For now, I got a half-quirked lip and sparkling blue eyes that were so not in line with a biker guy persona. “So, this is Ashes, huh?”
Ashes. Who the hell had thought up that stupid nickname, anyway?
“It’s just Ash,” I told him icily. “As in kiss my ash.”
The half-quirk turned to a full one. “You’ve got sass.”
“Your friend here was trying to assault me. If he tries that again, I’ve got a lot more than sass for him.”
I reached down and pulled my blade from my boot, making sure everyone saw it. Oscar’s butcher block was now missing a small paring knife, but I couldn’t feel bad about that now. Especially considering I’d been smart to swipe it. Never mind that I’d used duct tape to make an ankle holster.
Idrissa grinned proudly. “Pres, you need to take Silas out back and hose him off or some shit, okay? My girl is one of us now. And she’s with me and Isaac.”
“Is that right?” Pres—or James Dean—asked.
“Even if she were like us,” Silas said in a hard voice, “She’s not one of us until she fights. You both know that.”
Isaac hadn’t moved, but his shoulders sagged a little at that. Something about the way Silas said it made it seem more important than a bar brawl.
“The fights are barbaric, Silas. We’re not animals,” Idrissa said.
Silas gave her a weird smile. “Aren’t we though? Besides, look at her face.” He gestured at me. “It clearly wouldn’t be her first.”
I felt my cheeks burn at that, but Isaac saved me from answering.
“She’s not fighting,” he said in a voice that, though quiet, dared anyone to argue.
“Then she doesn’t get to come in here,” Silas said. “Or anywhere else in town. Those are the rules, and you know it.”
I shot a look at Idrissa. Had she known it? Had she expected something like this to happen? Is that what Isaac had meant about their funeral?
My temper flared at that, and I stepped away from Idrissa, making it clear I was fine on my own. Without putting my knife away, I stalked back to the table and grabbed my bag then crossed back to where Isaac and Silas still faced off.
Meeting Silas’ angry gaze head-on, I said, “Whatever kind of bull shit club forces you to fight for the right to day drink with losers like you, I’m not interested anyway.”
He growled.
I ignored it and turned to Pres. “Someone should really check on that Vinny guy. He’s bleeding and unconscious, and it’s not a good look.”
Before he could reply, I turned to Isaac. “You ready?”
“More than.” He held Silas’ stare for one more moment and then turned to lead me out the door. Idrissa didn’t move, and I had the sense she was waiting for me to include her. Like she was giving me the chance to choose her as a friend the way she’d chosen me.
“Idrissa,” I called.
“Coming,” she said and hurried to follow us out.
Still clutching my knife, I walked right past the other patrons, not bothering to acknowledge a single one of them. By the time we made it out into the bright afternoon sunlight, my insides were shaking, and I was a little worried the toast I’d eaten for breakfast was going to make a reappearance.
“Holy shit, that was amazing,” Isaac said when we reached the car.
“Was it? Because I actually thought we were going to die,” I said, a little wobbly as I slid my knife back into my boot and reached for the car door.
“I got it.” Isaac opened the door and practically shoved me into the backseat. I was fine with it. This way, I could stretch out and faint if I needed to.
Idrissa slid into the driver’s seat and started the car without a word. Isaac climbed in beside her, and together, we drove away from Bo’s in a weird Bonnie and Clyde sort of silence. I didn’t even bother complaining about the batshit crazy speeds or erratic turns.
In fact, none of us spoke again until Idrissa pulled up and Isaac let me out of the car in front of Oscar’s shop.
Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“You did that on purpose,” I said, looking at Idrissa.
“What?” Isaac looked shocked or pretended to. “No way. We—”
“Yeah, I did,” Idrissa said, looking up at me.
“Why?” I asked.
“For your own—”
“Good,” I finished along with her. “Yeah, that’s a running theme, and frankly, I’m sick of it.”
I looked away, staring blankly at the road and the turn that would lead me out of town again if I chose it.
“I know this must be hard,” Idrissa said.
I scowled.
She didn’t know the half of it.
“Tell me why Oscar let me leave with you,” I said. “And why I have to be home by dark. And why everyone in this town thinks I’m a disease. And don’t lie to me,” I added when Idrissa’s expression turned innocent.
She sighed, looking resigned. “Oscar trusts us to protect you,” she said finally. “That’s why he let you hang with us.”
I waited, but she didn’t go on.
My temper flared. “That’s it? You’re not going to tell me the truth?”
“I’m not lying,” she said.
“Refusing to explain is just as bad,” I said.
Idrissa’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I told you we’d show you around town. The real Ridley Falls. And we did.”
“So, the real Ridley Falls is bar brawls and day drinking?”
Instead of answering, Idrissa got out of the car and stood before me. All of the anger and defensiveness were gone. Now, her expression was open and a little pleading.
“The real Ridley Falls is dangerous,” she said. “I mean, what you saw today, that’s a typical scene.”
“I’m feeling a bit dangerous myself right now,” I shot back.
“Damn right you are. Good call with the knife,” Isaac called out.
I ignored him.
“What did Silas mean that I have to fight?” I asked.
Idrissa hesitated. I could see in her eyes that she didn’t want to tell me. My hands fisted in frustration.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m leaving right now—”
“The Falls has a code,” she blurted. “To be initiated into town culture and accepted by everyone here, you have to fight. It’s stupid. I know. Barbaric. Archaic. Ridiculous. But that’s what he meant.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she stopped me. “I know. That sounds crazy. Who would want to live in a town where people just beat the crap out of each other every day, right? We’re all Neanderthals.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of law enforcement,” I said.
“The fights are all organized. They’re held in a neutral space, and it’s voluntary.”
“And what happened at Bo’s today?” I asked. “Is that organized and voluntary? Because I’m pretty sure physical assault will get you two to four.”
Her brow lifted. She looked like she wanted to ask how I knew that. Instead, she hung her head, and I could see how much she hated what had happened earlier.
“The cops aren’t interested in anything that happens at Bo’s,” she said.
“What about hospitals? Are they interested? Because Vinny looked like he needed a doctor.”
“Vinny will be fine, I swear.”
She sounded so damn sure.
Hell, maybe this wasn’t the first time she’d knocked him out. Still…
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Look, Ash, if you’re going to stay here—and I really hope you do, which is selfish but the truth—you need to know what it’s like.”
“So you decided to throw me to the wolves rather than just explain it?”
She gave me a strange look then blinked and slowly returned to normal. “Yeah, I guess so. Subtlety and softness aren’t my style. I’m sorry. But you have to know I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. I swear it.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Hell of a right hook you’ve got.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
“That Vinny guy,” I tried again.
“He’ll be fine. Trust me,” she said.
I cocked my head, wondering how she could be so sure. Actually, I was wondering a lot of things. And I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like the answer to any of them.
The silence stretched, and Idrissa’s smile slipped. I knew she was waiting for me to forgive her, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. Not when I wanted nothing more than to escape the violence and chaos that had made up so much of my life. And now I’d just walked right into more of it.
Isaac got out of the car and walked around to stand beside us.
“Are we having our first fight?” he asked, looking back and forth between us. “Because if so, I don’t want to be left out.”
“We’re not fighting,” Idrissa grumbled.
“Well, we should,” he said.
I shot him a questioning look.
“Friendships are stronger after they survive conflict,” he explained. “I read it on Buzzfeed.”
I snorted. “You sound like you’ve never had a friend before.”
“We haven’t,” they said in unison.
I blinked at them, surprised. “Seriously?”
“I know. It’s lame,” Isaac groaned.
I looked at Idrissa.
“You saw what it’s like here,” she said. “Friendships aren’t really a thing in the Falls.”
“Silas and Pres are friends,” I pointed out.
“Presley and Silas are in an alliance,” Idrissa clarified. “It’s different.”
“Yeah, they aren’t exactly painting each other’s nails,” Isaac said.
“I see.”
I studied the twins, trying to make sense of it all. The fighting. The animosity. Some of it seemed to be centered around me but not all of it. That barfight had broken out completely separate from us. Then there was Vinny—the way Idrissa had kicked his ass. Like she’d done it many times before. And Silas. He clearly despised me, but I got the feeling he despised everyone.
I’d been friendless all my life as a result of my dad’s paranoia. They’d been friendless because no one in this town was capable of it.
Despite everything, my heart warmed as I realized, at the end of the day, we were the same. The idea of leaving town suddenly felt a lot lonelier.
“Maybe next time, we’ll just stick to the grocery store and my place,” I said.
Idrissa and Isaac grinned, the tension broken. “Deal,” she said.
“But someone else carries the groceries,” Isaac pouted.
Chapter Nine
The twins and I exchanged numbers, with Isaac insisting I program him into my contacts as “Main Dish” and Idrissa as “Side Piece,” to which Idrissa threatened to punch him like she had Vinny. They were hilarious, and even though Idrissa had pulled a dick move by taking me into that bar completely clueless, I could see the reason for her strategy. And I could respect her no-fluff methods. Idrissa was someone I wanted on my side in a fight, that was for damn sure.
“I’ll text you tomorrow, and maybe we can have dinner after work or something,” she said as she and Isaac climbed back into the Mustang.
“Sure, I’ll have to cook for Oscar first,” I said. “Part of my deal for staying here rent-free. But after that, we can hang.”
“You can cook for me,” Isaac said, eyes gleaming. “I like anything marinated in alcohol or infused with cannabis.”
Idrissa rolled her eyes. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, and listen, no opening the door for anyone tonight except Oscar, okay?”
“You sound just as paranoid as he did,” I said.
“Yeah, well, now you know why.”
“Good point.” I shuddered at the idea of Silas showing up on my doorstep tonight. “Okay, see you later.”
They waved as they drove off.
The office and garage were eerily quiet as I made my way through and up to the apartment. Oscar had already left for whatever mysterious—or nefarious—appointment he’d mentioned earlier. I remembered their warnings, though, and made sure to lock everything behind me as I made my way through the shop.
Upstairs, I turned music on to chase away the silence and took a shower as hot as I could possibly stand before changing into the same pair of comfy sweatpants Oscar had lent me that first night. A sports bra doubled as a shirt, and I made a mental note to ask Idrissa to take me to the thrift store as soon as possible.
The fridge was fully stocked, thanks to my grocery run, but I had zero energy left to cook, especially considering it was just me. After pulling out some steaks to marinate for tomorrow, I settled for a sandwich and a water and sank into Oscar’s aged couch.
Part of me wanted to examine and dissect everything Idrissa had said. And especially everything she hadn’t. There was a hell of a lot more going on between the lines of her explanation than what she’d actually explained—of that, I was damn sure. But I also had a feeling that the more I dug, the less I’d like it. It will only get worse from here. That’s what she’d said. And it had proven true already.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that wolf I’d seen emblazoned on the biker vests earlier. It meant something. I just didn’t know what. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to, honestly. Because if I looked too closely, I’d have to do something about it.
So, I did the thing I’d done with my Dad for years. I landed somewhere between coping with the truth and denying the inevitable fallout to come.
Avoiding anything that resembled reality, I let Netflix lull me. It didn’t take long for the exhaustion to set in and sleep to claim me.
I woke later to find the sun had long since set and Netflix had shut itself off from inactivity. Through the window, I saw that the moon had risen high, and even without checking the microwave clock, I knew it was late.
I got up, carrying my dishes to the sink until a wolf howl froze me where I stood. The haunting, mournful sound sent shudders up and down my spine. It was loud too, which meant it was close.
I peered out the small window above the sink and into the trees that encroached along the edge of the back lot.
Something moved inside the forest, and my breath caught. Dark hair. Broad shoulders. Muscled arms. A flash of eyes that always looked angry.
It had to be my imagination. But I could have sworn I’d just seen Kai Stone standing at the woods’ edge, staring directly up at me.
I gripped the counter and waited, watching to see if he’d reappear. But he’d vanished into the cover of trees as if he’d never been there at all.
It felt like the last straw. Secrets were one thing. Stalking me was another.
I hesitated another moment, weighing the sanity of what I was about to do.
“Screw it,” I said and grabbed my jacket as I slipped out the door and down the stairs.
Outside, the howling had stopped, but a distant growl sounded, pulling me toward it like a magnet rather than sending me running back inside to safety.
I started walking.
In less than five minutes, I was inside the trees, swallowed up by the forest itself. The lights of the road vanished until the town was only a distant idea. There was only me and the forest—and whatever apparition of Kai I’d conjured up.
This was stupid.
I knew it, and yet I continued forward, picking my way across fallen logs and around low-lying forest growth.
Not a single sound broke the silence, which probably should have made me turn back too. Even the night insects had gone quiet. I thought of the wolf I’d heard. If a predator was around, the silence of the other night animals was usually a good indication.
This was such a bad idea.
But the moon lit the trees in a bright glow that was more than enough to illuminate the shadows. If anything, it all seemed lighter here. Ethereal even. Like the light was drawn to this particular part of the forest more than anywhere else.
It was so weird. And weirder still was the fact that my feet kept moving me forward.
I should have been terrified out here alone.
I should have hauled ass back to Oscar’s. Hell, I hadn’t even thought to bring my phone with me on this insane little jaunt. But I’d never been one to make the safe or wise decision in the face of danger. More than that, though, something pulled at me like a magnet. Insisting I keep moving. So here I was, still walking toward the growling and howling that seemed to pull me like some sort of magical lure.
Finally, the trees broke, and just ahead, I caught sight of a clearing. Except it wasn’t clear. Or empty.
It was full of wolves. Large ones. Like, bigger than I’d ever seen—even on TV. Bigger than should have been possible.
They were monstrous, and even at a glance, I could tell they were deadly. The way they stood. Casual but ready. Alert.
I froze, unable to move away and damn sure not willing to go closer.
Wolves shouldn’t have stood around so casually, right? Like they were waiting for something.
But that’s how it felt.
I crouched behind the brush—entranced, horrified, afraid to move—until eventually, my legs began to cramp. I tried to gauge how long I’d been here. Or how long they’d all been standing around like they were just waiting for someone to tell them what to do next. But maybe I didn’t want to know what came next. Maybe what came next was eating me. And by then, my cramped muscles would render me immobile and helpless to flee.
Forcing myself to get the hell to safety, I turned, finally willing to retreat.
But then I stopped when I saw a figure moving through the trees on my right. If it had been another wolf, I probably wouldn’t have stopped to watch. Not when it only added to the danger of being so close to such a large pack. But it wasn’t a wolf.
It was a human.
A male human whose broad shoulders and messy hair and chiseled jawline I knew way too well already. And this time, it was no apparition.
My belly leaped at the sight of Kai Stone striding confidently through the forest—right toward the den of wolves who would surely devour him.
I didn’t think. I just…reacted.
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