Play Rough (Black Rose Kisses 2)

I swallow, my stomach churning. “I don’t care.”

“But you can’t do something like that all by yourself,” she presses, lifting one leg onto the bench so she can turn toward me more fully. “You’re just one person, you know? You’re not even in a gang yourself. The Black Roses control at least half the city. They have people everywhere. Even if you manage to fuck with the three guys you’re staying with, there’s no telling what could come down on you from the rest of the gang in retaliation. The only people who have a chance at taking them down as a whole would be like… the Jackals.”

I open my mouth to argue with her again, to tell her that I don’t give a shit how hard it may be or how likely it is that I’ll die in the attempt—I’m still going to try.

But then something clicks in my head.

She’s right. She’s completely right.

It would take me a long-ass time to gather enough info and gain enough leverage over them to take them down on my own. But the Jackals, the other major gang in Fairview Heights, have manpower and firepower and whatever other kind of power is necessary to take a group like this down.

The two gangs are already at odds with each other, so it’s the perfect setup. They’d probably jump at the chance to have the Black Roses out of the way, if only they had the insider info necessary to make that happen.

And I can be the one to give that to them.

I can use my position as a prisoner in the guys’ house to dig up shit on the Black Roses, then let the Jackals do the dirty work.

I smile, feeling hopeful in a way I haven’t since I watched my dad die. That’s what I’ll do.

I’ll get the Jackals to help me.

6

Scarlett and I don’t stay out for much longer. After talking for a few more minutes, she hugs me and makes me promise to be careful, and more importantly to stop ignoring her texts.

I make that promise without hesitation. Having someone else who knows what’s going on helps me feel less like I’m battling this alone, and talking to her helped me find a path through this that will be better and more likely to succeed than anything I came up with on my own.

Once I get back to the house, I head upstairs quickly, thankful when I don’t run into any of the guys. Slipping into my bedroom, I make a beeline for the attached bathroom and splash some water on my face. Then I towel off and look at my reflection in the mirror.

“Jesus,” I mutter, grimacing.

It’s no wonder Scarlett and Rory—and, hell, even Levi—only had to take one look at me to know there was something going on. It’s all there for them to see if they look hard enough.

Pain and anger burn like twin flames in my eyes, radiating out to the downturn of my lips. The trauma I’ve been feeling is on full display, my face revealing way too much about my internal state.

I told Rory a half-truth about my mother’s death to deflect him from his questions about what was wrong with me, but it shouldn’t have come to that in the first place.

If I want to be serious about this plan that’s developing in my mind, I can’

t spend another day moping or hiding. I need to make moves and find a way to get into the guys’ confidence. I can’t hold them at arm’s length anymore.

Before my dad’s death, things were developing between me and all three of them. I never meant for it to happen, but I can’t deny it to myself. Some kind of attraction was growing, blurring the lines between friend and lover and enemy. It’s sort of easy to see how it happened with Rory and Levi, but there was some kind of fucked up push-and-pull happening with Sloan, too—although we both tried not to admit it.

At the time, I told myself that I couldn’t let it keep happening, but everything is different now.

It seems like a long time ago that I was worried about dropping my own guard around them, but now the shoe is on the other foot, really. I need them to drop their guards around me.

So whatever was happening between us, whatever was breaking down the walls and blurring the lines between collateral and something else, I have to lean into those feelings more.

Before we parted ways, Scarlett promised to put feelers out and find someone who’s got an in with the Jackals for me. Someone who can put me in touch with one of their gang members so I can strike a deal with them and offer info that can help the Jackals take down the Black Roses.

But if I’m going to strike that deal, if I’m going to get them on my side in all of this, I have to have something to bargain with. They won’t lift a finger unless I have some information for them, something they can use and act on that will make listening to me worthwhile.

I’ve been hoping to unearth useful information about the Black Roses since I was brought to this house at the very beginning of this mess, but now it’s more important than ever. And there’s no way I’m going to get anything worthwhile by hiding in my room.

So I have to act, plain and simple. I have to be proactive and get the ball rolling so this can be over and done with. My dad never dragged his feet when it came to doing something for me, and I’m going to put the same effort and dedication into getting revenge for his death.

It’s what he deserves.