He snatches my hand and then sucks my finger into his mouth before biting down on it roughly. “You’re mine, and I don’t share.”
“Since when did the no sharing rule come in?” I taunt him.
He hooks his arm around my waist and pulls me into him. “Since a couple days ago.”
“Rule change?” I tilt my head up at him.
He points to his chest. “Rule maker.”
I smile and then look down to the bags at his feet just as Nate comes up to us and takes one of them, handing me a vest. “Put this on.”
“You guys aren’t wearing vests.”
“We never have,” Nate replies, and then shoves the vest into my chest harder. “Put it on.”
I take it from him and slip my jacket off before pulling the vest over my tank top. “How long have you guys been playing?”
They all pause, and an awkward silence hangs between us all. I look to Tillie, who looks to Nate and then Saint awkwardly.
Bishop grins, his eyes gleaming like dark orbs. “It’s a sort of tradition, baby. Put the vest on. Only I’m allowed to mark you.”
“You need help.” Cash shakes his head at Bishop.
“Naw, don’t think that’s only you, kitty,” Brantley snarls from across the fire pit. “Khales used to come over with all sorts of marks and bruises on her. If you ask me, yours are pretty tame.” He looks to Bishop, who is frothing at the mouth. “What? This one just not hitting the spot like Khales did?”
I zip up my vest. “I don—” I look up to Bishop, only he’s not there.
“You say so much as another fucking thing toward her, and I’ll break your fucking jaw.” I walk toward Bishop, about to calm him down, when Cash takes my hand and pulls me backward. I look down to where his hand is then look up to his face. He shakes his head at me. Bishop continues, chest to chest with Brantley. “Are you forgetting who runs this show, pup? Or do I need to remind you who the fuck I am?”
Brantley searches Bishop’s eyes before he cuts them over his shoulder to me. “Nah, I’m good.” He bends down, picking up his gun and slinging it over his shoulder. What the fuck is his deal with me? It’s been no secret how much he has hated me, but I thought he’d got over it. We had a good patch, but since we’ve been here, he’s gone back to being a grade-A jerk. I already know he blames me for why he’s here, but Bishop said it’s no big deal, that they’re only here to keep his dad guessing. To keep him chasing us. I don’t—
“Madi!” Bishop growls, his eyes still on Brantley.
“Yes?”
“Got your vest on?”
“Yes.”
Bishop grins. “Good.” He points his gun at me, and before I can ask what the fuck he’s doing, he pulls the trigger and a heavy thud smashes against my chest.
“Ouch! Bishop!” I scold him.
“You’re out. Sit the fuck down.”
“But I—”
“I said sit the fuck down.” He points toward the log.
I huff and take a seat. Nate walks toward Tillie and points at me, and then she starts walking over, her bottom lip slightly puckered.
Plopping down beside me, she sighs. “I wonder what the big deal is?”
I shrug. “Who the hell knows with these boys? I mean seriously, right?”
Bishop Walks off, loading up his gun, with Nate and a few others following behind him. I look to Tillie and grin. “Who says we can’t join in?”
Smirking, she gets up from the log and reaches her hand out to mine. “Exactly.” Once all the boys have disappeared deep into the dark, gloomy forest, Tillie pulls out a gun from the bag she would have had. I walk toward her, bending down and picking up mine from the bag Bishop left behind too.
“Shit, shall we do this?” she asks, shuffling into her vest and looking from left to right, taking in her surroundings.
“What?” I mutter, loading up my paintballs into the gun. “Of course!”
Tillie laughs, shaking her head but following through with me. “Madi, you’re such a rebel. Won’t Bishop get mad?”
“That’s why I’m doing it.” I grin at her.
She shakes her head again as I swing my gun over my shoulder. “You’re so bad.”
We start tiptoeing into the forest, the thick branches instantly giving us coverage from the sun. “I’ll follow you,” Tillie whispers out.
I roll my eyes. “Yes. Follow me, but these bullets can’t kill anything that might try to kill us, so if like, a mountain lion or anything comes after us, I can’t help us.”
Tillie pauses just as we make our way through the clearing. “But you don’t actually hunt mountain lions and stuff, do you?”
I stop and turn to face her. “Of course not! But I would shoot to kill any human who does.”