Page 16 of The Lies We Steal

I see the fire before we even pull in front of the house, the orange glow between the trees crackling and building higher.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him.” I groan, running a hand through my hair with agitation rattling my hands.

The car crawls to a stop when we are parked several feet away from the blazing trailer. I’m quick to hop out of the car seeing Silas looming over a kneeling body, a wooden baseball bat in his grip.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Rook hisses, stalking up towards me, anger radiating off his body.

“Yeah, what took us long to get here, Ali? You wouldn’t have gotten distracted?” Thatcher asks, cunningly. He has a tendency to ask questions he already knows the answers to. Boost his monstrous ego.

I push Rook’s chest before he can get in my face, pointing my finger at him, “I told you to wait. I told you if worse came to worst you could light it up, but not before I even got here.”

The anarchist in him refuses to back down, let alone admit what he did was reckless. I should’ve known better than to let him take the lead on this one. Rook is as unpredictable as the roaring flames behind us.

I got distracted. It’s my fault I wasn’t here earlier.

Distractions make you weak. Make you stupid and I am none of those things.

I allowed myself to be both of those tonight.

I usually don’t enjoy parties. I went tonight because we needed to watch Nate. Waiting for him to leave. Before that I only go when we have a plan to cause some type of chaos, scare people, fight someone, burn something down, ruin everyone’s fun. Never going to actually party. However, this Hollow Heights Homecoming proved to be…interesting.

I should have been focused on the task at hand. There was a lot at stake right now, but instead I stopped to watch her.

The one who never looked away from my eyes, not even when my presence started to scare her. Her cherubic face glowed in the darkness, reflecting off the strobe lights. I couldn’t see a lot of her, I wasn’t sure if her hair was brown or if it was that dirty shade of blonde that I seemed to have a thing for.

I wasn’t so sure it mattered.

There was something inside of her that was more interesting than her looks. The way she didn’t run from me. She didn’t allow her fear to overcome her. No, she was curious. She let her curiosity win, she wanted to see what I would do.

My cock twitched.

Wondering how far she would let me go before she cried mercy.

“You are not the goddamn boss of me, Caldwell. If I want to torch up this shithole because I think it’s the best bet at protecting us, then that’s what I’m going to fucking do.”

“Careful, Rook.” I warn him.

“Or what? You gonna hit me?” He raises an eyebrow, “Do it, I’m sure I can take it.” He is baiting me. But this isn’t sparring in my basement like normal, this is me letting out my anger and him needing pain. I’m about to rip his balls right off and put them on a shelf in my fucking bedroom.

“Ladies, we have more pressing matters at the moment. Put your dicks away, you’re inadequate compared to me, let’s focus on not dying or going to jail for the time being.”

Thatcher slaps our shoulders, pushing between us and walking towards Silas. Knowing this is nothing to concern himself with because it’s like brothers arguing over the last piece of pie.

“Did you at least cover your tracks?” I ask Rook as we follow Thatcher’s moves.

He gives me a sideways look, “I’m not an amateur. Broken bulb in the oven, turned it to high, took ten minutes before it exploded. However, we have to make this quick, he’s got a lab in the back bedroom, and I hear meth is highly flammable.”

Goddammit.

“Batter up!” Thatcher howls like a wolf at the full moon.

Silas straightens up, like he’s at bat for a World Series title. Rearing the wooden barrel back, he slugs it forward, swinging his hips and upper body with it. A thud followed by popping of what sounds like Rice Krispies electrifies the night.

Apparently, Silas had grown tired just watching all our fun.

A charge of excitement zipped through my blood, my dick twitching again. Tonight had been full of things that got me going apparently.

“Who is he? And what do we know?”

---