Page 261 of Vile Boys

“Remind me to cut off some extra fingers the next time I come across any of those Bonesmen,” Nathan hisses at Milo behind him.

“Oooh … I love it when you get all aggressive,” Milo says.

“I’m okay,” I say, placing my hand on top of his. “I don’t want you to get into more trouble because of me.”

“Don’t worry about me. So what happened after you got taken away in that van?” he asks.

“The Bones Brotherhood tried to sell me to some rich men, but Ares, Caleb, and Blaine got to me before they succeeded.”

“Ares?” Kai raises a brow and chucks his smoke away too. “Interesting.”

“Is it that strange?” I say, feeling brave. “You wanted to save Lana too. Brothers think alike.”

“Brothers?” Lana’s eyes almost bulge out of her skull. “Ares is your brother?”

Kai shrugs.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Oh boy. I did not realize what I was about to unchain by saying that out loud.

“Didn’t think it was necessary. We don’t see eye to eye.”

“That’s an understatement,” I say.

Kai and Ares make eye contact, but Ares immediately looks the other way and pulls out a smoke instead.

“We have our issues. Just like any other family,” Kai says. “I don’t like to talk about mine, however.” Kai turns around and yells at Ares, “Ares. Explain to me why you wouldn’t help us find Lana, yet you happily assisted in finding Crystal, a girl you don’t even know.”

Ares, Caleb, and Blaine walk toward us like they finally feel invited to join the conversation.

“Who says he doesn’t know her?” Blaine says.

Kai frowns. “How?”

“You think you’re the only one who’s been fucking around?” Caleb retorts, tilting his head.

Nathan’s eyes widen. “You’ve been fucking Crystal?”

Oh boy.

“What the f—” Lana glances my way. “Seriously?”

“Holy shit,” Milo muses.

I hide my face in my hands. “This is not how I imagined this would go.”

“Oh my God,” Lana says. “So it’s true? You’re dating Ares?”

My whole face turns red. “Dating is a complicated word.”

Ares folds his arms, staring at them all with contempt. “She’s mine.”

Milo fans himself. “When you put it like that, I understand.”

“Really?” Nathan scoffs at him. “She’s my friend. She should not be dating any of those guys.”

A smug grin spreads on Caleb’s face. “Tough luck for you then, because she wants all three of us.”

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