By the time I showed up at the spot Bishop had mentioned, the group was already there. I didn’t know how they’d managed to get Eli to agree to meet us here, but how probably wasn’t the important part. He’d come. That was all that mattered.
Eli leaned against the wall, looking every bit as cocky and self-assured as he ever did. Kace and Misael flanked him, with Bishop standing in front of him. When I came into view, he looked over to me and smirked.
“Oh, hey, Coralee. You here for the party too?”
Hearing the boys’ nickname for me on this assholes’ tongue set my teeth on edge, and my hands unconsciously curled into fists.
“Her name is Cordelia,” Kace growled, sounding even more pissed off about Eli’s use of my nickname than I was.
“And you’re not talking to her,” Bishop added, taking a small step toward Eli. “She’s just here to watch.”
The new kid’s gaze flickered back over to Bishop, giving him his signature I don’t give a shit what you say face.
“Ooh, you want me to put on a show, pretty boy? That’s kinky.”
In a flash of movement, Bishop got up in his face. The energy in the air almost crackled, and I couldn’t help but brace myself, as if there was a storm coming.
“You’re gonna tell us what you know about your boss and his ties to Cora’s father,” Bishop gritted out. “And if you play nice, we might play nice with you too.”
Eli laughed. “The fuck makes you think I know shit about what Luke does in his free time? I’m just an errand boy, just like you.”
“Bullshit,” Bishop shot back. “We do a lot more than that for Nathaniel, and I bet you do too. Ten bucks says there’s a reason you were fuckin’ sent here. Coincidence that you not only get put at the school where Nathaniel’s people run, but where Cora goes too? Just a little while after her father gets sent to jail? Nah. Fuck that. You know something.”
Eli’s lip curled. “And what if I do know something? Why the hell would I tell you shit? You think this little pow-wow is gonna intimidate me? Nah, motherfucker. I think I’ll just keep what I know to myself. Unless you wanna pay the price for what that information costs.”
Misael’s eyes narrowed. “What price?”
Eli pushed off the wall, getting a little more into Bish’s space. His gaze stayed on Bishop before he nodded my way.
“Let me bite off a piece and I’ll give you something good for it.”
Eli was good at a few things, I was noticing.
He was good at always pretending he had the upper hand, faking absolute confidence no matter what. And he was good at setting my boys off.
Before the words were even fully out of his mouth, Bishop had Eli pushed back up against the wall, his hands on the blond asshole’s shoulders. I could see the tension wound tight through Bish’s muscles, and Kace and Misael both looked murderous.
“You need to learn how to watch your mouth better,” Bishop snarled, his voice low. His jaw was set so tight I was afraid he’d crack his teeth.
“Or what?” Eli countered. “You gonna do somethin’ about it? You gonna stop me from doing it? You think you can, tough guy?”
Bish tightened his grip on Eli, looking like he was about to slam him through the wall. “You ever hear of a guy named Flint Gallegos?”
“Hear the low life disappeared. What’s he got to do with anything?”
My heart stopped.
Fuck. No.
The entire world seemed to slow down, time hanging suspended as Eli’s words floated on the air.
I took a step forward at the same moment Kace and Misael stiffened, shooting warning looks at Bishop.
But it was too late.
A flicker of recognition ran through Eli’s eyes. He blinked, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Ho-ly fuck. So, that’s what you do, huh? You go around taking people out that lay a finger on your pretty little rich princess? What’d Flint try to do, put it on her? Did he do it?” Eli laughed, goading. His gaze flicked to me again, and he licked his lips lasciviously. “I bet he didn’t, the weak little shit. But lucky for her, I know how to close the fuckin’ deal—”