Page 97 of The Ruthless Note

Only the last one was our doing.

Sol is a loose cannon, all packed in tight and capable of flying off the handle at a moment’s notice. Now we know those issues aren’t just surface level. That crap runs deep. I don’t want him triggering anything that can destroy him again.

My shoulders get tight. I set my mouth in a deep frown, but I don’t fight back when he gets in my face.

“You think you did something good?” Sol pushes my chest. “You think I should thank you?”

“It wasn’t just him, Sol.” Zane rushes to my defense.

Finn joins him.

My brothers flank me on either side. They’re not going to turn on Sol. We owe him too much. But they’re also not going to let me take the flak alone.

I shake my head. “It was my idea. I gave the okay.”

Sol’s lips curl up in a cruel smirk. “Do you know what living in that neighborhood does to you?” His eyebrows hike. “It sucks the life out of you. You start fading slowly until you get numb. Everywhere you turn, all you see is death and drugs and sex. Those are the only three ways out. It takes a lot to clamor out when you have an entire family behind you. Much less when it’s just you and your kid sister.”

My jaw flexes, but I take it. I’d rather he spiral at me. I’d rather be there to keep my eyes on him.

Sol’s chest heaves. He stares through the window. I can see him wading. Wading. Wading through all the crap.

It’s mounting on him.

I don’t know what to do.

I only know I have to absorb the blows rather than let him keep it inside and self-destruct.

“My brother died of a drug overdose,” Sol whispers.

Finn, Zane and I have visible reactions. That’s the first time I’ve heard of a brother. And I used to spend plenty of time in the Pierce household.

“That’s why we left the neighborhood,” Sol says. “We don’t talk about it. It’s hard for ma. It was unfair. He was an innocent. No one knew when he started using. But people just shrugged and wrote it off. If you live in that area, it comes with the territory. You don’t expect anyone to live long or live well.”

The thought of Brahms being in such dangerous territory makes my stomach clench. I clamp down on the urge to march straight to her and demand she move in with me.

Sol’s emotions are removing the lid off my own. I can’t afford to run away with those thoughts. Out of the four of us, I’m responsible to keep a clear head, to have the long fuse, to see beyond the moment to the bigger picture.

It’s why they trust me to lead them. It’s why our band made it on our own backs, separating ourselves from dad’s overwhelming fame.

Sol hangs his head, turns and picks up the bottle again. “She reminds me of him, of my brother.”

I keep my expression blank and my voice calm. “You don’t have to worry. You’re not leaving Redwood Prep. We fought damn hard to keep you here.”

“I’m not letting Cadence leave either,” Sol says.

Something dark slithers around inside me when I see the determined glint in his eyes. I can’t tell if him looking out for Cadence is because she reminds him of his brother or if it’s more.

I don’t like it either way—that possessiveness of his.

But I don’t let the feeling overtake me. “Cadence is not going anywhere.”

My brothers look at me.

Sol too.

“She belongs to me. She’s not leaving until I say so.”

Sol doesn’t look comforted by that. I can’t read his expression and he hides his face quickly.

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