Page 36 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)
“You were fucking talking to the dickbag who took Margo!” Eli yells.
I rear back, shocked. He doesn’t get riled up about much, but this has his panties in a twist. The way he’s staring at me…
“If you wanna take a fucking swing at me, do it,” I say in a low voice.
He shakes his head. “Why are you here? Go home. Be with Margo.” Quietly, he adds, “Imagine what she went through? Her foster dad is in the hospital and her boyfriend is here, hanging out with his friends—”
“We weren’t supposed to be hanging out,” I grit out.
“No, you just want to beat someone bloody.” Liam reenters the room. “Shocker.”
I jump to my feet. “Matt took her, and no one is doing anything!”
“That detective is breathing down your neck, and you think it’s a good idea to go pay Bonner a visit,” Liam goads. “So smart. Good thing your pockets are deep—oh wait, they aren’t quite yet… do you think you’re going to make it to eighteen at this rate?”
I stay silent. I ball my hands into fists.
The anger I had directed at Matt is slowly changing course.
“No,” he continues. “You’ll be locked up before Christmas. Wonder which one of us will take care of Margo while—”
I lunge at him, barely getting my hand on his shirt before Theo blocks me.
“You don’t touch her!” I yell, still trying to get to him.
Theo shoves me back, one hand extended toward Liam. “As much as I love a brawl, I can’t let you destroy the living room.”
Liam huffs. “We were just getting to the good part. Watch Caleb throw his life away.”
“Why? By taking action? It’s how things get done around here.”
I stop. I can’t believe those words just came out of my mouth.
Eli’s expression turns uneasy. “I think it’s time to go home.”
Liam coughs. “Yeah. Take my car.”
He tosses Eli his keys, but I’m still stuck in place.
“Old shitter better not break down on us,” Eli grumbles.
Taking action is how things get done around here.
Eli jostles me. “Snap out of it, dude. Let’s go.”
My body is ancient as I nod. My limbs are rusted. My heart is beating out of sync.
I don’t remember saying goodbye to Theo and Liam—not that they’d want to hear it, anyway. We’re in the car, halfway down the road, before I realize it.
“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay, because you’re clearly not.” Eli glances over at me. “But if you want to talk about it…”
“Uncle used to say that.” My voice is hoarse. “He was all about… taking action.”
“He’s one sick motherfucker, that’s for sure.”
Eli knows the reason I went to live with his family in the first place. I don’t think I ever had to spell it out to him—his parents took care of that—but the scars… There’s no hiding those.
Hell, the entire lacrosse team has seen them, but no one has ever said anything.