Malum part 2

Nate

I’m lounging on the sofa in Brantley’s lounge, a glass of whiskey dangling between my fingers and my tie ripped loose around my neck. My mask lays on my leg, the white bone of my ancestors sitting there, staring at me and taunting me. The last time I wore it, I had Micaela in one arm and Tillie under my other.

I shoot back the whiskey, letting the burn rip through my throat.

“Did you hear?” Brantley mutters, walking in while ripping off his tie and tossing it across the room. He loosens the first few buttons of his collar and rolls the sleeves up of his shirt. “Tillie is bringing Madison tonight as her date.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. She’ll be gearing up the gang because I told her that Billie will be there.”

Brantley doesn’t flinch, his eyes remain on mine. “Really…”

I chuckle. “Really.”

“And you’ve been talking to her?”

I nod my head. “Yeah.”

Brantley doesn’t say anything, though he wouldn’t have to. I know how he feels about Billie. Hate, that’s how he feels.

He opens his mouth and then shakes his head. “Tillie doesn’t need backup, Nate. You know that. If she wanted to punch Billie, she wouldn’t need Madison there to help her. Billie would be dead. Bringing your initiation pussy as a date is a low blow. I have to know why.”

“Madison is coming?” Eli interrupts, entering the lounge with vodka in his hand and wearing the same suit as Nate and I, holding his mask in his hand. The bone of his ancestors on his. Bet they’re not as pissed with him as mine are with me.

I lean forward and snatch the bottle of scotch off the coffee table, twisting the lid off with my teeth and spitting it across the floor. “Yeah.”

“Interesting, considering how I caught Tillie and Bishop earlier today.”

My eyes snap up to Eli, the same time that Brantley laughs. “What?”

Eli smirks at me, his eyebrows raised. “What? You can’t be surprised, can you? I mean, considering you and Madison…”

I have two options. Feed into his shit, or ignore it. I sink my drink in one go, my eyes staying on Eli. “She can fuck who she wants.”

Eli continues to stare at me, his floppy brown hair falling over his i

Brantley is watching me, a dark smirk on his mouth. He knows I’m bluffing, and I hate that he reads me like a fucking open book.

“Don’t get me started on you,” I smirk at Brantley. “Flowers, gold, secrets…. Doors…”

He flips me off, his jaw clenching. I know he’s hiding something, or someone, in this creepy fucking house. I just know it. I can feel her presence everywhere, subtly lingering in all the nooks and cra

“So many questions for Bran Bran…”

“Are we ready?” Bishop snaps from the doorway, and I have to mentally count to ten again.

“Yup!” I stand from the sofa, swaggering straight past him.

“Nate!” Bishop calls out just as I reach the front door, but I don’t want to turn around and give him any attention. We used to be tight, he and I. Bishop was my best friend, but since Madison came into the story, Brantley and I have merged closer together.

“Yeah?” I turn to face him. Shit. How am I supposed to abide by one of The Commandments if I can’t even face the fact that Bishop has touched Tillie, and why the fuck does it bother me more than Brantley touching her? Because betrayal, that’s why. Brantley hasn’t done anything behind my back.

Not like what I did with Madison and Brantley that one time…

Fuck.

“You good?” Bishop asks, and the world stands still for a beat. Silence stretches out between us, scattering out to the rest of The Kings who are watching carefully.

“Yeah.” I smirk, my fake face coming on at full force. “Always.”

Never.