Page 65 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

I bit down the growl. Henry didn’t need tohear it. And I needed to listen.

“Wren was flirting with some girls at thefood mart. You know how I get, I left him there. Went to wait forhim in the SUV. But when he finally followed, Bruno, he was therewaiting with a bat. He hit Wren. I tried … I tried to help, but …”He gasped.

“Henry,” I said. “It’s not your fault.” Ikicked the dead fucker beside me. “It’s his fault. No oneelse.”

Henry slid his eyes to the dead guy,blinking several times, then he nodded. I helped him to his feetand leaned him against the truck. Just then, another car burstbeside the SUV, almost sideswiping it in its haste. I pressed mybody between Henry and the new threat, my gun already trained atthe person inside.

Fox.

I let out a shuddering breath. “Henry,” Isaid, using the calmest voice I could muster. “Do you mind checkingon Tomás? Make sure he’s okay.”

Henry nodded and slipped inside the house asI put the gun away.

“Wren?” I asked Fox who gave Wren’s wreckedcar a brow lift. Wren was going to murder me in my sleep.

Fox shook his head. “Wren. Never takes shitseriously. Tor gave us the heads up on Bruno being in the area.With the cell phone service here being out, we decided to sendspotters. River came along too, in his car. He’s with Wren now andyou know he’s not leaving his side.”

“We have to put him on pussy lock down.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s the only thinghe’s on.”

I blanched, giving Fox a look.

“Don’t give me that look. While you’re doingwhatever you’re doing withhim, I’m taking care ofthem.”

For some reason that hurt because I’d beenso obsessed with this one thing, I didn’t care about anything else.I kept my mouth shut and let him have this.

Fox’s eyes slipped to Bruno’s body. “Whathappened? Is Henry okay?”

“He’s alive,” I said. “Tomás saved him.”

Fox’s eyes turned to two slits on his face.I wanted to punch my best friend in the face. “Tomás risked hislife to save Henry, Fox. He’s one of us now.”

Fox took that in slowly. Then he raked hishand through his hair and turned to the car wrapped in a tree, andsmirked. “What the flying fuck happened to Wren’s car?”

Without answering, I turned around to headinside just as Fox started to laugh.

Chapter Thirty

Tomás

Like a coward, I locked the bathroom doorand sat on the floor against the tub, my knees drawn up, my handsin my hair. I killed a man. Although I knew it was a justifiedkill, I still couldn’t stop feeling as if I’d done something wrong.Evil. I wasn’t a good person. I had hidden guns for my brothers. Idrove the car when they needed someone to spot for them. AlthoughI’d never been the one to pull the trigger, I was just as guilty. Iwanted to be courageous like Miguel, smart even. A survivor. Awarrior. Cruz was more of a jokester than any of us, but he wasfiercely loyal. Cruz and Miguel were always together. Daniel waslike Dad. He had too much dick he wanted to share. Made me wonderif I had any nieces or nephews I didn’t know about. I missed thembecause I knew I was safe around them. In a morbid part of my mind,I was okay with being the sidekick. The one holding the bag,driving the car, spotting because I wasn’t brave enough to doanything else. I didn’t have the stomach for the actual kill. Butthat didn’t make me a good person. Looking away from shit didn’tmake me a good person.

When Kieran had left to face the threat, Iknew I had to do something. And instead of feeling suicidal, I feltas if my life meant something. I wasn’t a hero. I almost pissedmyself out there, but it meant saving Henry. Because I couldn’t lethim die for me.

I wiped my face with my forearm and openedmy hand. I’d cut my palms with the rings, but I couldn’t let themgo. They reminded me of a past I had wanted to leave behind. Icould’ve gone back to Mom. I could’ve killed Maddox so many damntimes. But I didn’t. That wasn’t me. It’d never be me. And I had tosay goodbye to my old life and try to find something new. I almostlaughed at that shit. There wasn’t any poetic justice. I had tobury my past and let it go.

I had to.

I climbed to my feet, shoved the rings in mypocket, washed my face, and walked out. Fox was on the phonetalking to someone about a cleanup. I assumed he meant the bodies.Kieran was tending to Henry’s head wound.

Fox hung up the phone. “We have to get outof here and get back to the school. According to Tor,he…”Fox lifted his chin in my direction.“…has acontract on his head.”

I stiffened and balled my hands into tightfists.

“Then let’s go,” Henry said, his voiceshaky.

Kieran met my eyes. He must’ve seensomething there. Me not ready to leave. Not without the truth. Heturned to Fox. “Take Henry back. I’ll drive Henry’s ride back toschool and we’ll meet up.”

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