Page 109 of PET

But he laughs, standing to turn and look at CJ’s mother. “Nah, I don’t think I will. In fact, you’re going to regret being on the wrong side of history.”

Turning, Beau points at the man holding my uncle and then bows to him. I’m lost, wondering who the hell this man is.

“I’d like to introduce you to Jack Lucas—the rightful heir and leader of the Reaper chapter.”

The room spins as my heart plummets into my gut. He’s my father. My father, who’s supposed to be…

“Dad?” I whisper.

Mom raises her weak head, glancing at the man who’s supposed to be her dead husband—my dead father—and she sobs. “Jack! Oh, my God!”

The small basement room is filled with her sobs as my father runs to her, covering her naked, dirty body with his robe. I’m frozen in shock, watching my parents reunite in the most fucked up way. He kisses all over her face as they cry together. The sight makes me super emotional, tears building and falling down my face.

“Billie!”

I snap out of it when my boys surround me. Zeke grabs my face and forces me to look at him as he looks me over. Christian stands beside him, an arm wrapped around Zeke’s back while his other hooks around mine.

“You scared the hell out of me,” Zeke scolds. “I thought you were really going to get yourself killed to save us.”

Sobbing, I nod and say through my trembling lips, “I’d happily die to save the both of you.”

“No, baby, no. Don’t ever fucking say that.” He squeezes my face harder before he pulls me to him, slamming his lips against mine.

He kisses me like he’s never kissed me before—like he truly thought he was about to lose me. Someone clears their throat and we break apart. My cheeks heat to a million degrees when I find my father looking at us, but honestly, he can’t just come in here all these years later and start barking orders at me. Besides, I’ll be eighteen soon, graduated from Reaper Academy, and readying myself to take over the society after him.

The deep, low chuckle coming from CJ’s mom makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “It’s laughable that you think you’re all going to live happily ever after. Are you forgetting who I am? Or the oath that was sworn between our families?” she snarls out.

I’m confused by her words because now that my father is back, he takes charge of the society and—oh, fuck… If I was promised to Patrick’s son—mycousin—then does that mean I’m forced to be with him, regardless?

My father stands tall, facing her with his shoulders squared. “Oaths have been broken before. Perhaps all of it should be null and void, since they forced me to run from the feds after committing illegal crimes for a leader who never followed the oaths.”

I’m so lost, watching this all unravel before my very eyes, but still having so many questions. And the one at the top of my head is, “Who am I promised to? Who’s my cousin?”

All eyes turn on me and the boy's hold on me becomes more possessive. Seems I’m not the only one who wants to know this because everyone turns their eyes to CJ’s mom for answers. She smirks, looking at CJ himself. I shiver when the memory of ourdateat the pool hall invades my thoughts. Jesus, I let my cousin grope me while I pushed my ass into him.I think I might be sick.

“No fucking way,” Christian barks out.

Shrugging, CJ looks me directly in the eyes and says, “And I almost had ya, didn’t I, Billie? You liked that a middle-class boy from the valley was into you. I was someone you could easily control because you were losing all control in your own life.”

My eyebrows shoot straight up to my hairline. Who the fuck is this kid, and where has he been hiding? Something about his demeanor makes me ask him one thing. “Have you known about this plan the entire time?”

His grin widens. “For my entire life, Billie. My mother raised me like the rest of you elite pricks, but I was different because I was the chosen one.”

Zeke snorts, letting out an incredulous laugh. “Chosen one? You realize they promised you to your first cousin, right? That’s incest in all fifty states.”

“Fuckin’ sick,” Christian adds.

And it’s now that I realize my boys are stealing the show back, and I won’t lie and say it’s not turning me on. They step away from me, moving around the room like vultures circling their next meal.

“He actually believed he had a chance with our girl, Z,” Christian taunts first, smirking wickedly.

Zeke barks out a laugh. “Withourgirl? Nah, brother, that would never happen. Blood oath or not, he’ll have to kill us both if he wants her.”

“And it looks like we have the upper hand now, doesn’t it?” He grabs a knife from the edge of the table, stalking toward CJ like a madman, blade high to intimidate. And it works.

CJ cowers into himself, flinching behind the younger Barrett brother who happily steps out of the way. With the blade tight to his throat, Christian slams CJ up against the wall and laughs like a hyena.

“A couple of pity hangouts with our girl got his head ten times bigger than it should be, Christian,” Zeke says, urging his best friend on.

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