Page 25 of They Will Fall

He turns to face me, still wearing a look of confusion.

I can't even face him as I say what I need to say, so I look out the window to my right. “I didn't realize it until yesterday, but your dad killed my mom because he was sentenced to punish her. It was an order, and I know that. Nothing personal, and I’m not taking it that way. I don't blame him. I blame them, and they will all fucking fall for what happened to all our family members.”

“Don’t beat about the damn bush, Ridge. Just tell me why the hell you think it was your fault that my family was killed.”

I nod repeatedly. “Right. Well, from what I heard yesterday, everyone assumes your dad was murdered for what he did to my mom. And he was only sent on that assignment because of what I did.”

“You’re not making any fucking sense.”

“Remember when I was eleven and I killed that man who was beating on my mom?”

“Yeah. So what about it?”

It’s not normal how either of us can talk about murder and death so casually. As if it’s an everyday occurrence in our lives. We are clearly beyond fucked up.

Lev snaps his fingers, pulling me out of my thoughts, and back into the memories of what I heard. “Out with it!”

“My mom was punished because she took the blame for what I did. In the eyes of The Society, she killed an innocent member. So if your dad was murdered out of revenge for taking my mom’s life, then it was my fault.”

There. I said it. It’s out in the open. He can fucking hate me if he wants to.

There’s a moment of silence before Lev surprises me by bursting into laughter. “You have way too much time on your fucking hands, Ridge. Quit thinking so damn much.” He shifts the car back into drive and presses a button on his steering wheel. “Call Asshole Austin.”

“Calling Asshole Austin,” comes through the speakers and I laugh.

“Where the hell are you?” is the first thing his uncle says when he accepts the call.

“Question is, Uncle, where the hell are you?”

“You better be calling to tell me you have an update on your new assignment, Lev, because so help me God, if you fuck this up and don’t bring that girl in, you’ll be the biggest disgrace ever born into our family.” His voice booms with rage. “You’ll be finished! Done for! You hear me?”

“What assignment?” I whisper, but he shushes me with a finger over his mouth.

“Oh, I hear you.” Lev leans his head back and looks at me with a shit-eating grin on his face. “But not loud enough. Meet me out front of the main building on campus in, say, five minutes?

“You best have some news for me, boy.”

The call drops and Lev stretches his legs out beneath the steering wheel. “Hold the fuck on.”

The next thing I know, he’s gunning it and we’re driving eighty miles an hour straight at the wrought-iron gate.

I grab the ‘oh shit’ handle on the door and flatten my arm on the center console, bracing myself for impact. “You’re gonna fucking kill us, Lev!”

“Since when are you scared of anything?” he shouts over the roar of the engine.

With a loud crash, the metal barred doors fly open. Shards of rusted metal rain down as we barrel through, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Lev pushes down harder on the gas pedal as he drives full speed toward the center of campus, while choosing to ignore the five-miles-per-hour speed limit.

“Holy fuck,” I roar. “That was insane.”

“It ain’t over yet.” He howls in excitement, the most emotion I’ve seen on his face since his family died, and it brings a smile to my face.

We fly past some of the student housing, and Lev shows no signs of slowing down.

“Dude.” I drag out the word. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Up ahead is Austin, standing outside the building. He glances back and forth at his watch until he finally sees us. He freezes, eyes wide with fear. Stumbling back in a desperate attempt to get away, he trips over the cement slabs of the staircase before awkwardly getting back to his feet.

One look at Lev and I can see victory in his eyes. A broad smile is plastered on his face as if he’s entering his own redemption story.

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