Page 129 of Vile Boys

Caleb grabs his Coke and takes a sip. “Should I be?”

I raise a brow. “You never know when to quit, and now you decide to be quiet?”

“He’s just been … busy,” Blaine muses, picking up a grape and throwing it into his mouth.

“Busy. With what?” I grit.

“Work. School. His father.” Blaine laughs. “Hermother.”

I sigh and pick up another slice with my knife. “Has she made any efforts to break them up yet?”

“My father’s only gotten more determined.” Caleb rolls his eyes and takes a bite out of his sandwich. “I gave him an earful.”

“Her mother really is asking for it, isn’t she?” I push my knife through another apple slice. “Maybe we should visit her housesometime. Bring Crystal along too.”

Caleb pauses mid-bite. “You mean …”

“You know exactly what I mean,” I muse, tapping my fingers on the table. “Apparently, we didn’t make ourselves very clear.”

“But we made a deal with her,” he says.

“So?”

“Why not enjoy it a little longer?”

My eyes narrow. “Stretch it out?”

“What deal?” Blaine asks.

“She traded her body in exchange for us not killing her mother,” I respond with a coldhearted look.

Blaine grabs his drink and sighs out loud. “Oh boy. That explains a lot.”

“I didn’t ask for your judgment,” I hiss.

Caleb frowns. “He didn’t say—”

“He doesn’t need to say it. His face tells me enough.”

We both look at Blaine now.

“Wait … you don’t think we should?” Caleb snorts. “Since when have you started being a saint?”

Blaine shrugs it off. “I’m not. I’m simply saying … maybe you should try other methods.”

“Like what?”

He waves his hand around. “I don’t know. Use your charm and wit. You have that.”

“Not as much as you,” Caleb says.

“Speak for yourself, Caleb,” I say. “And Blaine … he’s right. You haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve been sneaking off an awful lot. Care to explain?”

His face grows a little redder than usual, and he shoves a handful of blueberries into his mouth. “I’ve been training.”

“You’re a black belt. You don’t need training,” I point out.

“That’s not for you to decide,” he responds, folding his arms. “Besides, I’d like to be prepared for the worst. You make a lot of enemies during your business dealings, especially when it concerns your father’s company.”

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