Page 52 of The Hallows Boys

Beckham spreads his hands just above the table. “I don’t know what to tell you, Kai. I couldn’t find shit after the sixties. We’ll need to dig deeper if you’re dead set on this little scavenger hunt.”

I grunt, dropping my head to my hand.

“Could Sage be a problem?” Vinny asks cautiously, looking at Beckham from the corner of his eye. Beckham is softer than us – he’s a lover at heart, and I could see even before the games that he has some sort of infatuation with Sage.

“Why would Sage be a problem?” he asks, twisting his head to the side to look at Vin, something curious and defensive in his eyes.

I chuckle, making his head turn to look at me. “From where I stand, it looks like Sage is the last living member of the founding family.”

“And?” he questions, gritting his jaw.

“And,”Vinny sighs. “Does that mean she’s entitled to the top? Could she climb above us, and take everything we’ve worked toward building in this town?”

“Not only that”—I hold a hand up—“but if she’s the heir to the Hallows Games, does that make her a Hallows Boy?”

“She’s a girl,” Beckham states, making me roll my eyes.

“I’m aware, Beckham, thank you,” I snap, making Vinny laugh. “But if her father created the games, is it her legacy to be a part of them?”

Beckham presses his lips together as if in thought, and I don’t miss the twitch to his lips at whatever is running through his devious mind. Vinny taps a finger on the table, like he’s come to some sort of conclusion, so I raise my eyebrows at him in question.

“There’s never been aHallows Girlbefore. I don’t think she’s entitled to shit.”

“So what if she is?!” Beckham snaps.

“Beckham.” My voice is sharp, cutting through the tension of the small space we’re occupying. I single him out with my gaze, trying to make him feel smaller. “We’ve worked hard for years to get where we are. We have this town in the palms of our hands. We aren’t going to let it slip through our fingers.”

He laughs, leveling me with a look that reeks of attitude and defiance. He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table to address me. “You’rethisthreatened by her?”

Vinny snorts, grabbing the back of Beckham’s t-shirt to pull him back in his chair. “Better watch yourself, B. He’s already punched me in the face twice today. Clearly, daddy gets cranky when he hasn’t slept.” He pouts sarcastically, laughing with Beckham.

I grit my teeth, narrowing my eyes at Vinny. “Andclearly, you get brave.”

His laugh starts to fade at the tone in my voice, which satisfies me. I turn my gaze back to Beckham. “I’m notthreatenedby anyone, especially Sage.Wecontrolher,do you understand?”

They both look at me with curious eyes, so I continue. “Keep her close, but nottooclose, you hear me? From where I’m standing, she’s the enemy right now. Don’t confide in her, and do not trust her. We’ll make sure she knows her fucking place.”

* * *

After spending a few hours in the library, I sent the boys home to get some rest and started walking home as well. It’s a cool day, and the sun is hanging high in the November sky, lighting up the entire town. The trees are long past the point of shedding their leaves and every time the wind blows, they skate around on the ground.

I take my time, rolling up the sleeves of my hoodie so I can feel the air kiss my skin while I walk. Going past the cemetery, my mouth twists into a smile as I go through last night’s events in my head once more. I don’t think we’ve ever had such a good night, and it was solely because of Sage. If I could, I would play the game with her again. She was the perfect participant – compliant, needy, thankful, obedient. Exactly what I wanted.

Even the little moments where she was bratty were perfect. She managed to find the sweet spot between disobeying me and pushing me back for fun.

My cock starts to swell in my pants as I think about her moans and pleas, how fucking needy and desperate she was for us.Jesus.

I don’t know how we’ll move on from her, honestly. I mean, I can compartmentalize and act like a soulless monster – mainly because I am one. But Beckham and Vincent are going to have a hard time with this. Although they are both vicious like me, they also have beating hearts in their chests whereas mine is hollow.

Theyfeel– and they feel hard. I’m thankful they have each other, because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be a good fit for the Hallows Games. They would each have significant others, making things impossible. However, I know that they fill something within each other that would otherwise be empty and dark.

Although no one outside of the three of us knows what type of relationship they have, it’s enough for now.

But Sage may be the rare and unexpected thing that fucks all of this up.

When I finally reach my house, I’m thankful to see the driveway empty, so I don’t have to answer any unwanted questions from my father. He’s a mean bastard on a good day, but his intentions are pure. He wants me to succeed, get far away from our little town and make something of myself.

We’re dirt poor, but I’m on track to getting scholarships and building the future he’s dreamed for me. After my mom died, he got really attentive, focusing all his free time on my future.

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