by Ruby Vincent
Far enough away, I chanced a look where Val and Sofia were hiding. Section 22A. Ducked behind row 12. They got in without a problem and assured me Aiden and the guys didn’t suspect a thing when they arrived.
“Maverick.”
Aiden dropped his hood. He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he folded his hands in front of him. He adopted the same pose as the men standing silent. On his left side, Winston and Nasir fanned out. Rowen, Sawyer, and Hayes stood on his right.
Slowly, I clapped, drawing their eyes up their foreheads. “Well done. You’re missing the hooded robes and burning torches, though. Might’ve pumped in some eerie music for the full effect.”
“Funny,” Aiden said tonelessly.
“Why am I here?”
“You know why you’re here,” Winston spoke up. “It’s time you became one of us.”
“Just how do I do that? Got another question for me. You looking for a rematch, Aiden?”
That same empty smile only grew. “A match is right, but not in football.”
Before I opened my mouth to ask what that meant, his hands flashed. Aiden unzipped his jacket and tossed it. Crossing his arms, he grabbed the hem of his shirt.
“Whoa,” I cried. “Let’s keep our clothes on.”
“I would,” Aiden said, “but I like this shirt.” He stripped it off and shoved it on Rowen. “Wouldn’t want to get blood on it.”
My hands curled into fists. That sickly amused smile was spreading, lighting on the others’ faces. My expression was blank as I said, “Whose?”
“Yours if I’m as good as I think I am. Mine if I’m not.”
I surveyed them, and then cast a quick look up at the stands. “You brought me here to fight.”
“Ding, ding, ding,” Rowen mocked. “He’s got it.”
“Why?”
Aiden threw out his hands. “What have we been saying all summer, Rick? If you want something, you have to fight for it with everything you’ve got. Anything less and you deserve to have it taken away from you. Every new recruit has gone against me on this field and only one has beaten me.” Aiden cut eyes to Sawyer. “Caught me with a kick to the head that put me out for four hours. That’s what it takes, Maverick. No Mercy.”
I should’ve been surprised. Admittedly, I wasn’t thinking fight club, but still, I knew he didn’t bring me out here to blow bubbles and hold hands dancing in a circle. What truly worried me was Val’s reaction when it started going down.
“So no rules?” I asked.
Nasir stepped forward. “No eye-gouging, hair-pulling, crotch shots, or shit like that. Otherwise, yes. No rules.”
“All right, then that brings me to my final question. Why in the fuck would I fight you to get into this club? I’m not in your fraternity. I don’t need poker money, and while the ladies you trade off sleeping with are lovely, I’ve got a lady of my own. You have nothing to offer me.”
Moving back, I tipped an imaginary hat to them. “Goodbye, gentlemen. It’s been fun.”
“Wait,” Aiden snapped.
“For what?” I turned my back on them. My phone was already in my hand to text Val to leave.
A flash streaked across my vision. Aiden planted himself in front of me. “Don’t be so hasty, Beaumont. I can offer one thing that would be of interest to you.”
I lifted my shoulders. “And that would be...?”
Leaning in, Aiden put his head by my ear. “The truth,” he whispered. “The complete, honest truth behind why I collect the information in that file you’ve been snooping in for weeks.”
My bones turned to lead.
He tsked. “You can’t be surprised? Didn’t you think the guy capable of creating that encryption would devise multiple methods of warning if it’s ever broken? I should be pissed but, honestly, I’m impressed you hacked me in the first place. You’re smart, Rick, and you’ve got balls. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Aiden stepped back. The smirk he shot me this time was real. “If you want to know why, you’ll accept.”
My breaths came in strangled pants. Sharp pinpricks of pain radiated from my palm. I dug my nails in harder to anchor me in the shock.
Aiden was onto me. Likely from the very beginning. He knew the entire time I’ve been after the truth about him and now he’s offering to give it.
Why? Why when he has nothing to lose either way?
“Why?” I rasped.
“Because I’m getting pretty tired of you and your girlfriend—who I’m sure is somewhere nearby—treating me like a psycho killer. If you become one of us, there’ll be no need to conceal the truth and we can finally put this behind us.”
“And if I lose?”
“I don’t tell you shit.” Aiden’s eyes narrowed to slits. “And you stay out of my business. Do we have a deal?”
I resisted the urge to look for Val again. With every muscle straining to stop me, I raised my hand and grasped his.
We shook.
“Deal.”
VALENTINA
“Why in the hell is Aiden taking off his shirt?” Sofia hissed. “It’s not that kind of initiation, is it?”
“What kind?” I shifted, jiggling my numb foot.
She shoved my shoulder, nearly dropping me on my ass. “Come on, Val. You’ve seen porn with the best of them.”
I choked. “I have not!” My whisper-shout bounced around the empty space. “At least I haven’t seen any where a bunch of dudes lure my boyfriend to a football field and have their way with him.”
“That’s called a gang bang.”
“Behave or go to the car.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth to cover her giggles. I was glad she was enjoying herself because two hours in and I was cursing Aiden and wishing Maverick told him to stuff his initiation down his throat.
Stuck between the rows and balancing on the balls of our feet to prevent our bodies from coming in contact with the myriad of unknown substances, was not how I wanted to spend my night.
We slipped in to wait without a hitch. The guys arrived together a half an hour before midnight and gathered in the middle of the field. The entire time they were locked in an animated six-way conversation. I would’ve given anything to hear what they were saying, but Sofia and I stayed put. Whatever they wanted from Maverick, we were here to back him up.
But he will be fine. They have no reason to hurt him. And they have no escape if they do.
I peeked over the seats, gazing down at the guys. Aiden and Maverick looked to be talking. Suddenly, Maverick spun on his heels and walked away.
“Sofia, look,” I whispered. “I think Aiden laid out his offer and was shut down.”
“Course he was.” Our cheeks touched peering at the scene. “Maverick would never cheat on you.”
“You’re hilarious, but I didn’t bring you here for comic relief.”
“Seems like we didn’t need to come at all. Maverick is leav— Wait. Look.”
Aiden ran in front of him. I squinted as he got in my boyfriend’s face. “What’s going on?”
Maverick stepped back, and before our eyes, ripped off his shirt.
“Okay, no joking, Val. What’s going on here?”
Rowen, Nasir, Winston, Hayes, and Sawyer surrounded them. Confusion burned in my gut until Maverick raised his fist.
“Oh no. They’re going to fight!”
I shot to my feet. Sofia leaped and grabbed me, wrestling me back down. “Val, you can’t.”
“What do you mean I can’t?!”
“Maverick’s been throwing two-hundred-pound dudes across the field since high school. He can handle himself and he must think so too or he would’ve kept walking.”
“I don’t care. I’m not letting him get hurt over a situation he’s in because of me.”
She tightened her hold. “He’s in this situation because of Aiden and Sawyer and now he’s got a chance to find out what’s really going on with both of them. We came here to protect him. Not to blow that chance.�
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“Sofia—”
“Maverick will be fine,” she said firmly. “Now duck down before they see you.”
I was torn between doing as she said and shoving her off and making a run for it. In the end, she was right about one thing. Maverick wouldn’t be down there squaring up to Aiden if he didn’t know he could take him.
“I’m stopping this the minute this goes too far,” I warned.
“I’ll be right there backing you up.”
Down below, Aiden lunged. My breath stuck in my throat as Maverick ducked the first punch. He stayed light on his feet, moving around Aiden to keep him twisting for his target. Aiden lunged again and Maverick pivoted, seized his wrist, and flipped him.
The onlooking guys remained motionless as their leader struck the ground.
I released a breath. “Let that be the end of—”
Aiden shot up and tackled him. Both guys fell, grappling in the dirt, and striking with a ferocity I physically felt. Maverick elbowed Aiden across the jaw and once again the boy went flying.
“Told you he could handle himself.” Sofia squeezed my hand. “What was Aiden thinking choosing a physical challenge for Maverick? Should’ve asked him to try to shove into those kiddy tunnels on the playground. Our boy would be straining to get his head and one shoulder in.”
I chuckled softly, tension loosening. Maverick was handing his ass to him. He was fine.
The boys squared up once more. I wished I could see Aiden’s face and if it was still twisted by that smirk.
Aiden broke the dance and ran straight at Maverick. My love crouched and used his opponent’s momentum to devastate his blow to the stomach. Aiden collapsed on top of him and was flipped once more, striking the ground behind him. He didn’t get up.
“Thank goodness,” I breathed. “It’s over. We can—”
Maverick stood to walk away. In the space of a blink, Aiden came to life, kicked out, and swiped him off his feet.
Maverick fell, and before he could rise, Aiden jumped on him, shoved him down, and punched him once, twice, three, four times in the face.
Sofia clamped down on my mouth as the scream ripped from my throat.
Aiden flipped him face-first in the dirt. Maverick didn’t move to fight while his arm was wrenched up his back and his head was ground even further into the mud.
Maverick didn’t move at all.
I wrenched free of her grip and raced through the stands, screaming his name.
Chapter Eight
Maverick
“Help him up, guys.”
Hands grabbed my shoulders and arms, dragging me off the ground and out of my daze. My face throbbed like a meat tenderizer had been taken to me. Wetness ran down my chin, nose, and lip. I had a chance to glimpse the blood pool beneath me before I was turned over and dropped on my ass.
“Not bad.” The appreciative drawl pierced my fog. “You got more hits in than I expected.”
Aiden slowly came into focus—as did Val’s screams. A red trail pouring freely from his scalp shone stark on his skin along with the grin that said he didn’t care. He wasn’t the only one. Rowen, Hayes, and the other guys all smirked at me like I’d just performed a cute trick.
“I’m gonna get out of here before your girlfriend takes another shot at kicking my ass.” Aiden laughed. “In her case, I have no doubt she’d win.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. My swipe was too sluggish to stop him. “See you Friday night, Rick. Welcome to the club.”
“Wh— What?” I croaked. “What the fuck? I lost.”
“So? I said if you lost you’d stay out of my shit, not that you wouldn’t get into the club. Friday night,” he repeated.
The boys filed off, leaving me to sink onto the ground, slipping peacefully into blackness. Val’s voice sought to bring me back. I let go of her... and everything else.
“MOMMY’S REALLY MAD,” Adam said conversationally.
“You’re telling me.”
Valentina had been coming in and out of the room to shout at me for the last three hours. Ever since the doctor signed off on a clean bill of health. With the worry gone, the anger came flooding in. The second day of school and the two of us were home dealing with the aftermath of my initiation.
Adam ducked into our room halfway through to burrow into my side. I think he was also trying to comfort me in the wake of her onslaught.
“It’s okay, Daddy.” He patted my head. “Mommy will forgive you.”
“Thanks, son.”
He cocked his head, taking in the collection of bruises, cuts, and swollen skin that used to be my pretty face. “What happened?”
“Daddy got beat up,” I said bluntly.
Adam gasped. “Someone beat you up? How?”
“There’s always someone stronger, smarter, and quicker. The trick is for that person to be you. This time I wasn’t.”
His face crumpled in confusion. To be fair that wasn’t the best explanation for a six-year-old.
“Daddy turned his back on the bad guy and he got me.”
“Ooh,” Adam said. “Don’t do that next time.”
“I won’t. Believe me, I’ll never turn my back on this guy again.”
“—idiotic things I’ve ever seen!” Val blew inside. “Why didn’t you walk away and keep walking? Why did you agree to fight him? Huh? Huh?!”
“I’m sorry, Val.” Groveling was my only hope at this point. I tried pointing out earlier that it worked out and I’d gotten into the club. She glowered so fiercely, she singed my eyebrows.
“It was dumb. No argument here.”
“Adam, find Chef in the kitchen. He’s got a bowl of ice cream with your name on it.”
“Yay!” He raced off and I was left to fend for myself.
“What kind of initiation was that?” Val climbed up and cradled my head on her chest. “He drags you out there, says he knew the whole time we got into the file, offers to come clean if you win, and then beats you and lets you into the club anyway? What was the point?”
“The point was to tell us who’s in control, Val. And it’s not us.”
“Don’t say that.” She held me tighter. “We are in control. Aiden hasn’t beaten me, and he hasn’t beaten you. But... all this club stuff... it’s time to put a stop to it.”
“I’m finally in the club. I can’t back out now that we might get somewhere.”
“We’re not getting anywhere like this. Hanging around him and hoping he spills the truth out of the kindness of his heart isn’t going to work.”
“It’s not about him anymore,” I argued. “Aiden whispered my prize for winning like he didn’t want the others to know. Or at least one person in particular—Sawyer. I still say he’s the way in. He’s the one who has to tell us the truth of his disappearance, and he’ll open up to me now that his president has welcomed me into the club.”
“I’m sick to death of this fucking club! Seeing the people I love get hurt. Wondering if we’ll ever really be safe. Seeing Leighton ghosts everywhere I go! I regret every day that I joined that fucking sorority.”
Threading my fingers through hers, I placed our hands over my chest. Hers rose and fell with hard pants, but slowly, her heart thrummed it’s melodic, steady beat.
“You don’t regret it,” I said softly. “You love being president. Those women have become like your family and you care about them. You care if someone is trying to take advantage of them. We don’t know what Aiden is up to but he stopped pretending he’s innocent. I’ll get the truth about the files even if I have to do it another way.”
“I just don’t know w-what this is all for anymore.” Her voice cracked. “Sawyer and Teagan party with this guy every other week. They’re clearly not victims. What Ezra overheard in the basement wasn’t what we thought it was—like Aiden’s said the whole time. As for Leighton and Logan, the friends who covered up his death had to do with her and her alone. It’s not connected to Zeta Rho.”
“How does that explain the people who’ve gone
missing from the Sam and Sally house for years? Or your housemother’s reaction every time you suggest that something isn’t right?”
“What if I don’t give a shit anymore?” she snapped. “Sofia and I half-carried you to the car last night. I’m done, Maverick.”
I fell quiet, choosing my words carefully. “If you’re done... then be done with all of it, Val.”
“What does that mean?”
“Drop out of the Sallys.” Rising up, I met her shock head-on. “All of this started the day you walked into that welcoming reception. It only ends when you walk out.”
“But, Maverick—”
“You can’t think I’ll sit back and stick my head up my ass while Aiden, Sawyer, Teagan, Eve, and the rest of them continue lying straight to your face. We don’t know the truth behind what Aiden did to Sawyer but the only person who hasn’t lied in all of this is Ezra. Aiden did something to that guy and it doesn’t matter if he won his forgiveness. While that duplicitous bastard is right next door, I don’t want you anywhere near the Sallys. What do you say?”
Val pressed her lips together, eyes wide. She didn’t find a response, and she didn’t have to.
I lightly kissed her cheek. That was all my busted lip could handle. “I thought so. You can’t abandon your sisters any more than I can turn a blind eye to the suspicious things that have gone on in those houses. If Teagan’s and Sawyer’s year off was as innocent as they claimed, then all they have to do is tell the truth.
“Because we know the stories they’ve been spreading are bullshit. Let Aiden, Sawyer, or Teagan give us one straight honest answer and then this can be over. Until then, you’re not fending for yourself with a bunch of people who lie as easily as they show their teeth.”
“I just want this to be over,” she whispered.
“Then let’s end it.” I cupped her cheek and kissed her—pain be damned. “Together.”