I want to be out there helping, but instead we have to sit around here waiting and being useless. All this time with not much to do but think has not been good for my mental health. I can’t stop thinking about Brax. I can’t stop thinking about how good Alec felt inside of me. I can’t stop wondering why they wasted one of their “favors” on me. Those favors could be used for literally anything but Daire chose to waste it on me promising never to put myself in danger again.