Page 184 of Unspoken Truths

I can still see Elijah’s disappointed look when he saw me. He doesn’t understand that it doesn’t have to be me against them. Killing Rachelle is wrong, no matter what the Kings’ Society is offering them.

Wrong.The word is what rings in my mind as I run, setting the pace and cadence as my feet hit the ground. Every step is eating the distance between me and my girl.

Hold on, Rachelle.I didn’t get to tell her so many fucking things. I wanted to think the best of my friends, believing I was good enough to keep them from taking her.

I wasn’t, and now I may lose her. With every step, I pray to all of the saints my mother once believed in. Dad told me they used to help her find things, so I ask them to keep Rachelle’s soul in body long enough for me to save her.

The tracker brings me to an open clearing, the guys crouched around a freshly filled grave. I can’t hear any crying, screaming, anything that tells me she’s alive.

“What did you do?” I scream, pocketing my phone. I won’t need it anymore. “Help me undo it. You can’t do this. I fucking love her.”

“Too late,” Jared rasps, swallowing hard. “I haven’t heard her make a peep in a while.”

“You don’t even know her,” Theo adds. “You’ve known us your whole life. We’re the ones you’re supposed to love.”

“Why does it have to be one or the other?” I snarl, walking over to yank away the shovel from him.

I can see the outlines of the fresh grave, but I force myself to do the things that will save her. I can’t lose my fucking mind. Not yet.

Sinking the blade of the shovel into the soft ground, I begin to unbury her.

“Get up and help and I won’t fucking shoot you all,” I say, calmer than I feel. “Trust me, what I do to you will be a far sight kinder than my father.”

“You wouldn’t,” Elijah says, eyes wide. “I need her to die, Ignacio! I can’t follow in my parents’ footsteps. I can’t!”

He’s breathing hard as I continue to quickly shovel out dirt. I fucking need help if I’m going to get to her.

“I would have killed your parents if you asked me to,” I say softly. “This wasn’t necessary. Two quick snaps of their entitled necks is all it would take. My father hates the rest of your family, so he would have cleaned that up for you too. Jared, get your ass off the ground and help me. Just because you’re scared of how kind she is, doesn’t mean you need to kill her.”

His entire body shudders as if it’s really hitting him now. Scrambling up, he grabs a shovel and begins to help me.

“Calvin treats those photos as if they’re the most precious things in the world,” Jared rasps. “He is the closest thing to a parent I have, which is fucked up. That man comes to every swim meet I have, even if he doesn’t need to report back to my parents. When he saw Rachelle, it’s like he fucking gravitated to her.”

“It’s okay to share your toys,” Theo mutters under his breath, gazing at the grave. “You’re not going to be able to save her, Nacio. It’s too late.”

“Then there’s no harm in trying,” I say, kicking him in the head to get him moving. Though he makes a face, he still gets up. “You know what’s really fucked up? Rachelle never understood why you hate her so much.”

Closing my eyes, I remind myself that she’s alive. She has to be. Come on, baby. Hold on as the ultimate fuck you to them.

“It was never about her, not really,” Elijah mutters. “It’s her or us. I’m choosing me.”

“Wrong goddamn choice!” I roar, wanting to shoot him. “I brought my gun, and I’m feeling really trigger-happy, Elijah. Get your ass up and help us.”

“It’s a waste of time,” he says, but he slowly gets up to help. “How tight is her pussy for you to be wrapped up in her?”

“We haven’t had sex yet,” I whisper, unable to reach the rest of the soil. Jumping in without thought, I continue to shovel, and Theo of all people joins me.

“I never got to figure her out,” he says absently, his muscles tight as he works.

“You can’t put everything back together after you break them a hundred percent of the time,” I remind him. I’m full of hard truths tonight. “If you weren’t such an asshole, she’d have told you what you wanted to know. Maybe.”

I don’t even know everything about her. I expect I’ll need a lifetime for that to happen. I may turn eighteen next month, but I know I want Lili and Rachelle in my life for a long time.

My shovel hits something hard, and I glance at Theo in confusion.

“Coffin,” he whispers, and I punch him hard.

“You motherfucker,” I say, my voice cracking.

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