I roll my eyes at him and then stick my tongue out. “You don’t know what I like,” I say, letting things feel sassy and flirtatious the way they’ve always been between us.
He gives me a slow once-over, lifting an eyebrow. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea.”
He grins, and I’m proud of how normal it all seems to be. This is how we’ve been since I got here, and none of them seem to be able to tell it’s an act now. Rory’s been flirtier than ever since our encounter in my bedroom, and there’s something new behind it—more intensity and heat than before.
“Fine.” Sloan finally relents with a sigh. “We’ll all go.”
I shrug a shoulder like I don’t really care either way, but inside I’m burning with triumph.
The pain of my father’s death is still sharp and fresh, but I’ve managed to push past it, to bottle it up and shove it down where the guys won’t be able to see it on my face. I’ve built a fresh mask for myself to wear, and I’ve played the opening move in my new game.
First, I’ll win these men’s trust. Then I’ll fucking wreck them.
7
The next day, I’m finishing up some homework assignments when my phone buzzes on the nightstand. I glance over, prepared to ignore it, but then grab it when I see it’s Scarlett calling me.
I’m keeping my end of the promise not to close her out, and I’m also hoping she has some good news for me.
“Hey.” I press the phone to my ear. “What’s up?”
“I think I found someone who can help you,” she says, getting straight to the point. “I have a friend of a friend who knows someone in the Jackals.”
“Really?” I ask, sitting up straighter. “Already?”
Scarlett’s usually the type to spend a little bit of time shooting the shit, teasing me or asking about my day before delving into serious matters, so clearly she called me as soon as she found the information I needed her to.
“Yeah. You made it sound like it was important to get it done quick, so I did that. Asked around in the old neighborhood. I still keep in touch with some of those people. Anyway, they got me in contact with some guy named Paul. He’s been in the Jackals for a bit now, but he’s fairly low level. That’s the best I could do. I don’t think the higher-ups are easy to get ahold of. Or at least, I don’t know anyone who knows them.”
“That’s okay,” I tell her quickly. It’s better than I was hoping for, and a lot quicker. “It’s someone, and that’s good enough.”
I can practically hear her smiling in relief over the phone. “That’s what I was thinking,” she says. “He seemed pretty interested when I talked to him. Probab
ly hoping this will be his chance to move up in the ranks or something. You know, that the people at the top will reward him for getting useful insider info on a rival gang. On their biggest rival, at that.”
I nod along because it’s a very good point. Maybe this Paul guy will be easier to convince to help if he thinks there’s something in it for him, too. Then it’ll be more like us helping each other than just him helping me.
“Thanks, Scar. That’s perfect. Hey, can you hold on a second?”
She hums in agreement, and I get up from the bed and move to my door. I had it cracked a bit while I was doing homework, and I peer out to make sure none of the guys are in the hall, lingering.
The hallway is quiet, and I can just hear Rory laughing downstairs, so I figure the coast is clear enough. But I shut my door all the same.
The last thing I want is for them to overhear me plotting to bring them down.
“Okay,” I murmur, lowering my voice a little just in case as I rest my back against the door. “Have this Paul guy meet me on campus tomorrow. He can sneak into my Sociology 101 class since it’s the biggest one. No one will notice someone else sitting in. I’ll sit at the back, and he’ll blend right in with the rest of us. Professor Delane doesn’t give a shit, so he won’t even notice.”
“Sure, I’ll pass the message along.” Scarlett hesitates, and the silence on the phone stretches out for a moment. Then she lets out a soft sigh. “Mercy… promise me you’ll be careful? I know I say that all the time now, but… this is pretty big, you know?”
“I know.”
And I really do. My best friend has wanted me to be careful ever since I told her I was effectively kidnapped by Sloan, Rory, and Levi in the first place. She joked about them being hot and about me being in a reverse harem or whatever, but underneath all that, she’s always been worried about my safety more than anything else.
Before, I wasn’t sure she had good reason to be. I figured I was useful to the Black Roses, since my being held as collateral guaranteed that my dad would try to do whatever they asked of him. I assumed that those circumstances would keep me fairly well protected, no matter how dangerous the gang is.
Now? I know better.
“I mean it,” Scarlett presses, as if she’s read my thoughts. “You’re playing with fire now. The bad blood between the Jackals and the Black Roses runs deep as hell. Everyone in Fairview Heights is scared of both gangs, and if you start some shit between them, you could get caught in the crossfire.”