Page 5 of Falling in Reverse

“Keep it up, Bay,” he grinds out, strumming his fingers along the surface of the counter. “You’re pissing me off.”

That may have worked on me over a million years ago when we were kids and he stole my minibike. The next time I saw him, he got a baseball bat to his chest that knocked him onto his ass.

We’ve been besties ever since.

Levi has always been tall, big-mouthed, charming with his bossiness, and eats like a pack of wild dogs. However, when he gets into this big-brother, the-world-is-crumbling-down phase, I start getting low on patience.

“Listen, Lev Lev, I’m fine,” I vouch as simply as I can. “The girls and Dad are okay. This is just the universe you and I live in.”

“Don’t start getting all optimistic on me,” he retorts. “I know you’re not stupid enough to believe that Sheriff Muncy is going to get off his fat ass and chase some assholes around who broke into your place last night.”

“Probably not. He’s hated me since that time I put his patrol car in neutral and let it roll down the street.”

“For the effort, you should’ve given it an extra shove so it would’ve crashed into the trees at the end of the hill.”

“I’ll remember that for the next time.”

He glimpses over his shoulder at the girls. “I’ll have one of The Nameless keep tabs on the house.”

I immediately don’t like how naturally he said that. How he mentioned South Shore’s elusive gang like he was?—

“You joined, didn’t you?”

Levi glances back over at me with a placid look.

It’s a firm rule between us—no gangs.

We both didn’t wish to get wrapped up in the chaos and greed of someone else’s power. Levi and I do jobs for The Nameless, sure, but we do it when we want to and not the other way around.

No unneeded drama. We agreed not to be tied up in something we may not be able to get out of at the end of the day.

“I’m not a part of anything,” he drones, sounding bored. “Relax.”

“Then how would you, a no one, be able to get The Nameless over here?”

“Just because I know some boys in it doesn’t mean I’m in it, Bay.”

My face twists in disbelief, because that’s bullshit. “How would you know, though? They’re called The Nameless for a reason. One could walk by me right now and I wouldn’t know if he?—”

“Because, like I just said”—his brows knit together—one of them pierced with a silver bar—for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes he’s been here—“they’re some of my boys. I do have friends, ya know.”

“Lev…”

He meets my uneasy stare with a confident one. “I’m just like you, boring as fuck. I run their drugs on the side for extra cash. You and I make our money off cars and races. And the occasional illegal lobster poaching.”

I study his expression, searching for any signs of guilt, but come up with none.

Boys have pride and don’t enjoy being the oddball out. They desire power, hence why wars have broken out all over the world for centuries. So, my ultimate fear is Levi getting caught up in a mess and not being able to dig himself free.

“We good now?” he presses, regaining my attention before jerking his thumb over his broad shoulder. “I’m gonna take your sisters to school. You headin’ out to class now?”

I shake my head. “No…I dropped out.”

His features turn murderous. If I had a dollar… “You’re bitchin’ at me about The Nameless when you flipped the script and left school? Nah, you were gonna go to college to get us the fuck out of here.”

“It’s only until I can get caught up on the bills.”

“Hell no.” He twists his body to give me the full width of his.

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