Deviant (Boys of Winter 3)

“Not really,” Carver says. “If London has been living here all these years, then she’s probably brought her own personal touch back into it.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Grayson groans and flops back into his seat. “Are we seriously just going to sit here and look at the house all day or are we actually going to go in and see if we can find the bitch, or if anything, a little bit of information on who the fuck she’s been working with?”

“He has a point,” Cruz mutters. “I’ve also been stinging to take a piss so I wouldn’t mind if we could hurry this along.”

“Get fucked,” King says, looking back at Cruz. “We’re not rushing into this just so you can take a piss. Get out and piss in the trees like the rest of us have, and while you’re at it, do a perimeter check that there are no bears or mountain lions.”

“Fuck off,” Cruz throws back at him. “I’m not about to get mauled by a fucking lion. You lost Winter last night, you should do the perimeter check.”

“All of you fuck off,” I tell them, not wanting the boys to get into an argument over the bullshit that went down last night. If anyone is to blame—it’s me. I should have been more careful. Hell, watching your drink is the number one rule when at a party. I fucked up, not them, and they sure as hell aren’t going to be punished for that. I start climbing over Cruz. “I’ll do the fucking check.”

“Like hell,” Carver spits, reaching into the backseat, grabbing me by the back of my tank and throwing me right back into my seat. “You’re not going anywhere by yourself. If London is here, and you’re left by yourself, then all we’re doing is offering you up on a silver platter. You might as well walk straight up to the door and ring the bell. Perhaps we could save her some time and cuff you before you go.”

I roll my eyes. “Fuck me,” I grumble. “Why are you so pissy today? Did someone accidentally misplace their dildo up your ass?”

Carver turns back to the front with a huff and Grayson turns around, deciding it’s best that he runs the show. “Carver and I will do the perimeter check while you two fuckheads check over our weapons and scan the house for any heat signals. Do you think you can do that without losing our girl?” he snaps unfairly at King. “We’ll be gone for fifteen minutes and then we’re going in, and while we’re gone, you two need to figure out who the fuck is staying back with Ellie.”

I shake my head. “You can leave someone back here to babysit me all you want but no matter how this goes down, I’m going inside that house, whether she’s standing at the front door inviting me in or not. I’m not giving you any other warnings, so you might as well include me in your plan to save us all a little bit of time and effort.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ,” Grayson exclaims through a clenched jaw. “Why is it always so hard with you? Why can’t you just stay here and do what you’re told for once?”

I lean forward into the front, not appreciating the tone he’s taking with me, and while I can easily use the ‘leader of Dynasty’ card, I take another direction. “Because this is my home. This is my mother, and this is my history. That house right there is the place where my father was murdered, and if I were to sit back here, twiddling my thumbs like a useless piece of shit, I’d go insane. I need to be in there. I need to see that house, and I need to put this bullshit to rest. So, the question isn’t when will I start behaving like a good little soldier, it’s when will you start believing that I’m not a fragile little princess who needs your constant supervision? I got by eighteen years on my own, and believe it or not, I don’t need you guys always up my ass making sure I don’t trip and fall.”

King, Cruz, and Carver all scoff as Grayson watches me for a long, drawn-out moment, deep in thought before finally letting out a breath. “Fine, but you stay with one of us at all times.”

Carver groans. “Seriously?” he mutters, glancing at Grayson. “She gives you one guilt-ridden speech about her feelings and you cave like a little bitch? You know just as well as the rest of us that she needs constant supervision, more so now than ever before.”

“Hey,” I snap, resenting his comments only to get ignored.

Grayson glares back at Carver. “You don’t think I know that?” he growls. “But consider our options. You know she’s right. The second she gets a chance, she’s going to make a break for it and storm through that house like a little fucking wrecking ball. It’s better for us to control the damage than letting it run free and fuck up everything in the process. Besides, no matter how much you disagree, she deserves to see this home. Two birds. One fucking stone.”