“Yeah?”
My best friend's voice comes through the other side. “Well, that sounds cheery.”
I sigh heavily. “Hey, Knox.”
“Everything okay?” he asks, concerned.
Not even a little. “Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?”
The buzzing of a tattoo machine fills the background noise. “I don't know. I know we were messing around the other day about you calling and telling me what happened with Amelia but I was calling to see how it went.”
Ugh, right. “Oh, that. Turns out she's into someone else.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm.”
It's quiet for a second before he hums. “That sucks, man.”
> I glance over at the clock and realize I'm supposed to meet the cause of my problems himself in the next twenty minutes to give him his money. And knowing him, he'll probably bring Amelia along. Every chance he gets, he flaunts her around like a goddamn trophy. She, of course, eats it up, but she doesn't know the real reason why he's doing it.
An unintentional groan leaves my mouth, and Knox doesn't miss it.
“Are you sure everything's all right?” he questions. “You sound off.”
I'm not annoyed at him, but my tone comes out that way regardless. “Yeah, but I've got somewhere to be. I'll text you later.”
Before he can respond, I hang up the phone and slip it back into my pocket.
This whole thing has me constantly on edge. One wrong move and everything could go to shit. People I care about could get hurt. I could lose those closest to me.
Fuck! When did all of this go so wrong? I thought I had it under control. Sure, maybe it was a bad move trading Easton for myself, but what other choice did I have? Blade had no intentions of letting him go. Not alive, anyway. And seeing one of my best friends in a body bag is not on my list of shit to do.
I grab my keys off the desk and reluctantly head out the door.
Duty fucking calls.
I THROW MY CAR into park after dealing with shitty classes and a hangover the size of fucking Texas. Last night, Blade insisted we all go to a party. Not only did I have to watch Amelia all over him all damn night, but when she wasn't looking, he was making me take shots for the fun of it. He must have figured out that Fridays are when I have the most classes, because everything he does is for a reason.
Slamming my head back against the headrest, even the pain that radiates through my skull isn't enough to ease my frustration. I should've just given her what she wanted. What we both wanted. Is Easton killing me really fucking worth Amelia being in danger? She's being used as a pawn and she doesn't even realize it.
When I've finally let off enough steam to not destroy my bedroom, I climb out of the car. Easton's car in the driveway tells me he's home, but just like yesterday, I have no hope of him talking to me. He's still pissed, and I get that, but I also know he's scared. Blade was a key part in ruining his life, and now his little sister is in his crosshairs. It's not an easy situation to handle.
I open the front door and drop my bag by the stairs, but the sound of someone talking in the kitchen grabs my attention. My brows furrow as I walk through the house and closer to the voice. When I step through the kitchen door, I find Knox leaning against the counter, talking to Easton with a beer in his hand. He looks over at me, and his grin widens.
“Hi honey,” he singsongs. “Welcome home.”
My jaw drops as I stare back at Knox. When we talked yesterday, he mentioned nothing about coming here, and neither did Easton. That can only mean one thing—this trip is completely unplanned.
Easton gets up from the table. “I've got some work to get done. It's good to see you though, man. Guest room is all yours.”
Knox thanks him, but it doesn't go unnoticed the way Easton refuses to stick around once I walked in. He gives me a curious look, but waits until you can hear his bedroom door close.
“The hell is up between you two?” he asks.
I shake my head. “It's a long fucking story.”
Easton's former drug problem isn't a secret to Knox. He helped me deal with E's mood in the aftermath of Tessa ending up in the hospital. While Delaney was dealing with her sister's mental and emotional crisis, Knox was here, dealing with Easton's. As much as Tess and Easton made a good couple, the reality is they're toxic for each other. I'd never admit it to E, but I'm glad they didn't end up together.