See No Evil

“Ken, do me a solid. I left Stone with my mom. Rescue her for me, will you?”

“On it,” Ke

Knowing Stone is in good hands, I run after East, who is dashing madly up the foyer to the second floor.

“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill, East. Colt knows how to cover his ass. I’m sure Sherriff Travis is already falling down drunk on compliments and champagne, none the wiser to his wife’s infidelities.”

But instead of Easton slowing his step, he continues to haul ass as if someone set fire on his butt.

“East!”

“East!”

He doesn’t waver and only stops when he’s reached my bedroom door.

“That fucker better not be screwing on my bed!” I growl, pushing East away from the door, ready to kick Colt’s ass.

But when I get inside my room, there is no live-action porn happening on my duvet. I let out a long, relieved breath, only to hear hushed voices coming out of the bathroom. I walk over to it with Easton on my heel, and when I open the door, Lincoln and a half-dressed Colt are staring at my mirror with worried faces.

I walk in closer, my feet suddenly sluggish, and when I lock eyes on the message written in black ink on the vanity mirror, my heart stops.

We warned you.

All four of us stare at those horrific words like a bad omen of what’s about to come.

“They’re getting more restless,” Lincoln states gravely.

“You mean, dangerous,” Easton interjects behind me. “Did anyone besides us see this shit?”

Colt shakes his head profusely, tucking his white collared shirt back into his tuxedo pants.

“No. I came into the bathroom to get a condom when I stumbled on it. I sent Betty packing after that, but I don’t think she caught my sudden mood swing. Just gave her the runaround that there were too many people in the house, so I think she bought it.”

I’m too fucked in the head to even give Colt a hard time for wanting to screw the sheriff’s wife in my room.

“There has to be a reason why they have upped the ante. Why would they leave such a message for anyone to see?” Lincoln continues, trying to decipher The Society’s i

“All I know is they’re here, probably mingling with the guests downstairs as we speak. Who knows what they’ll do next?!” East hollers, throwing his arms behind his head, grabbing at the short ends of his hair in frustration.

“Settle the fuck down, East. We don’t know if they’re downstairs or not. They could have just easily slipped in and out, leaving this little threat without being noticed.”

East shakes his head, unconvinced with Lincoln’s explanation, and retorts, “These assholes are a big deal. You said so yourself, Lincoln. They are the elite of the fucking elite. Of course those fuckers are downstairs. Probably gorging on caviar and champagne, laughing themselves into a frenzy about how they’ve got us over a barrel.”

“Just give me a minute, East, before you do something stupid like go downstairs searching for the boogieman. They have been cautious up until now. They value discretion, so what changed?”

“Not when it came to Fi

“True,” Lincoln agrees, rubbing his chin in thought. “They did go off the rails there, too. There has to be a co

My stomach starts to twist and turn, making me nauseous.

Fuck.

I know exactly why these fuckers went all DEFCON five on us.

“I know what the co

“What is it, Fi

I struggle to get the words out as Lincoln patiently waits for a reply.

“I fucked up,” I tell him truthfully. “I did this. It’s because of me they went all psycho on us.”

“The fuck did you do, Walker?!” Colt barks, towering over me.

Lincoln gives him such a scathing glare that it’s enough to shut him up, making him take a few steps back away from me.

“When they fucked my Porsche, I wasn’t exactly making progress with Stone. They must be following me or some shit because they know my every move. When they saw I wasn’t making any leeway, they got creative to persuade me into getting my shit together.”

“Okay, but that was weeks ago. Since you started spending time with Stone, we haven’t heard from them,” East interjects, his face pinched with confusion.

“Yeah, we have. I just didn’t tell you guys. Last week, I received a package from them. It was a small box with a brand-new phone and one of their letters inside. They said I only had to replace Stone’s phone with theirs, and that would be it. If I followed through, it would be my last order.”

“And let me guess. You didn’t do it?” East laments, ru

“Did you give her the phone, Fi

“I couldn’t do it, Linc. I’m sorry.”

The little, saddened smile that appears on my best friend’s face guts me. That look says it all—I let him down, and yet he doesn’t fault me for it.

“Hold up! Hold up! You mean to tell me you are putting all our lives in danger because of pussy?!” Colt belts in outrage, instantly making me jump to my feet, ready to slam my fist in his face.

However, Linc is already on me, putting himself in the line of fire between his cousin and me.

“Don’t you ever talk about Stone like that again, asshole, or I swear to God, getting caught will feel like a vacation compared to the pain I’ll inflict on you!”

“Colt is not going to say anything like that again, Fi

“The fuck? He’s the one fucking this whole shit up, and I’m the one who has to apologize to this asshole?”

“Did I fucking stutter, Colt?” Lincoln deadpans. “I won’t ask you again. Apologize. Now!” he orders.

Pissed beyond rage, Colt grits out the most pathetic apology known to man, only to appease his cousin. Looking at the way he’s contorting his face, I’m pretty sure he never apologized for anything in his life. Like I give a shit. I couldn’t give two fucks for his apology, either. I won’t allow him to talk about Stone that way. Not him or any other fucker.

“Don’t mind my cousin any, Fi

“So it’s true, huh? You love her. Fuck. I knew it. Jesus, Fi

“I haven’t been handed out a death sentence, moron. I just fell in love.”

“Is there a difference?” he asks, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “Because from where I’m standing, you falling for Stone has put all our lives in a pretty dicey situation,” he explains nonchalantly, lighting one up. “But hey, aside from that, congrats man. She’s a catch,” he adds, blowing thick smoke into the air, his fumes choking me less than his lukewarm compliment.

“Have you told her?” Lincoln questions at my side, paying no mind to Easton’s sarcastic tone.