His eyes tighten around the edges a moment as he stares at me. “Believe it or not, I’m asking because I’m hoping you’ll agree instead of being forced, as you call it, but while we’re on the subject? I see no ball and chain around your neck, sweetness.”

I push to my feet, staring down at him. “Ball and chain or not, don’t forget I’m here for three other guys, not one of them being you.”

“Yet, you’re sleeping in my house every night anyway, something, dare I say, you should really learn to get used to if we’re talking bigger picture.” He grins and moves to stand beside me. “Not seeing how I’m the loser here. Get in the car, Rae, I’ll even allow you to wear your ratted little hoodie.”

He walks past and like the pathetic bitch I’ve become, I follow.

It only takes fifteen minutes to get to the pizza place, already loaded with sweater vest douchebags and their scarf wearing women.

I choose the booth in the farthest back corner, and after a few minutes of balancing the salt shaker, Collins comes over with the waitress.

When I don’t order, he orders for us and suddenly a pitcher of beer is delivered. For a second, I wonder if he’d slip some Molly in it or not, but when he steps over to one of the dozen metal tubs full of ice and bottle beer, offering one to me, I decide it’s safe and go for the fresh draft instead.

Surprisingly, Collins doesn’t act like a dick to me in front of his buddies, probably because he knows I’d embarrass him should he attempt to. He actually makes an effort to get me to have a good time, offers me to join each new game of darts and makes sure I always have a fresh bottle of beer until I tell him I’m done for the night – I’m not stupid, I’d never get drunk and leave myself for him to handle. I thought maybe that was his plan, but he actually snapped at another blond dude when he set a beer on my table and asked the waitress to bring me a water.

I’m not sure what he’s playing at by acting like a decent human, and I don’t care enough to need to know why.

The others here tonight, though, they do.

They watch him discreetly as he returns to me for what must be the seventh or eighth time. I grin at how they’re no longer able to hold in their evil eyes and instead toss them my way.

The queen bee of Graven Prep – who I plucked from the pack within the first few minutes of being here – is equivalent to Chloe from Brayshaw and just as pretty. She’s also just as predictable in her territorial ways.

She glares and slides up next to Collins as if she expects me to give a damn, so I wink back with a grin.

He’s all yours, princess.

As if she can read my patronizing thoughts, she flips me off, scooting even closer, but Collins glances at me and puts distance between them as if I care.

But I have no time to even roll my eyes at him because the girl’s sudden move to the right leaves a gap, allowing me to see straight across the room where I couldn’t see before.

Tucked away in the opposite corner is a familiar blonde with long legs and clothes that don’t quite fit the crowd she’s trying to mold into.

A tautness finds my shoulders as I squint to see better.

The girl shifts in her seat, turning so the guy beside her can stick his tongue farther down her throat, and my teeth clench.

My feet work on their own, leading me straight across the room.

She can’t see me coming, not with her eyes closed the way they are, but everyone else in this place does.

I lift the glass of red wine – at a fucking pizza pub – at her side and pour it over her head.

She gasps, popping to her feet and spinning toward me.

In the same second, I shove her, sending her tumbling back into one of the ice tubs full of bottled beers. I lift my knee, jamming it into her abdomen as hard as I can, punching her clear across the jaw.

She whimpers and tries to shove me off, but when her frantic eyes pop up to meet mine, she freezes.

Yes, bitch. You recognize me.

Blood begins to dribble over her now quivering lips and hurried steps sound behind me.

In one quick, smooth motion, I spin my upper body, pull out and flick open my knife.

Every single person steps back.

My eyes snap to Collins who raises his hands slowly, cutting a curious eye from me to the blonde.

A crease forms over his forehead as he slides his hands in his pockets and moves farther away, and with their leader’s okay, the others relax around him, moving even farther than he did.

I narrow my eyes at him, but he simply shrugs and nods his chin, telling me to get on with it.

This only makes my frown intensify and my adrenaline pump harder.

Wary and aware of all movement around me, I turn to the girl while slowly closing my knife, but keeping it in my palm.

“Not so nice seeing me again, is it?” I bend, getting into her face, twisting my knee more and more, watching tears fill her pathetic eyes as she sinks deeper into the container. “This is the life you craved? Hm?”

When she opens her mouth to speak, I cut her off.

“You gave him up” — my body starts shaking — “her up, for this shit? Free fucking drinks and Friday nights out?”

Her eyes pop wide, and she pales, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.

I lift my other foot off the ground, putting all my weight on her and she weeps.

Her back should be good and cut-up from the ridges of the bottle caps and sharp ice by now, but even still, it’s not enough.

She needs to hurt more, this is nothing compared to the bleeding mess she left inside Captain’s chest.

I move my knife to my left hand, my right darting out to grip her jaw, my palm covering her mouth. I can feel the curve of her teeth as I squeeze her cheeks against them, so I pinch harder driving them deeper, deep enough to bleed, and her eyes slam shut, more muffled cries leaving her.

He missed his baby girl’s first breath. Her first step and first word.

I swallow the rage before I do something I can’t walk away from, like snap her fucking neck. I get in her face and she cowers, looking every bit as ashamed as she should.

“You’re a dumb bitch and the world needs fewer people like you.”

I kick off her and spin around to face the room, but much to my surprise, their eyes fall to the floor. Only Collins stares head-on.

I move past him, but he falls in line beside me and we walk out without a word.

He’s quiet the drive back, but it’s short-lived and the second we hit his driveway, he locks eyes with mine, shifting his body to face me.

“You know.”

My brows hit in the center.

He knows?

“Know what?” I play dumb.

Suspicion grows in his stare and he shakes his head. “Wow.” He drops back in his seat.

“What?”

He looks away. “Loyal to them – without needing them to know it – and you’re still just an outsider with nothing but a slightly clearer view.”

“Cut the bull, Collins, and lay it out.”

He looks back to me. “You showed up at my house, going all fucking in, to protect these guys you hardly even fucking know, who clearly aren’t giving you anymore detail than necessary.”

“I don’t need to know all their secrets to know I don’t want them to fail.”

“When they didn’t offer information, did you ask what they stole from me?”