I blow out a heavy breath of annoyance. “Neo? Really? He’d feed me to a pack of wolves, given the chance.”
“She’s not lying.” His words hit my ears before I see him, but when I do, I want to smack him.
Standing there in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs that hug his hips to perfection, is the most arrogant guy I’ve ever met.
Crew turns around, one hand resting lazily on my waist. “Thought we talked about this shit?” His words are directed at Neo, who’s chomping on a toothpick.
“We did. But I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be an ass.”
I chime in, voicing my indignation. “Of course you couldn’t.”
“What?” He brings his hands to his bare chest, covering the broken crown tattoo on his breastbone. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t throw me to a pack of wolves given the chance too.”
“Oh, I would. I most definitely would.”
“You see. We have something in common. We’re practically friends now.”
I mumble, “Yeah, right.”
“Well,” Crew cuts in, “if we’re done with this little moment of truth. I need to go change and load up on the layers. Gonna be a cold one tonight. Neo,” he continues, “I trust that you’ll leave Scar alone unless she needs you.”
Neo holds up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
I cough, covering up the sound of me muttering, “Bullshit.”
Crew takes my hand and we pass by Neo. As we do, Crew says, “It’s three fingers dumbass.”
“Damn. Jagger must’ve really loosened her up but okay, if she insists on three.”
Crew was referring to the Scout symbol, while Neo is just being the vulgar idiot he always is. He and I both know I wouldn’t let his fingers anywhere near me.
“Ignore him.” Crew squeezes my hand as we head up the stairs.
“Always do.”
ChapterTwenty-One
SCAR
After Crew and Jagger left,I took a shower, brushed my hair for a good twenty minutes while staring at myself in the bathroom mirror, thinking about all the ways this thing with Crew and Jagger can go wrong.
The last thing I want is to ruin their friendship, but so far, they seem to be handling everything fairly well. After all, they’re working together tonight to try and catch the BCA Stalker. In a perfect world, they’d catch him, or her. I never once assumed it was a girl, but after seeing Melody in that black robe with her blonde locks hanging out, all I picture is a girl now.
My mind is a mess tonight and I attribute it to exhaustion. Jagger got some sleeping pills from Melody at the beginning of the school year when he said he couldn’t sleep at night, and he left one on my nightstand in case I needed it.
Lying in bed alone, the down comforter tucked snuggly around me, I stare at the ceiling, thinking I should probably take it.
It’s been a few days since I’ve gotten a good night's sleep and, even then, it was only because Crew was holding me and I felt safe.
Tossing the blanket off me, I scoot up. The glow of my nightlight plugged in beside the bed offers me enough light to see, so I grab the single pill sitting on my nightstand. I pop it in my mouth, pick up my glass of water, and take one big gulp…and down it goes.
Once I’m comfortable again, I close my eyes.
I’m not sure what time it is when I spring up in bed at the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Feeling groggy and disoriented, I close my eyes in a sitting position, ignoring whatever I heard.
Sleep. I just need sleep.
Even as my bedroom door comes open, I only crack a lid, my mind unable to process what’s actually happening.