Page 88 of Filthy Few

“You can’t be here!” I hiss.

The pleading look in her eyes has me swallowing my protests for her to leave. “Where is he, Nova?” The broken tone of her voice has all the air rushing out of me. I place the album and myphone beside me as I lean forward and grip her cold hands in mine and squeeze them.

“With Waylen.” Vivian’s eyes shoot wide and she yanks her hands free and shakes her head.

“No, you’re lying. Ezekiel wouldn’t leave me not after—he wouldn’t leave me!” she shouts and stands. I follow her lead and try to reach for her but she stumbles away from me.

“Vivian, I saw the video proof last night. I watched him… I saw him…” I can’t force the words out past the lump in my throat. Vivian’s bottom lip begins to tremble as tears flow faster down her cheeks.

“No. He promised me he wouldn’t leave me, they all did and now they’ve all left,” she cries and my brows raise.

“What do you mean? Where’s Hayze and Archer?”

“They were gone by the time I woke up this morning. They left me a fucking note!” she screams. Before I ask what it said, she pulls it out of her pocket and tosses it to me, then turns and runs back to her house. I watch until she disappears through the back door of her house, then bend down and pluck the folded piece of paper off the ground.

Vi, baby,

We know you are going to be mad and we are sorry.

We wanted to tell you but he made us swear to keep you in the dark.

Stay safe, baby.

We love you.

A & H

My jaw is unhinged as I reread the note at least four times before the words finally sink in. Archer and Hayze have left but that isn’t the most shocking part, it’s the words in the fucking note. Theybothlove her but from her reaction to losing Ezekiel, a huge part of me seems to think Vivian is in love with my brother!

But does she love Hayze and Archer as well?

Those thoughts plague me until late that night as I climb into the bathtub in my bedroom. After Nexus’ stunt this morning, he can get fucked if he thinks I will be showering in his room. The memory of him laughing at me while he pissed on me has my anger and disgust warring inside me. I vowed to myself this morning, I would no longer cry over any of this shit. When all of this is over, I will mourn the loss of my best friend and Ezekiel, then deal with the trauma of this whole situation but not before. If I let it consume me I won’t be able to get myself out of bed every day and deal with the horrors that await me at school.

My thoughts are muted when the lights cut out. I lean forward and wrap my arms around my knees. “If you try to get in this bath with me, Nexus, I will fucking kill you!” I shout into the darkness. When no reply comes, I begin to shiver in fear and panic starts to flare inside me. I stand quietly, reach for my towel and wrap it around me, then climb out and quietly pad out of the bathroom and freeze as I enter my bedroom.

I swallow audibly and stare at the three masked men standing by the open balcony door, two horns, no horns and left horn stand there but it's the sight of right horn missing that has my emotions choking.

Right horn was Ezekiel.

Right horn is gone and never coming back.

“What the fuck do the three of you want? I thought you all hated each other now?” I snarl. Left horn—aka Hayze Draven—reaches into his hoodie pocket and pulls out a card, then tosses it onto my bed but I make no move to grab it.

“A favor asked is a debt owed,” no horns—aka Archer Malik—says, earning a glare from me.

“The last favor I asked cost me the life of someone I loved so I’ll pass and you can fuck off.”

“A favor asked is a debt owed, witch,” two horns says as if his voice alone can sway me.

“I’ll never ask anything of the three of you again, your fucking game got Waylen killed and now my brother is dead?—”

“Ask the favor and a debt will be owed,” left horn pushes.

“You fuckers don’t know shit, you want me to ask a favor yet you couldn’t even deliver on the first one I asked.”

“This favor isn’t for you, witch.” I furrow my brow and stare at two horns, trying to decipher his meaning but then my bedroom door slams open behind me and I scream in fright until I see it’s Nexus, and then my fear turns to panic as I slice my gaze back to two horns.

“I fucking knew the second I gave her that phone back that she would fuck up,” my stepbrother spits out smugly.

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