Page 102 of Heart of Thorns

Rhys meets me downstairs.The girls are staying in my room for the night, and I don’t think there’s a chance in hell I’m going to get any sleep. Judging by the way Rhys stares at me, his whole body tense, he’s thinking the same.

That’s fine—we can plan.

“Shame about Cross,” Rhys mutters. “I was anticipating his fight.”

I shrug. Cross Lopez is a beast on the lacrosse field, but he also strikes me as an angry person. He found a useful way of channeling his rage, though. The guys who organize the underground cage fighting ring pay their fighters well. There was a rumor a while ago that he fights so he can pay for school.

Anyway, I’ve never actually talked to Cross, but I heard that he is an impressive fighter. While I mirror Rhys’s sentiments about the night being cut short, a warehouse fire isn’t going to stop him.

We’ll have a chance to go again.

“Let’s focus.” I grab a water bottle and drop onto the couch. “Who did you see in the warehouse? From the team.”

He names off a few, then pauses. “Are we excluding them because they were there, or including them because of the same reason?”

I frown. “It would be kind of dumb for them to show their face, then go and set the fire, right?”

“Unless it was a spontaneous thing because of…” He mouths Briar’s name.

I scowl at him. “She got that creepy note, and then she goes to the warehouse. And, what? The arsonist sees her and decides to freak her out even more?”

He rolls his eyes. “It’s the same reason you dragged me out of the house as soon as you got her text. Even you were worried.”

“I wasnot?—”

“Don’t lie to yourself, hmm?”

I sag back into the cushions and cover my face.

The worst thing is—he’sright. I’ve been trying to put a little distance between Briar and me. We keep our interactions outside of thefake relationshipshort and to the point. I haven’t been over to her place since after the dinner, and beyond stolen touches when we work on her exercises, or the very pointedly public ones…

Nothing.

It’s better that way.

Rhys clears his throat, and I drop my hands.

“Fine,” I snap. “I was concerned.”

And myconcernis affecting everything.

“What if her ex is the one setting the fires?” Rhys asks suddenly. He leans forward. “Think about it—he knew she was going to be painting the mural last spring. It could’ve been an honest-to-God attempt to actually kill her. And then when she survives, he freaks and breaks up with her. Butthenshe starts sniffing around the football team, so he tries to get close again.”

My stomach flips. “It would make sense,” I allow. “Did you see him tonight?”

“Not before the chaos.” He frowns. “And after, I was too busy trying to find Lydia and Marley, then keep us all from being trampled.”

Right.

“I only saw Aaron and his girlfriend.” I think back. “He was kind of near us, though, and he took her hand and got the fuck out quicker than we did.”

“Good thing,” Rhys mutters. “Because he lives with us.”

Well, yeah.

“We suck as detectives,” I add.

He laughs and leans forward, holding out his water to tap against mine. I shake my head and do it, chuckling under my breath.

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