I pick up the calendar sheet, the Brayshaw High logo stamped at the top.
“Every single one is July.” Captain frowns.
“And has the twenty-third circled.” Maddoc looks to my brother. “Why?”
“Figured it was a twisted message.” He glares at Royce. “July twenty-third is my birthday.”
“And the first day of the Leo.”
I don’t realize everyone has frozen around me until I look up and around and all eyes are tight, wide, or worried.
“What?” Maddoc asks slowly.
“July twenty-third.” I look between them. “I’m a Cancer. On the twenty-third, the signs change, and Leo takes reign... why is everyone looking at me like that?”
Maddoc darts past us, running up the porch, and disappears into the house.
I look to the others. “What’s wrong?”
“Remember the guy I told you about, who crashed into Raven and your brother, wrecked his ride?”
“His name was Leo.” My eyes widen and I look at my brother.
Royce and Captain share a private look.
“My team, they said they thought they saw someone watching—” He cut off, looking to me. “You were here when we talked, weren’t you?”
Shit.
I look to Royce and he narrows his eyes, stalking closer.
“Tink?”
I open my mouth, but close it. “I talked to Ciara, and she said someone came to the house after I left.”
“Who?” His dark eyes flash.
I shrug. “She didn’t know. All she said was he was asking questions and brought chocolate cake—” I freeze. “Holy shit.” I step toward Royce and his hands find my hips, bringing me into him. My brother glares and looks away from us.
“Coach Von. Royce, he used chocolate brownie as his way to get me and Taylor to take the Valium. The person who went to my house brought chocolate cake, and my aunt ended up in the hospital. It had to be this Leo guy.”
Captain looks from me to Royce. “The shit with Enoch, it didn’t start until you got to her, and doubled once she was here. Coach Von said he wasn’t the only one watching her, someone else wanted her. Maybe he was led to her.”
Bass whips around, his hands folding over his head. “Fuck!”
“What’d you do, Bishop?” Royce growls, releasing me and pushing me to the side.
“What’d I do? What the fuck did you do?! Look at my sister’s face!”
The arguing starts again, accusations flying around, and they get in each other’s faces again.
Captain slips between them, and now they’re all shoving.
“You guys!” They ignore me.
Nobody, however, can ignore the screech of brakes, a large cloud of dusk that flies up in the driveway as Mac whips around it.
His door is thrown open, and he jumps up on the side. “The courts at the school are on fire, alarm didn’t go off.”
“Fuck,” Royce snaps, cutting a warning glance at my brother before he runs forward.
I run with him and he whips around.
“No.” He stops me short.
I glare. “If you don’t let me in with you, I’ll get in my brother’s.”
Royce growls, wraps his arms around me and yanks me to him. “That’s low, baby. Real low.” He kisses me hard and quick. “Get in.”
Cap runs inside while we jam out of the parking lot and toward the school.
As we pull in, the smoke is easily spotted.
Royce jumps out, Mac with him, and then my brother whips in and hops out, too.
“Call the fire department.”
Both Bass and Mac shake their heads, and all at once, they move forward.
Royce pauses a few feet away. “Stay in the car.”
My brother throws a look over his shoulder that says the same damn thing, but it’s not for me.
It’s for the blonde in his front seat.
As soon as they’re out of sight, we both push our doors open and step out, staring up at the dark cloud of smoke coming from the back of the school.
She walks up beside me, turning to me with a smile.
“Brielle Bishop, in the flesh.” She flicks her eyes over me. “You don’t look like the helpless little lamb he’s made you out to be.”
I frown, my heart pounding, but I take deep breaths to settle it. “Not to be rude, but I don’t want to talk to you right now. I don’t even know who you are.”
The corner of her eyes crease slightly. “Really?”
That surprises her?
She faces forward. “Huh.” She nods, walks back to the car, and slips inside.
She puts her earbuds in and closes her eyes.
Well, okay then.
I run my hands through my hair, and walk to the side of Mac’s truck she can’t see, lean against it and take a breath.
What a day it’s been.
What a month it’s been.
I never intended for anything that has happened since I got here to happen, but I can’t say I’m upset over any of it, because it led me to something I couldn’t imagine if I tried.
With that said, I hate that I yelled at my brother like I did. I made him feel like shit and that’s not what I wanted, but I need him to understand what I found here—more than I ever dreamed of.