Page 66 of Kingston
She wrinkles her nose, and that’s how I know she’s truly going to be okay. “I need a shower. That house. I feel so gross.”
Kingston comes around the vehicle, joining us. “When you’re feeling up to it, I need to know what the fuck happened in there. As much as you can tell me.” He brushes his thumb over her cheekbone and leans in close, whispering. “I’ll find out who did this to you, Elle. That’s a promise.”
Her head lifts ever so slightly, her eyes meeting his. “I’ll tell you everything I can remember.”
The way he’s looking at her— My eyes slam shut for a moment. Up until now, I thought Kingston’s attitude problem was simply that he’s done dealing with having a female in the house, that the night with the video and whatever they did in the poker room and the bathroom made him realize he really didn’t want her here. But—shit, I see it now—that’s not it at all. I think maybe he carestoomuch and doesn’t want to admit it.
The question is what the hell brought that on?
Archer and I will get to the bottom of it. We always do. There’s got to be an explanation. Shoving those thoughts to the back of my head, I walk up to the house with her. Archer is one step ahead of me and opens the front door for us. There’s quiet murmuring coming from the living area where the rest of the brotherhood is gathered. I’d texted Dane earlier to let them know what was going on. I guess no one felt right going to bed until we were home.
Archer, understanding me perfectly, glances at the watch on his wrist. “It’s two in the morning.”
“I need to ask them a few questions”—Kingston hesitates, cautiously touching Elliot’s back—“if you two don’t mind taking her upstairs. I want answers.” His lip curls, eyes practically shooting sparks from them as he turns and strides purposefully toward the quiet chaos.
I hike Elliot up further, then let Archer lead us up the stairs.
THIRTY-FOUR
KINGSTON
I waituntil the guys have disappeared with Elliot before I prepare to unleash my fury on these dickheads. Pacing the floor, my fingers twist into my hair, tugging sharply. I’m livid. That never should have happened. And the fact that it happened toherhas me out of my mind both with rage and worry.
Something has a hold of my heart, squeezing the hell out of it. It’s her. I’ve had such a hard time this week… but then this.
The rhythmic thudding in my chest threatens to crack it wide open, allowing my temper to spill out. My jaw twitches like mad, but I force myself to calm the fuck down. As much as I want to march into the living room with murder on my mind, I can’t. These boys are my responsibility. I need to rein myself in. Show restraint.
Tell that to the seething aggression coursing through my veins.
They must hear me coming, because all at once, conversation comes to an abrupt halt. When I set eyes on the group, the dam that’s been holding me back bursts.
With blood roaring in my ears, I spit, “Who thefuckwas responsible for that?”So, much for the restraint.They stare at me, their mouths hanging open. “Someone had better start talking right now.”
The only one brave enough to speak right away is Dane. “Is she okay?”
My teeth clench, grinding together. I highly doubt Dane had a damn thing to do with it, but that doesn’t stop me from snarling at him.“No.She’s not fucking okay. She has a goddamn concussion. That never should have happened. Who wants to explain to me exactly what went down in that motherfucking house?” I glare at the juniors, my eyes burning from exhaustion and anger and fear. I bark, “Initiates. Get the fuck out. Go to your rooms and fucking stay there.”
Bridger and Taggart peel out of the room faster than I’ve ever seen them move before. I take only a moment to watch them go, Taggart racing down the hall where the sophomore bedrooms are and Bridger down the stairs into the basement where the juniors are housed.
I look around the group because this doesn’t leave very many people at all to point fingers at. Zeke and Dane glance uneasily at each other. They are certainly getting their fill of what it’s like to be an initiated brother this year. But neither were in that house. I know they aren’t at fault, yet I’m a firm believer in letting the younger members of the house be a part of things like this, as they will be in our shoes someday. And they need to fucking see what happens when shit hits the fan.
I pin my gaze on the juniors and jab my finger in their direction. My blood pulses so loudly through my head until I can hardly think. “The three of you were responsible for Elliot, Bridger, and Taggart while they were in that house tonight. You know from your initiation that the freaking place can be dangerous, especially when blindfolded.” I grit my teeth. This is the one time I wish to fuck we didn’t have to uphold tradition. Worst game of the bunch for me. I exhale sharply through my nose and advance on the three of them. “Your literal fucking job was to make sure these initiates were safe in there.” My chest heaves with barely contained anger. I’m on the edge of losing it. My control is beginning to slip.
All they do is side-eye each other, and it’s pissing me right the fuck off. “How many things are we going to fuck up this year? We can’t fucking afford to have the alumni looking at us. Every single fucking one of you knows this. We don’t need them or the goddamn police breathing down our necks.”
“She shouldn’t even be here,” Alec mumbles under his breath with a roll of his eyes.
I see red. “What the fuck did you just say?” I don’t wait, I lunge forward, grab him by the front of his shirt, and haul him to his feet, only to slam my fist into his jaw a second later. It lands with an awful crunch.
He howls in pain and falls back to the couch. “The fuck!” he gasps out.
“Do you want to continue questioning my authority, you little shit?”
Alec’s eyes flash with fury, but he swallows back his retort.
I shift my gaze to Joel and Stuart who are looking on, their expressions grim. “How about you two?” I raise my brow a fraction when they don’t reply. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”
THIRTY-FIVE
