Perry’s brows furrow as he considers our plan. “It’ll just make people talk. The two of you look nothing alike.”
“The only one we have to convince is Mother,” Keaton argues. “Who cares about the rest? They talk anyway. Hell, it’s all they ever do. Let them talk and give Tins a break.”
Perry’s gaze flits over his little sister before he lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine, but if you guys fuck this up, Mother is going to be livid.”
I cringe as I worry about displeasing their mother.
“We won’t fuck it up,” I assure Perry. “I promise.”
“Jac, Gus,” Perry barks out. “Work your magic and let’s hope like hell it works, because if not, we’re all in deep shit.”
3
Winston
I hate people.
I hate parties.
I especially hate being paraded around as man of the hour.
“It’s your birthday,” Nate says, clasping my shoulder and squeezing. “Lighten up. You’re scaring all the hot chicks away with that mean mug of yours.”
Lifting a brow, I smirk at my friend. “You do realize the ‘hot chicks’ I scared away with my glaring are Keaton’s girlfriend and her posse.”
Nate shrugs. “Still hot.”
“And underage.”
At this, he laughs. “If Ash were over there with them, just as young, your old ass would be over there trying to drag her into the nearest closet, laws be damned.”
“Hmph.”
“She’s just a phase, right?”
My brow arches at his question. “Of course she is. They’re all a phase.”
That’s all Ash is. That’s all she can be.
“Right.”
“You, of all people, should know this. You were there when . . .” I trail off, pinning him with a hard glare. Meredith destroyed me when I was a fucking teenager. Nate was there to remind me of who I am and who I’m meant to be. He knows I can’t afford to put myself in that position ever again.
“Just looking out for you, man. I’ve always got your back.” He cocks his head, frowning. “Where is Ash anyway?”
He scans the crowd of people milling around, chatting and laughing as they consume their champagne. She’s not here. Neither are the Mannfords as far as I can tell. I know this because I’ve been hunting her down for the past hour and in that search, I haven’t found them either. Too many fucking people.
“She’ll be here,” I mutter. “Hell, she may already be here.”
The thought unnerves me. If those fuckers have her phone, she can’t get into contact with me. I’m going to find them and wring their necks. When I see Perry’s grinning face across the room, I leave Nate to drool over the teenagers while I stalk my brother out. Along the way, every damn person wishes me a happy birthday. The party has barely started, and I’m already over it.
“Perry,” I call out when I’m close. “A word?”
He excuses himself and saunters my way. His expression is unreadable, which is surprising. Whatever he’s attempting to hide from me, I’ll find out what it is. I gesture for him to follow me outdoors away from the suffocating crowd. Once outside, we skirt some people laughing in a group to stand near a shadowed area in the yard.
“What’s going on?” I demand, piercing him with a firm glare.
His lips purse together as he darts his gaze around us. “I took care of it.”
“It?”
He scrubs his palm over his face, a distressed glint in his eyes. “I don’t know what happened.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Ash,” he hisses.
“What about Ash?” My voice is low and deadly. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Not like I’m spooked, but more along the lines of a dog that’s about to attack.
“She . . .” His features pinch in anguish. “They hurt her.”
The blood running through my veins turns icy in an instant, hardening me to my very marrow. The pure cold whipping through me is hatred.
For them.
He doesn’t have to tell me who because I already know.
The same motherfuckers who stole her phone.
“Hurt her how?” I demand through clenched teeth.
“I’m not sure. She’s being tightlipped about it.”
“Where is she?”
“I said I took care of it—hey, Winny, stop!”
I leave my brother as I storm back into the house, gaining momentum like an avalanche with every angry step along the way. I’ve just made it inside when Perry grabs my arm, stopping me.
“Wait,” he bites out, his grip tightening when I try to shake him off. “What are you going to do?”
“It was her brothers, right?”
“Step,” Perry bites out. “But yeah. She said it was them.”
“Where is she?”
“She’ll be here soon.”
Our conversation is cut short when three psychopaths in tuxedos approach. The ringleader—Scout—flashes me an evil grin. One that drips with triumph and power. Little shit doesn’t know what he’s started.
A fucking war he won’t win.
“Constantine,” Scout sneers. “Happy birthday.”
“Children,” I greet, making sure to look down my nose at them. “Where’s your mommy?”