A Whole New Crowd

  but I turned away. One of Jace’s men came forward. He saw the Taser as I kept it hidden from the crowd behind us. “We’ll take him back.”

  I turned it off and slipped it back into place. As he took Brian with him, a rush of relief soared through me when he went with him without a fight. I turned away and walked to my new home.

  Tray came to the street to meet me. I stopped just in front of him and closed my eyes. The storm inside of me was raging on and on. I jumped when I heard their car doors shut. I listened as they pulled away.

  Tray asked in a soft voice, “What do you need?”

  I couldn’t handle anyone else. “I need to get out of here.”

  “Done.”

  We went to his car. I never looked at anyone, but as soon as he pulled away, I felt some of the weight lift from my shoulders again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I didn’t care where we went. He asked once if I wanted something to eat. I nodded and he pulled into a drive-in type of diner. The waitress came out. When she asked what we wanted, I felt Tray glancing at me. He ordered for me and I was relieved. I didn’t know this guy, but he knew me. If I hadn’t been emotionally drained, I would’ve been scared by that. I wasn’t. I found it comforting instead.

  When the food came out, a small table was hooked onto his door, and he handed my water to me. The food was left alone.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, but didn’t do anything. He didn’t eat. He didn’t drink his own water. Nothing.

  I frowned. “Where are we?”

  He shrugged. “Some other town. I figured you wanted to be long gone from Rawley and Pedlam.”

  “Thank you.” Again. I started to smile. That was somewhat funny to me, that I kept thanking him, but it fell flat. The humor was forced in me. “He’s not that bad.”

  “Save it.”

  “What?”

  “Save it.” His head was resting against his seat and he never lifted it forward, but rotated it to meet my gaze.

  There was no judgment. He didn’t care. I frowned. “Most people would say I’m an idiot to care about him.”

  He shrugged. “Who cares? You broke up. It’s obvious the guy’s having a hard time letting go.”

  I glanced at my lap. No one had really seen through Brian like I had, except his brother.

  Tray added, “Yeah, he’s a little unhinged, but I can be too. So can you. So can a lot of people. Now, if the guy was going to be violent towards you, that’s a whole other story, but if you’re asking without asking if I give a damn about your ex? No. I don’t give two shits about him.” The same blank expression looked back at me. “Do you really care that I don’t care?”

  “No.” I was honest. “It’s refreshing. Most people would give me a lecture to stay away from him.”

  He gave me a half-grin. “That’s a waste of energy. You’re already trying to stay away from him.”

  I nodded. “He’s not a bad guy. He’s just—”

  He cut me off, “No excuses to me. I don’t care, remember?”

  “Yeah.” A relieved grin escaped me. “I care about him still, and I don’t want to hear someone else that I care about judge him. He’s not below anyone. He just shows his feelings more than others.”

  Tray snorted. “That’s the kicker, though, isn’t it? There’s a lot of people who hide their true shit better than others and because of that, they think they’re better. It’s a load of bullshit to me.”

  I frowned. “I had no idea you thought like this.”

  He shrugged, but lifted up a burger and began to unwrap it. “Yeah, well, to me you were just another hot chick with an attitude. Guess we’re all due for some surprises, aren’t we?”

  I eyed him, as I let his words filter in. There was more to him than what he showed everyone else. Then I realized that he knew me better than my new family, than even Mandy. “Don’t tell anyone about Jace.”

  He was inspecting his burger, but glanced back up.

  “Please. They were both family to me.”

  “I’m not saying a word. I get it. You don’t want to hear bad shit about your family.” He flashed me another half-grin and a dimple appeared this time. I sucked in my breath as the power of that one dimple, of that smile from him, and his honesty struck deep inside of me. I swallowed. This guy was dangerous to me. I’d been through the emotional wringer from Brian and twenty minutes later a few words, a few smiles, and he was almost forgotten. Tray was front and center.

  I forced myself to turn away as a tingle of fear slid inside of me. Tray could have devastating effects on me if I allowed it. I shook my head. I couldn’t allow it.

  I finished my water and handed him the cup. “We should go back.”

  He tossed it in the garbage, along with the rest of the food; none of it had been eaten. He eyed me for a moment.

  I didn’t look away. Something happened. He knew it. My behavior had changed, and he was trying to figure it out. I couldn’t look away, but I wanted to. My body was starting to burn up. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, and I wanted to feel the pressure of his lips on mine. I wanted to taste him and even thinking that, the desire went up a notch. I tried to hold back from squirming under the weight of his gaze, but it wasn’t without its consequences. I was suddenly starving and dying of thirst.

  He won.

  I ripped my eyes away from him and focused outside the window. My chest lifted and a ragged breath left me.

  He didn’t say anything. It was like before. We left, but the air was charged, unlike when we first arrived. The emotion had been thick in me from Brian. This time it was because of him. I grasped onto my seatbelt and made myself consider what we’d be walking into at the house.

  I couldn’t have prepared myself.

  Before we opened the door, I heard my sister. “You’re a fucking tramp, you bitch!”

  Tray reached around me for the door. He murmured, close enough so it teased my skin, “You up for this?”

  My body reacted to his closeness. I leaned into him, resting against his chest as he continued to hold the door. He didn’t move. He didn’t open the door, and I remained there. I drew strength from him in that moment. Then I nodded. I was ready.

  Tray pulled open the door and I stepped inside first.

  They were in the living room. “Oh please,” Jennica huffed. “What do you expect from me? An apology? You’re never around and when you are it’s all cheerleading this, student council that, not to mention yearbook crap and your perfect little family with your perfect little GPA and your precious scholarship to Brown. No, you’re a great girlfriend. You’re a perfect girlfriend, except you don’t give a shit where your man is or how he feels.”

  There was shocked silence after that. Devon was watching Mandy. Jennica was being held back by Amber, whose brother was next to her. Samuel and another guy were lounging on the couches looking amused.

  “I can’t believe you just said that.” Mandy leapt towards her. Devon moved to intercept her, but stranger guy beat him to it, leaping from the couch. Grabbing her shoulders, he held her back as Mandy tried to get around him. “Get off me, Dylan!”

  “Mandy, stop.”

  Jennica took a step back. Devon was in the middle, arms half raised between them, looking uncertain about which girl to go towards.

  Amber turned to us and sneered. “Where have you two been?”

  Tray smirked at her. “I was hungry.”

  “You were hungry?”

  “Yeah.” Tray settled against the wall and lifted an eyebrow, daring her to push it further.

  She didn’t. Her chin went down and Mandy let out another scream, trying to claw her way through Dylan’s arms.

  “Mandy, go to your room.”

  She swung to me, startled. “Taryn—”

  I shook my head. “Go.”

  She glanced around, her eyebrows bunched forward and she was biting her lip. Then she jerked her head in a nod. “Fine.” She shoved Dylan aside and swept
out of the room. I didn’t wait for her to go up the stairs. I turned on my heel and got in Jennica’s face. I had already dealt with too much crap that day to care about this minion. She saw the storm in my eyes and readied herself. Her little chin raised, her eyes grew haughty, and her skinny shoulders lifted.

  “You’re pathetic. You screwed your best friend’s boyfriend. Congratulations. You got into a guy’s pants. Wonderful achievement for you. Revel in it. It’ll last a week. He’s going to drop you.” I glanced at him, saw he was already uncertain, and rolled my eyes. “She’s already dropped you and you’re now known as the friend who sleeps with her friend’s boyfriends. Congratulations on your new reputation. The only people who will want to be your friend will be people like you. You’ll never get the good friends, the ones who are actual friends.” I never looked away. I never faltered. The longer I talked, the more she withered beneath me. I was finished. “I’ve kept quiet, but I’m done. Mess with Mandy again and you will be messing with me.” I stepped closer. “That’s not a threat. It’s a fact. Ball’s in your court if you decide to take me on and with that said, get out of my house.”

  “And who are—” she sputtered, taking another step back.

  “I’m her sister. Enough said.”

  Everyone was silent. Jennica had grown pale, shrinking away.

  I said, “I’m waiting.”

  Devon cursed, grabbed her arm, and hauled her behind him. The door slammed shut behind them. It wasn’t long before the rest followed them. Amber and Grant were next. Samuel, Dylan, and Tray remained for a moment.

  There was more silence. Then Dylan threw his head back and a deep laugh came out. “Oh, I like you. I really like you.” He thumped Tray on his chest and chuckled. “She’s a cold-hearted bitch.”

  I took it as a compliment, then heard him head upstairs and knock on Mandy’s door. I asked Tray, “Who is that?”

  “My cousin. He’s not from around here.” Samuel stood up and flashed me a grin. “Evans, I could go for a burger.”

  Tray nodded, but said, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  As he left, leaving the two of us alone, I shivered from different anticipation now. One smoldering look from him and every cell in my body stood straight up, jumping alive. I didn’t think I would get used to this from him. Ever.

  Then he nodded. “Congratulations.”

  “On what?”

  “You earned their respect.”

  I snorted. “I don’t care.”

  “I know.” A smile teased at the corners of his lips. “They saw that too and because of that, they fear you now.”

  As he left, he walked past me and the backside of his hand brushed against mine, making me moan softly. My head went down. I couldn’t hold back my own smile.

  He paused.

  I waited…

  Then he kept going, but I heard him pause and turn back. I never looked up. If I had, I would’ve gone to him. I wanted him. Amidst all the drama, that truth flooded me and overwhelmed me. I wanted Tray Evans like I had never wanted Brian before. I was beginning to lose the battle if I cared about that or not.

  *

  Mandy knocked on my door that night and told me that I had a visitor. I swung my feet from the bed and sat up. Tray? No. She wouldn’t have called him a visitor. It wasn’t Brian. She would’ve been scared. “Who is it?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, but he’s hot. Like really, really hot.”

  I caught the shadows under her eyes, the ones that weren’t from the dark hallway. “You okay?”

  She didn’t answer. “Dylan’s staying over.” Then she walked into her room and shut the door.

  I frowned at her bedroom door a moment and saw the light turn off. When had that happened? Then I shook my head. Maybe it was best if I didn’t ask. When I got downstairs, I stopped on the last step.

  It was Jace.

  He was dressed in dark clothing. I grinned. “If you’re going for dark and deadly, mission accomplished.”

  He laughed softly. His blue eyes scanning over me. “You’re unscathed, I see. The men said Brian wasn’t too kind to you.”

  “He wasn’t happy that I involved you.”

  “My brother should’ve been smarter. He’s blinded by his hurt. You two are done. He won’t accept it. Who else would you go to?” Jace folded his arms over his chest, then glanced upwards. “So that was the sister?”

  He had driven me to their house, but he hadn’t met them. “Yeah.”

  “She’s sad.”

  I wasn’t surprised by his quick deduction. Jace hadn’t risen to be the leader of the Panthers at the young age of twenty-two by luck. He was sharp, he was quick, and he was lethal. Mix all that together with his looks and he was a charismatic walking weapon. I had witnessed it most my life. People followed Jace. They wanted to listen to him and do as he said. He learned of his affect when he’d been in high school and used it to his advantage. The school expelled him because he had led too many protests and riots in their classrooms. Being restless, angry, and too smart for his own good, I hadn’t been surprised when he showed up at the house wearing the Panther colors one day. Their dad went nuts, but soon he grew fearful of Jace while Brian began to worship him.

  Then their dad died and all that changed. Brian began to hate him too, even while he continued to idolize him. I stopped trying to figure out how that worked long ago. All I understood was to stay away from Jace. For a few years, we barely talked except in passing when I would go to Brian’s room and he’d come home early in the morning. A few of those times, he had blood on him.

  I was relieved when the blood started to disappear altogether, but then I learned he still had blood on his hands. It was the invisible sort instead. Remembering those years and how I had been fearful of him, made me chuckle softly.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” I didn’t want to remember when they changed. “Brian’s okay, right? That’s why you came here?”

  He sighed. The air suddenly dropped to a serious feeling. “I didn’t come about my brother.”

  “Why then?”

  “Evans.”

  “Tray?”

  He nodded. “Stay away from him, Taryn.”

  No Terry. He always said Terry. I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “He’s not what he seems. That’s what that means.”

  He started to leave. I grabbed his arm and held him tight. His bicep shifted under my touch and he waited for me. An urgency filled me. “Why? Tell me what that means.” He wasn’t going to. “Please.”

  I saw the surrender. He murmured, softly, “He knows people in my world, Taryn.”

  As the full implication of those words hit me, I let him go and stepped back. I shook my head. “No.” But I couldn’t disregard his words. I remembered Tray’s own words hours earlier.

  There’s a lot of people who hide their true shit better than others.

  But that didn’t mean anything. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Lanser.”

  His eyes went flat as I said his last name. Then he smirked. The sight of it was deadly. “I don’t care who’s in your pants, Terry.” A stab of pain went through me. He used to use that word as a term of endearment, in times when he had been soft and gentle with me. He was using it as a shield now. The cold stranger in front of me now added, “I can’t give you facts. If I did, you’d be dead and I would have to do it. This is a warning for your own good. Stay away from Evans. Everyone will be safer if you do.”

  I shook my head and closed my eyes. “Stop, Jace.” This wasn’t my brother. He was the Panther’s leader now. “Stop.”

  “You heard me.” Then he disappeared. The door closed a moment later. When I returned to my room, I curled underneath my blanket and flicked a tear away. I wouldn’t cry.