How Sinners Fight (Sinners of Hawthorne University 2)

Caitlin narrows her eyes at me when we enter the dining hall, her lip curling. By her side, her little cronies Reagan and Gemma gawk and stare, not entirely sure how they should react to the sight of me surrounded by the three men.

I catch Max up on what’s going on as we eat. After breakfast, the guys won’t even let me walk to my classes alone. Gray joins Declan and Elias in escorting me across campus, staring down anyone who dares to look at me for longer than a few seconds. They’re staking their claim, and if it weren’t for the threat of Cliff hanging over me, I might actually find their over-the-top glares a little amusing.

“Speak of the fucking devil,” Max mutters when I tell her my thoughts quietly enough that the guys can’t hear.

Cliff and the rest of the Saints have just rounded the corner ahead of us. The man with coppery red hair hesitates for a second at the sight of us, his footsteps slowing. Then he scowls.

All three of the Sinners step in front of me in a smooth motion, as if Cliff has a gun pointed at my head and they’re ready to take a bullet for me. Cold fury laces Cliff’s sharp features.

“This is disappointing, Eastwood,” he says evenly. “You’ve become her bitch again.”

Jesus. Fuck this asshole.

I want to lunge at him, but Max wraps a hand around my arm in silent warning. Goddammit, she’s right. We can’t just out-and-out attack Cliff. That’ll only be handing him the perfect leverage to use against me.

Aaron shifts on his feet, looking at Max before dropping his gaze.

He looks… conflicted?

That can’t be right.

Gray’s back straightens as he stares down the Saints. “The deal is off, Montgomery.” He spits out Cliff’s last name like a curse.

Cliff takes a measured step forward, his gaze never leaving Gray’s. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asks smoothly, his voice laced with a threat.

Gray doesn’t even hesitate. “It’s what I should’ve done from the fucking beginning. Sophie is ours, and a fight against her is a fight against us. So maybe I should be the one asking you,

Cliff, are you really sure you want to do this? You want to start shit with us?”

Cliff’s jaw twitches. “Sophie is mine.”

It’s barely a whisper, so quiet I almost miss it.

But I don’t, and I fight the urge to barf up everything I just ate for breakfast. My heart slams in my chest, adrenaline surging through me at the cold possessiveness in his tone. The words, so similar to Gray’s declaration seconds ago, have an entirely different, fucked up meaning coming from this asshole.

I belong to the Sinners because I’ve chosen to belong to them. Just like they’ve chosen me.

I sure as hell haven’t chosen Cliff, and whatever fucked up claim he thinks he has on me, it scares me almost more than his threat of putting me in jail.

For a second, I think Gray might take a swing at him. Actually, it looks like all three of the Sinners are thinking about it.

“Are you fucking sure you want to play this game?” Gray’s voice is so full of fury it makes a shiver run down my spine. “Because if I were you, I’d back the fuck down right now.”

Cliff’s focus flicks to me, his eyes narrowing. My skin crawls under his gaze, like he’s reached out and touched me against my will, and I force myself to remain completely still. He wants to see me flinch—whether it’s toward him or away from him, I don’t think he cares. He just wants to get a reaction from me, and I refuse to give him that.

He finally tears his gaze away from me, settling it back on Gray. “You’re making a mistake,” he says calmly. “Shouldn’t waste time on trash like that.”

So much for keeping my fucking cool.

I can’t take it anymore. Pushing my way through the Sinners, I face Cliff full on.

“Fuck you, Cliff. The way I remember it, you were more than willing to waste time on trash like me. Do you tell every girl you get a hard on for that it’s fucking fate?” I mock, my lips twisting into a cruel smile. “That it’s meant to be? A connection that I shouldn’t be able to deny?”

There’s a laugh from the crowd that’s slowly been gathering around us. I swear, the drama that seems to follow me everywhere I go is probably more entertaining for these people than whatever reality TV show is popular right now.

Cliff flushes, and a vicious thrill runs through me. It takes him a long second to find words, but when he does, he growls them out.

“You better watch the fuck out,” he says, angling his threat at the guys and not at me, because apparently, he thinks he’d be able to pull me down just fine on his own. “My father won’t stand for anyone besmirching my family name.”