Page 61 of Scattered Glitter

Koen’s face tightens. “No, the stubborn little shit. I have no idea why he’s acting this way. It was his plan, after all.Hemade it with Oscar in prison. He loved Oscar. Why wouldn’t he want to see it through?”

Oscar.The guy who was so damn good at everything he did that even his absence feels louder than my presence. An absence that feels like a void he left behind and all of us try to fill.

It’s why I’m like this, why I’m so fucking drawn to her.

Because Sparkle doesn’t fill the void, she’s the opposite of a replacement. She’s something entirely new. Something unexpected, chaotic, and real. And maybe that’s what I need to remind myself that I’m more than the chaos people see, more than a boy Oscar picked up from the street.

Ezra’s voice pulls me back to the present. “Why are youso blind when it comes to Alaric?”

Koen stiffens, his brow furrowing. “What?”

Ezra glances at the rest of us before turning back to Koen. “You really can’t see it, can you?”

Levi straightens, his eyes flicking between Ezra and Koen. “Can’t see what?”

Ezra sighs, rubbing his temples as if we’re all idiots. “Alaric’safraid. He was nothing but a thief, an anxiety-ridden jail rat Oscar brought home. He’s scared you’re replacing him.”

I bristle atjail ratand shoot Ezra a sharp look. “Don’t talk about him like that. You—”

He holds up a hand, cutting me off. “It’s not meant as an insult.”

Levi looks at Ezra. “You’re always insulting him, Ezy.”

Ezra shrugs. “It’s only the truth, Dove. Alaric’s been hiding, thinking he’s worthless without Oscar.”

Shit.

“You’re such an asshole,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair.Except he’s right, so maybe we’re the assholes.

Koen doesn’t reply, but the gears are clearly turning in his head as he processes the information. Eventually, his face softens, but there’s still a hardness in his eyes as he addresses Ezra. “We’re not replacing him.”

“I know that.” Ezra shrugs again. “Buthedoesn’t. I’m not lucky enough to get rid of that kid. All that boy needs is reassurance. You tell him he’s not being replaced, that she’s simply the means to an end, and as soon as he believes you, he’ll help.”

Koen drops his gaze to the floor for a moment, biting his lip, and I take the opening to tell him what I’m thinking. “He’s right. My impression yesterday was the same. He’s… hurt, not angry.”

Koen glances up at me, his mouth twitching in annoyance. “Huh.”

I grin, unable to resist. “Oh, is this the first time you misread someone’s body language, Mr. Mentalist?”

Levi chuckles from beside me, clearly enjoying the dig.

“Fuck you.” Koen glares at me, but there’s no real heat behind it.

“Happens to the best of us, brother.” Levi slaps his twin on the back. “Come on, let’s eat something and figure out what to say to him.”

“You do that.” I grab Ezra by the arm and drag him toward the gym. He doesn’t resist, letting me pull him along, his usual calm composure firmly in place.

“Is this training, or do you have something to get off your mind?” he asks as we enter the gym.

“The latter,” I mutter, throwing a few half-hearted jabs at the air.

“Come on…” Ezra heads for the sandbag and throws me the boxing gloves, which I pull on before he steps behind it. “I’m not going to get my face pummeled again because you’ve got demons to deal with.”

I snort, but it’s humorless. He’s right. I need to hit something that won’t get hurt and won’t hit back.

Squaring up to the sandbag, fists clenched, I start pounding into it. Each punch is hard, fast, and deliberate. The impact sends shockwaves through my body, but it’s not enough.Nothing is enough.

Not until I figure this out.

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