Page 41 of You Will Bow

“Lev,” I begin, but he raises a hand with his back to me.

“Don’t.”

My hands rise then fall, smacking my knees. “All right.” He doesn’t want to talk, and I’m not even sure if I have the capacity to listen right now.

I get up, giving us both a minute to cool off, while I think about how I’m going to approach this situation.

Something happened to him. I haven’t seen Lev act this humane in years.

Could it be her? Is she changing him?

I shake my head at that ridiculous thought. Nope. That’s impossible. Although, she’d be the girl to do it. After all, she is an angel.

Maddox comes barreling through the door, making a bunch of racket. It isn’t until I see him scouring the area that I remember he’s been with Riley for fucking hours.

“Where were you?” I ask him, tone flat.

He snickers. “You know where I was.”

“What took you so long?” He walks past me and I get a whiff of her scent. “Did you fuck her again?”

“Look, man,” he plops on the couch and looks me in the eye, “if this is ever gonna work, you need to stop prying so much. You’re only gonna drive yourself mad.”

He’s right. It does make me mad.

I sit down beside him, confused as fuck about everything. I never imagined I’d be in this position—my two best friends after the girl of my dreams.

And Lev. I look at him folding his fucking shirt. “Dude. Since when do you fold your damn clothes?”

He’s always just thrown them into his dresser, never cared to take the time to organize them, or anything for that matter.

His eyes shoot over his shoulder, his cheek still red from where I landed a hit and the scowl on his face reassures me that he’s still an angry bastard.

Fuck it. I’ll try and figure him out later, not that I ever will.

Shifting from one tense moment to another, I say, “There’s something you guys need to know.” I reach into my pocket and pull out Cade’s wallet.

“You stole his wallet?” Maddox gasps. It’s so like him to get worked up over something so miniscule.

“We just lit a fucking body on fire, and that’s your concern?” I shake my head in disbelief. “It’s not about the wallet. It’s about what I found inside.”

“I’m outta here,” Lev says as he heads to the door. Before I can say anything, he swipes his jacket off the hook.

“Wait a damn minute.” I jump to my feet and he freezes mid-step in front of the door. Furious eyes dart over his shoulder, settling on mine in a threat. “You need to see this.”

In a fleeting second, he whips around and tears open the door with such force that it ricochets off the wall. Then he leaves and slams it shut.

Whatever momentary bout of humanity I thought I saw was certainly short-lived. It’s like anytime he feels anything but anger, it quickly leaves and rage returns tenfold.

“What was that all about?” Maddox asks from the couch, while I stare dumbfoundedly at the door.

“We got into it earlier. Something’s going on with him and Riley.”

“Remember how I said you need to quit prying…”

“This is different, man.” I spin around, dragging my fingers through my sweat-infused hair. “This is fucking Lev. He’s not you. He’s not good.”

“For our own sanity, we just have to trust that she’s making the right choice for herself, while making it abundantly clear that we’re here if she needs us.” Maddox leans forward, his elbows pressed to his knees. “Now tell me what you found in that wallet that’s so important.”

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