Unspoken Rules (Rules 2)

“Not interested. Get the hell out!”

He holds his hands up to his face—probably in anticipation of getting sprayed in the eyes—and steps forward. But the last thing I want is to get into a fistfight with him when I’m home alone, so I jerk away, reach for the door, and swing it open… but I can’t run out of the house.

Because Will’s standing in the doorway.

I have never been happier to see this buffoon.

I might not die today.

“What’s wrong? Have you seen yourself in the mirror?” he mocks, but his bad joke flies right by me. He quickly spots what I was running from—or should I say, who—and his face collapses. Kendrick walks in seconds later and displays a similar reaction, but the rage crawling out of him allows me to prepare for what he intends to do.

“Kendrick, no!” It takes every ounce of strength in my body to stop my cousin from pouncing on Blake. I’m not sure Maria would be pleased to see her white welcome mat has turned red when she comes back tonight.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Kendrick barks as Will pulls me behind him.

“I came here to apologize,” Blake dares to lie.

“Apologize? Are you serious right now? You didn’t push me on the sidewalk. You tried to kill my family. You can shove your apology up your a—”

Blake interrupts him. “I heard you’re a member short.”

“So?” Kendrick’s fists are weapons. Weapons that Blake will be closely introduced to if he doesn’t leave soon.

“I want back in. Please, I’m sorry. Betraying you was the biggest mistake of my life.”

He’s lying. That’s all he knows how to do.

“Get the hell out of my house before I kill you.” Kendrick strides to him and stops barely one inch away from his ex-fighter’s face.

“Kendrick, we were best friends,” Blake says, upset that his plan to get our trust and murder us in our sleep isn’t working.

“We weren’t best friends.” A tiny bit of emotion peeks through my cousin’s voice. “We were brothers… and you betrayed me. Y

ou betrayed all of us.”

Understanding that sweet-talking Kendrick isn’t his way in, Blake turns to me. He’s even dumber than I thought if he believes he has better chances with me.

“Winter, when I saw you at the fair today, I just… I realized how much I missed the East side. I had to at least try,” he says. “You have to believe me, I never meant to hurt you.”

The laugh Kendrick emits next is loud, throaty—chilling.

“I’m sorry, you mean to tell me that you accidentally tied her up and pressed a gun to her head? You don’t just trip into a fucking murder attempt!”

The fist Kendrick puts up causes Blake to finally take his warning seriously.

“Fine, I’m leaving.” He walks to the door. “But I really am sorry. I learned from my mistake. I’d do anything for a second chance.”

“Yeah, and I’m the queen of England.” Will rolls his eyes.

Probably because he’d like to leave with his two legs, Blake exits Maria’s property as Kendrick carefully watches through the window to make sure he gets back into his car on the other side of the street. Then, when the threat goes dormant, they turn to me.

“When he saw you today at the fair? What the hell is he talking about?” Kendrick reminds me of what Blake said.

Busted…

I lie awake in my soon-to-be empty bedroom and replay the conversation I just had with the guys in my head. So… to sum it up: I’m a moron. They wouldn’t let me hear the end of it, and what’s worst is I can’t even blame them. They’re right. I should’ve told them. Who knows what could’ve happened if Will hadn’t walked in when he did?

Plus, because my guilt isn’t unbearable enough as it is, Haze decided to take up all the remaining room in my brain and steal any chance of sleep away from me. I can’t stop thinking about him alone at his place.