Page 129 of The Friend Zone

“For what?” I ask.

“That he fucks up too royally to get away with it.”

Jagger sounds skeptical. “Do you think he ever will?”

She nods. “I’m sure he will. Look, I’ve put my trust in Topher for years and I’ve been blind. But once I realized how many lies he fed me and how he treated everyone around me, I couldn’t stop seeing him for who he really was. Topher is a narcissist, and he thinks he’s smarter than anyone. He’ll never follow the rules because he thinks rules are for everyone else. He feels like he’s better than others and rules don’t apply to him.”

I think Bay is right, but I don’t understand how she plans to punish her ex. “Yeah, he said exactly that countless times. That the law is for the masses. The upper one percent don’t follow thelaw, they make the law.” Quoting that asshole leaves a bad taste in my mouth. “But what does it mean for us?”

“We need to be patient and have faith in his arrogance. It might not be for breaking the Gamma code of conduct, or for being a creep who would slip a roofie into someone’s drink. But one of these days, he’ll fuck up so badly that he won’t be able to cover his tracks. And we’ll be there and we’ll make him pay. A little like Al Capone.”

We all look at our girl, slightly confused.

“Come again?” Ryker asks. “What does a 1920s gangster have to do with Topher?”

Bay is serious when she explains. “The law could never nail him for all his crimes. In the end, they got him for tax evasion. So we just do the same to Topher. Next time he does something wrong—and he will—we’ll be there to make sure justice is served.”

CHAPTER 26

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE

BAY

Iput on a brave face in front of my guys.

If Cole, Jagger, and Ryker realized how shaken I really feel about everything that has transpired tonight, there would be no stopping them from beating Topher with their hockey sticks.

I feel safe in bed, snuggled between Cole and Ryker, with Jagger curled up at the end of the bed, against the footboard. With them by my side, nothing bad could ever happen to me. But my mind is reeling. I’m not as confident as I implied that we’ll catch Topher red handed.

My ex has proven time and time again that he’s cunning, ruthless, and excellent at covering his tracks using deception or manipulation.

I’ve been lying awake for hours, careful not to wake my boyfriends. They need all the rest they can get, since Coach Harrison has been punishing their less than stellar results on the ice with two practices a day, six days a week and mandatory time watching tapes of their opponents’ games every Sunday.

Maybe I could try to sneak out of bed without waking them and drive to get them breakfast. Torture by hockey stats and film analysis is going to be more bearable on a full stomach.

I’m still trying to lift Cole’s arm from around my waist without waking him, but all my efforts are in vain. A loud knock on my bedroom door wakes them up.

“Fuck!” Jagger sits up so suddenly, he slides off the end of the bed, landing on the wooden floor. “What time is it? Are we late for practice?”

“No,” Cole groans, dragging me back against his chest. “We’re ok. Unlike you, I know how to set an alarm.”

“Fuck off,” Jagger flips him off. “I was late to practice once. One time. And it wasn’t even my fault. The girl I was with had turned off my alarm without telling me.”

Cole chuckles, peppering my neck with kisses at the same time. “That’s because you had terrible taste in hookups.”

“Hadbeing the keyword here,” Jagger argues. “Since the first time I kissed Bay, I didn’t even look at another woman.”

Another knock interrupts their bickering.

“Go away,” Ryker groans. “People are trying to sleep here.”

Whoever is outside the door is persistent. They knock again.

“Let me go see what they want,” I sigh, leaving Cole’s warm embrace and dodging Ryker’s attempt to pull me back into bed.

“The house better be on fire,” Jagger mutters, rubbing a spot at the base of his spine. “I got so startled I hit the floor hard. I might have bruised my tailbone.”

Ryker hits him with a pillow. “Has everyone ever told you that you talk way too much in the morning? No one cares about your tailbone. I was sleeping just fine until you started arguing with Cole.”

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