Page 49 of Mayhem At Prescott High (The Havoc Boys 3)
“See you at home,” Aaron calls out, climbing into the driver's seat of the Bronco and waving his arm at me. There's something cozy about the way he says that word. Home. I don't feel like I've ever had a real home before. The thought excites me as I climb on the back of the Harley behind Vic, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face against his back.
Callum and Oscar hop into the Camaro with Hael, and off we go.
Our Havoc honeymoon is over.
It was very … appropriate, I felt. Kidnapping. Threats. Destruction.
Sex.
Lots and lots and lots of sex.
I feel like Victor has branded himself on my skin.
And yet, I'm looking forward to spending the night in that king-size bed with him.
Victor and I head straight home while the other boys veer off to deal with Alyssa.
“Who are the Peters?” I ask when Victor lets us into Aaron's house and slides a pistol from his waistband. He checks the house like he's part of a SWAT team while I follow along behind him. He waits until the house is clear before he turns and looks down at me.
“The Peters are Oscar's foster family,” he tells me, and I swear, my jaw nearly comes unhinged.
“How did I not know that he lives with a foster family?” I ask, wondering if that's the real reason why Victor sent Oscar with me to check out the Kushners' house, if that's why he let Oscar do the actual killing.
“A good one though,” Vic assures me, pausing as the front door opens and the other boys—sans Oscar—come in, the girls preceding them with tired yawns. It's only mid-day, but they most definitely took advantage of the trip, staying up all night and bingeing on candy and Netflix.
I watch as they slink up the stairs and disappear into Kara and Ashley's room.
“A good what?” Aaron asks, pausing beside us. He looks relieved to be home, but there's a different sort of tension in his eyes. He levels his gold-green gaze on Victor and waits to hear what we're talking about.
“Oscar's foster family,” Vic murmurs, looking Aaron up and down briefly before he locks eyes with him. “She wants to know about the Peters.”
Aaron glances over at me with a sympathetic sort of expression on his face.
“Maybe if you knew more about Oscar's family, you'd understand him better,” he says, and then he pauses for a long moment. “Doesn't excuse fucking any of his behavior, but it might help you figure out a way to accept him for what he is—a complete and total asshole.”
“Where is that complete and total asshole anyway?” I ask, my eyes drifting over to the slight pinkish stain on the couch. I almost cringe but manage to hold it together. No need to show all my emotional cards, right?
“At home, with the Peters,” Victor says with a frown as he checks his phone. “Speaking of, I have to go in a few myself.”
“What?” I ask, blinking stupidly at him. “You're leaving?”
The grin that stretches across that man's lips makes me want to stab him with the blade that's tucked into my boot. Fucker. He looks so damn pleased with himself as he scoops me into his arms and Aaron rolls his eyes.
I get the sense that the other boys are being patient … but also quickly losing that battle.
Victor must know that, right?
“In order to get my inheritance, I have to live with my dad until graduation. Legally, I can only spend two weeks away from the house before Ophelia can call that shit in. Trust me: she's watching.” Victor pauses, skimming his hands down my back and sighing in just such a way that his breath ruffles my hair. “With the days I slept here before the trip, and the trip itself, I cannot stay here with you tonight.”
I close my eyes against the sound of his voice. The way he's talking, you'd think we were going to be separated for eons, not one night.
“I'll take good care of her,” Aaron replies for me, snapping both me and Vic out of the obsessive bubble we're trapped in. I flick a glance over my shoulder as Vic scowls.
“Oh, I'm sure you'll try,” he tells him, looking Aaron right in the face. “But not in the way you're thinking.”
“No?” Aaron asks, taking a step forward. The tension in the room amps up, and I start choking on the extreme levels of testosterone. It takes like ash on my tongue. “We've all been nice, Vic. Way fucking nicer than we needed to be. Tell me: what's it to you if Bernie and I spend some time together while you're gone?”
Shit.
I look between Aaron and Vic, and I just know this is about to spiral out of control.
I wanted Aaron to stand up for me, and it looks like he just might.
