Page 23 of Crew Princess
He pressed his lips together. “Your brother’s been kind to let me stay at your house, but it was bound to end. He hates that we’re screwing under his roof.”
I grunted again. That’s all I could do to participate.
I loved my brother. I’d always loved him, but our relationship was messy. We’d had more good lately than bad, but there were still bad times. He’d officially left the house when our mom died, but he’d been mostly gone for years before that. The fact that I was still in the house was an achievement, as far as I was concerned. All the bullshit about not having sex was just bullshit. Channing didn’t talk about who he’d banged, but I knew he and Heather had started having sex way earlier than Cross and me.
Also, Channing was barely home lately. The strict curfew had slipped when his bounty-hunting business started taking off, and so did our family dinners. Cross had been sleeping in my room for almost a full month before Channing caught him, and he flipped out, but what’d he expect?
“You think he’s going to do something if we start staying at Jordan’s?” Cross asked.
“Yes.” I ground my teeth together. “But it won’t be the way most adults deal with runaway kids, like call the cops. He’ll just sic someone from his crew on us.”
I knew I was right. Moose. Congo. Lincoln. Chad. Any of them. They all looked like a mix of professional body-builders (except Lincoln, who was lean), members of a motorcycle club, and SWAT. And when they wore their bulletproof vests for bounty-hunting runs, those guys didn’t mess around.
Cross laughed. “They wouldn’t… They wouldn’t burn down Jordan’s shed…would they?”
We shared a look and groaned.
They totally would.
I shook my head. “We can’t stay at Jordan’s.”
“Fuck.”
Exactly.
But that was a problem for later on, because Alex’s truck had just rolled into the parking lot. It was game time.
Cross and I got out, both knowing immediately how we were going to handle this. No words were needed. I jogged down to circle around from the rear as Cross went over the lot, coming at Alex just as he got out of his truck, a duffel bag in hand.
He shut the door, took one step, and stopped.
Cross was right there, his arms crossed over his chest. “Ryerson.”
Alex just sighed, dropping the bag to the ground. “You alone?” But even as he asked, he was looking for me, coming up behind him.
I didn’t cross my arms. My hands were at my sides.
Alex shook his head. “I should’ve saved my breath.” He sighed, his shoulders hunching forward. “What do you guys want?”
The hospital stay didn’t seem to have affected Alex. He was still stout, and almost as muscular as before. His round face seemed a bit harder, but maybe that was just my opinion. His eyes were a little close together, sunken in, but there was no scruff this morning.
“You sent those guys to burn the school down last night?” I asked.
Alex’s head shot up, and his eyes bulged. “What? No—what?”
“Please. Like you don’t still have loyal friends to tell you what happened last night.” I stepped in, lowering my voice so we didn’t draw attention and also for Cross, who’d gone to ice statue status.
We’d gotten our vengeance, but it’d never be enough for Cross, not after what Alex did to Taz.
“We’re telling you one of the guys squealed and said you put him up to it.” I raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become so friendly with guys from Fallen Crest Academy?”
Alex shut down and leaned back against his truck, folding his arms over his chest. “I’m confused. Are you asking if I had someone burn the school down or for tips on getting better friends?”
Cross stepped closer, his eyes almost dead. “We can beat the shit out of you now, and no one would give a damn. Remember that.”
Alex swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Wariness flashed over his face. “I’m giving you attitude because I’m not stupid enough to try anything like burning our school down. Why the hell would I do that?”
Easy answer. “So you’re not forced to attend Roussou where you’re hated, loathed, and detested?” I gave him a tight smile, narrowing my eyes. “It worked with Frisco. All those students are getting bused here or Fallen Crest. Our school goes down, and your family is wealthy enough to what? Homeschool you, if they decide not to have you attend somewhere else?”
