Page 136 of Chaos at Westbrook High

“Maybe later.” Her grin matches mine, and I have to fight the urge to drag her pretty ass back to my car.

“Where are they?” my dad asks, pulling my attention back and reminding me why we’re here.

James appears from wherever he’s been hiding all day, watching Maverick and Derek on the interior cameras he hacked into. “They’re moving to the west living room,” he answers.

“How many guards does he have here?”

“Seven.” He scans the seven of us. “One for each of you, I’m guessing.”

When Levi and Callie pull their guns out of their jeans, my dad shakes his head at them. “You won’t be needing those.”

“Just in case.” Callie grins as they cock them.

“Callie,” my dad warns. “Do not shoot anyone.”

“One kneecap.” She holds a finger up, laughing at the hard look on my dad’s face. “Relax. I’m kidding. Kind of,” she mutters under her breath.

Letting it be, my dad leads the way into Kingston Manor, the six of us falling in line behind him with James at our back. The large wooden doors are wide open, so we walk right in. Making our way through the vast entryway, we enter the west living room where Maverick and Derek await us with their seven guards. Maverick’s sitting back on the couch in the center of the room, his body relaxed, his right ankle resting on his left knee, a glass of whiskey dangling between his fingers. Derek’s standing next to him. After checking his form for damage, Hailey glares at him for being a fucking dumbass. He glares right back at her for being here.

As Maverick looks us over, there’s a look on his face that tells me he thinks he’s won this war already. In his mind, they outnumber us by one. He thinks it’ll be easy to overpower us, but he underestimates us. He has no idea what’s about to happen to him.

“Elijah,” my uncle says. “Don’t be a tease, big brother. Step aside so I can see her.”

I tighten my grip on Hailey’s hand. She’s staring at the back of my dad’s jacket, her blue eyes hard as she listens to the sound of Maverick’s voice. This is the first time she’s hearing it as an adult.

My dad doesn’t move, doesn’t even bother gracing his brother with a spoken response. Maverick’s forced composure slips within seconds. He gestures toward us with a flick of his hand. Two of his guards are holding guns at their sides. The other five aren’t. When the armed guards’ arms twitch, ready to lift, my dad snaps his eyes toward them. “If you point those at my children, I assure you it’ll be the last thing you do.”

The men falter, their guns remaining down at their sides. Maverick’s face reddens with anger. I can tell he wants to give the order, but he’s refraining out of fear of being disobeyed by his own men.

“Put them away,” my dad orders. “Now.”

They take half a second to scan our group, searching for weapons. When Callie lifts her hands in mock surrender, they slowly tuck their guns into the backs of their waistbands. Maverick’s anger burns even hotter. In less than a minute, my dad has erased his brother’s good mood and made him furious. I almost smile at how easy it was.

“I want to see the girl.”

“I know what you want, Maverick,” Elijah says, speaking to him for the first time in months. “You’re not getting it. Any of it.”

His nostrils flare. “What?”

“Katherine told us what you’re planning. You want to burn us all and take what’s ours.”

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“I know you can’t.”

“You always did think you’re better than me. Smarter.” Another smirk touches his lips. “I’m not going to burn you in that precious little coffee shop of yours. I'm going to burn you in this house.” He waves a hand. “The place we grew up in. The thing you gave me to try to keep me in line. It will be the thing that ends you and your children.”

My dad breathes evenly, waiting.

“Tie them up and bring Hailey to me.”

The two guards who were holding guns when we walked in begin to move, freezing when they realize the other five aren’t moving a muscle.

“They’re unarmed, you cowards. Do it.”

Again, they don’t move, their heads held high, eyes forward and alert, their arms behind their backs.

“Should I be concerned about those two?” my dad asks, keeping his eyes on Maverick as he tilts his head at the other two guards.

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