Page 21 of Hell on Wheels

Archie told us she spent most of the morning there and Damon confirmed she was online playing with simulators, so she must have been practicing for the triathlon—not that we’ve evenconfirmed we’re entering. Angelo heard the sounds of skates in the training room later, but outside of grunts and loud rock music, she stayed radio silent.

Until now.

That’s when my recently injuredsistercame striding down the stairs with her eyes full of fire and her posture ramrod straight, declaring she’s going to the rave under the Bay City Bridge whether we like it or not.

Even if she hadn’t gotten her ass beaten two days ago, there are athousandreasons she shouldn’t be going to the largest rave in the area. I might have won the argument with logic had I been able to get my fucking brain to work, but that’s not what happened. Instead of pointing out that the rave is under the bridge between Bay and Silver cities, so it will have both a huge law enforcement presence and criminal organizations, I said the dumbest possible thing I could have.

I took one look at the purple booty shorts, thigh high fishnets, and strappy bra contraption and lost my goddamn mind. She’d upgraded her earlier look with long Sailor Moon style pigtails, a collar, and winged iridescent butterfly platform combat boots. Oh, and a metric fuckton of glitter that I’d wager is actually pheromone laced Fae dust covering her from head to toe.

She looks like a manic pixie dream girl and there’s no chance in Hades I’m letting her go wade through that crowd dolled up like she’s the center spread.

“Newsflash, fucker… You. Don’t. Own. Me. I’m nineteen and I don’tneedyour permission. You’re not even myactual brother.”

Looking at the guys, I growl. “A little help here? Shecannotgo out until we have a handle on this shit, especially to the biggest party in the Bay!”

Archie winces, shrugging as he looks at his feet. Javi rubs the back of his neck as he pours another shot of tequila at the counter—a sure sign he’s worried—but he doesn’t speak. Angelo and Damon are studying her carefully, as if weighing their options.

Cowards, the lot of them.

“Look, I don’t know what’s crawled up your ass and pinched, Reb, but get it out. I may be healing, but I’m the captain of the Bombers… who will all be there. I won’t hold that title long if I puss out because I got my ass kicked. You know derby is vicious; Mina’s defection will leave a second-in-command vacuum that weakens my position.”

Fuck. Of courseshewould make a very calm, logical point while insulting me. It makes my outburst look childish and now my friends’ expressions are uncertain. “Rogue, I get that, but this rave is probably the most dangerous place you could choose. There will be hundreds of people, including an unknowable amount of enemies, and your wings are out of commission. You can’t protect yourself!”

Before I can blink, a fist slams into my jaw and a knee rams into my crotch, dropping me to the ground. I feel breath on my cheek as a saccharine voice asks, “I’m sorry; I couldn’t hear you. Did you say something about not being able to defend myself?”

Goddamn, she moves fast. It’s why she’s a terror on skates.

“Uh, bro? I think we’re going to have to consider a Plan B because Wheels just laid you out with her injured arm and didn’t even make a face,” Archie ventures in a choked voice.

The fucker is trying not to laugh; I can tell. “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”

“I could see you being Han,” Angelo says. “However, our Princess is fierce, and they are both correct. Despite our instinct to protect Rogue, she needs to be seen publiclynotbeing beaten down to combat thatputtana?1. So we will need a Plan B, as the lion said.”

I roll over, still clutching my junk as I glare up at the sparkling vision I can never get out of my head. “You didn’t pull your fucking punch,sis.”

“Nope,” she says with a bratty pop of her lips. “You earned that.”

Maybe I did, but my intentions were good. She could have gone for the ribs instead of my dick.

“Fine. I can be reasonable,” I sigh. “Since my cock is throbbing and my brain is mush, someone tell me what the fucking plan is.”

Rogue’s eyes get as big as flying saucers and I smirk. I might have done that on purpose. Archie smothers another laugh and I wink at him. The dude has been my best friend since I got here and if there was ever a guy who can play peacemaker, it’s Archer Glaser. His himbo jock act is exactly that—an act he puts on to keep people at a distance. He’s sharp as a tack, especially with reading his friends.

Damon clears his throat. “I have options.”

“I’ll bet you do,” Rogue snarls, stalking over to the steps and plopping down. She puts her elbows on her knees and her cheeks in her hand, affecting a bored posture.

What the hell is with her tonight?

The vengeance demon flushes and taps something on his tablet before clearing his throat. “First, I’ve got a group chat and tracking app on all our phones now. We can pinpoint one another as close as a five-foot radius as long as the other person is within fifty miles. It will work with wireless earbuds and the on phone voice commands as well, so you can be a little sneakier if you choose.”

Before Rogue can open her mouth, I growl. “Non-negotiable. If they knock you out, you can’t do what you did last time.”

She rolls her eyes and pulls gum out of her pocket to pop into her mouth. I have no idea how since everything she’s wearing is like a fucking skin suit, but she chews as if we’re the dullest thing she’s ever experienced. “Fine. What else?”

“I’ll also tuck a tracker dot inside one of your boots in case the phone gets ditched. Its range is even better, and I’ve set a net around the bridge area to send a distress call to us if you leave the specified area.”

“Uh-huh,” my sister drawls, blowing an enormous bubble and then popping it dramatically. Every one of us shoots an angry glare at her and she shrugs, twirling the gum around her finger.

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