Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“Leave it alone, Mav,” I growl.

“Why?” he goads, leaning forward. “Do you want her or not?”

My chest collapses in on itself, making it hard to breathe. “Of course I fucking want her. It’s not about what I want though. I fuck her up, Mav. Every-damn-time, I fuck her up.”

“That’s because you’re a punk bitch. You want her, go after her instead watching someone else take what’s yours. Someone else is going to rock her world sooner or later, Corbin. They’re going to own her, and you’re going to have to watch it. Is that what you want?”

Something inside me snaps, and I take a swing. This time, I don’t hold back, and Maverick yelps as he crashes to the floor with blood running from his nose.

“I’d fucking ruin her,” I seethe. “You think I want to watch her turn into my mother? You think I want to watch her go cold and untouchable? Do you think I could stand it if she lost everything she loves about herself because of me?”

My voice breaks on the last words, and I drop to my knees as it all crashes down on me at once. The emotion is a wadded-up knot in my throat that almost strangles me. Everything that has been pushed aside comes racing toward me, hitting me so hard it steals my breath.

Maverick slowly sits up, resting beside me.

“And there it is,” he says quietly. “The truth.”

I don’t even look at him as I strain to keep my emotions in check before I fucking fall apart.

“You’re underestimating Ruby,” he says on a sigh. “She knows who she is. She knows what makes her happy. She’d never be Aunt Lisa. And you won’t ever be Uncle Hershel.”

“No?” I ask bitterly. “Do you think Dad meant to be like this? He wanted to save the world, not destroy a family. Do you think your dad set out to destroy your mother? No one plans to be like that, Mav. Shit happens. Shit ruins people. I can’t be the worst thing that ever happened to her.”

We sit quietly for minutes or hours or who knows how long? Finally, Maverick breaks the silence.

“Dad was a punk bitch,” he states flatly. “I love him, but it’s the truth. He gave up the best thing he ever had because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants when it mattered. Your dad was a punk bitch when it came to remembering what was important, and he put everyone else in the world first over his family. He forgot, Corbin. You won’t forget.”

I remain silent, clenching and unclenching my jaw.

“Look, I don’t know if it’s a Sterling thing, a guy thing, or just a punk bitch thing, but for some reason, people seem to keep self-destructing within our family. But we’re different.”

“Why is that?” I ask dryly.

“Because we all have each other, you punk bitch. We keep each other grounded. We remember what’s really important, and we keep each other from turning into one of our parents.”

“Dane and Kode’s parents aren’t so bad,” I remind him.

“No. They’re epic. Just like Margaret and Paul. Just like you and Ruby could be. Just like the rest of them will be. Stop letting your mother in your head, Corbin. Her vision is skewed because of how her life has turned out.”

I’m not even sure how he could possibly know what Mom said to me.

“But they didn’t have a pack like we all do. We’re all there for each other. We’ll stay young as long as we stay close, and we’ll remember the pieces of this life that we hate so that we don’t repeat our parents’ mistakes.”

Taking a deep breath, I look up at the high ceiling.

“He’s right.” Dale’s voice makes me and Maverick both jump, and our heads snap to the door he’s leaning against as he smirks in our direction.

Kode is right beside him with his arms crossed over his chest, cocking an eyebrow at me like he’s actually amused. And Dane is shrugging out of his jacket as he pushes away from the wall and heads toward us.

“How long have you fucking creepers been in here?” Maverick grumbles, apparently not liking being caught any more than I do.

He has an image to protect, after all.

“Long enough,” Kode says with a shrug, coming over to drop down beside us.

The five of us sit in a row, all of us staring at nothing. It reminds me of when we were kids and would sit on the beach, just hiding from the real world.

After a while, Kode finally speaks. “When I thought Tria was gone, everything got distorted and fucked up. The only way to fix me was to get her back.”

Dane nods slowly beside me. “Same with Rain.”

“Neither one of you fucked up like I just did,” I grumble. “I left her alone in the house with her twisted mother, and her sister was on the verge of a psychotic break.”