“So, why did we leave Kyrin behind?” It’s the question I’ve wanted to ask since leaving the city.
Eli skims his tongue over his bottom lip. “Because I want to watch shit burn.”
There have been a handful of times in my life where I’ve known that I’ve fucked up. One of them was when I was twelve years old and pushed Cartier down one of the dirt ramps in the forest that backs up behind our valley, and the other time was when I gave Lilith back to Patience, but now I’ve just realized there are three things.
And that’s leaving both of them fucking unattended.
I snatch the keys off the entryway to the Nero main house, which sits loudly on the top of the highest mountain in our village, swinging the door open behind me. All of the Four Families have their stable home scattered around the valley in the shape of the Kiznitch star, with the Axton mansion the tip, at the very entrance of the valley.
I’m jogging down the marble grand stairway when Keaton’s Dodge rumbles up the circular drive, pulling to a stop near me.
“Figure you don’t want to get any of your pretty toys dirty, so we can take the Charger out.”
I grasp the handle and slide into the passenger seat. “My cars don’t mind getting dirty.”
“Even the Lambo?”
“Even the Lambo. Drive.”
Keaton directs us around the driveway and out the front wired gate, down the road that leads to Killian’s house. No one is out and about because we’re under attack. King and Perse called a lockdown before we touched back down onto US soil from Kiznitch, so the streets are dead.
“You know where they are?” Keaton asks, looking at me over his arm. Keaton has always been my ride or die, just like they all are. Just with him, shit has always been different. Right now, I’m taking him with me because King and Kill have people who love them. Need them. Not to say that Keaton doesn’t, but I’m pretty sure Palmer doesn’t count. I would take a bullet for him before I’d let him drop.
“Pretty sure they’ve hit a detour.” I reach for the back seat, unzipping the two duffel bags and checking to see if he brought what he was supposed to. “They loaded?”
“Yeah.” Keaton drops the car down into gear and floors it forward, the force throwing me back into my seat. “Enough ammunition in there to explode.”
“Good.” I press on Instagram, pausing when I see the image Eli posted just eleven minutes before. His hand over Lilith’s thigh. “Dumb motherfuckers.”
“I don’t think they’re dumb,” Keaton adds. “I think Lilith is bold as fuck—rightly so—she can be. She can fight very fucking well, and the other is just, well… in love.”
I tap my phone against my thigh, my palms itchy to get there. The longer I’m away from them both, the more I feel my control slip. My phone starts ringing when we hit the off-ramp.
Seeing Lilith’s photo pop up on my home screen, my jaw clenches. I swipe it unlocked and her live face is on my screen. A fucking FaceTime. This chick’s got jokes. “Lilith,” I say calmly, looking out the window at nothing in particular. It’s more for me to calm the fuck down. “I’m going to fucking kill you both.”
“How’d you find out?” she says, and I swear to God I hear my phone crack in my palm.
“Does it fucking matter?” My eyes swing to her square. “You both fucking did this behind my back because you knew I’d say hell the fuck no and to wait!”
“Exactly, Ky, but we can’t wait.”
“Oh?” I snap, baring my teeth. “And why is that exactly?”
“Because the longer we take, the more time she has to plan something.” Lilith sighs, and it’s the first time I’ve seen a look of calmness wash over her features. Her eyes soften around the edges. “I didn’t want either of you entering this. It’s for me to end, not you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I say, glaring at her as Keaton continues to drive us closer. “Where are you?”
She turns the camera to face her and Eli, who is driving. “He’s taking us to where she is. We had to pick up some backup.”
“Kings?” I ask, eyes narrowed. “Yeah, see, this still makes no sense. Why are The Kings involved in this?”
Eli must snatch the phone off Lilith because his face fills my screen now. “Stop being so fucking bossy. We’re heading to where she is. I’ll send you the address.”
He hangs up the phone, but I scroll through my contacts, knowing damn well he’s not going to call me back.
“Why are The Kings involved?” Keaton’s voice comes through.
“I don’t know,” I say, my thumb hovering over Killian’s name. “But they don’t involve themselves in shit that doesn’t belong to them.”