Mason went over and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. He brushed a hand down her face, tucking her hair behind her ear. “We’re fine, and kinda.” He straightened and gave me a look. “Logan went back to his roots.”
My insides were roaring, but I grinned. “Hey, any time I can set a car on fire, I’m all for it.”
Sam didn’t seem to think this was funny. A worried look came into her eyes. She looked to Taylor and Delray, her gaze lingering the longest on Taylor. Then she sighed and pointed upstairs. “Nate got home a second ago. He rushed upstairs. I asked him what was wrong, and he said something about needing a second bat.” She looked up toward Mason. “Did you guys fight someone?”
Mason laughed and sat next to her, pulling her to rest against his chest. His arm dangled over her shoulder, their hands laced together. “Only one guy, and it was to get him off of Taylor.”
Taylor let out a shaky laugh, sinking down into one of the other chairs. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
This was awkward. The entire scene. Moments like these, after a fight, I was the joker. That was what I did. Nate was usually cursing, and Mason planned how to make things right, but he was holding off this time. This was my girl, and my problem. As if sensing my thoughts, my brother lifted his head and motioned to the back. I nodded. We needed to talk, then maybe I’d take my anger out on Delray.
“Hey.” I touched Taylor’s shoulder. “Mason and I are going to talk in the back, okay?”
Delray stood up. “I should be there.” His face was locked down. There was no readable expression, but his voice was low and foreboding.
My anger flared at him. “You.” I growled. “That was your boss back there?”
His eyes grew wary, but he nodded. “Yeah. Rankin. That’s his name. He kinda runs a lot of the crime around here.”
“So, he’s a fucking crime boss?” I wanted to interrogate the shit out of this weasel, but Delray looked ready to piss himself and we had to regroup first. I pointed to the chair in the corner. “You sit your ass down and don’t move a fucking muscle.”
We’d ridden home mostly in silence, but the tension was brewing. I wanted to explode now, and I was damn near ready to let loose. I took a step toward him, but a hand touched my arm, and I swung around to see Mason.
He took a step back. “We can deal with him in a minute. Let’s talk first.”
Fuuuuck. I wanted to pound something or someone, but I nodded and let out a ragged sigh. I turned to follow Mason to his bedroom, and my eyes caught and held Taylor’s for a moment. The pain I saw there pulled more of the anger from me. I seared Delray with a look, but reminded myself he was her buddy.
“Dudes.” Nate’s voice broke through my reverie. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a bag full of bats thrown over his shoulder. “You guys are back?” His hand slid off the railing with a thud. “Oh, man. I just grabbed these from my room upstairs.”
“You were coming back?” Mason asked.
“Yeah.” Nate nodded. “We haven’t had a decent rumble in forever.” He gestured to me. “Most times it’s because his mouth gets us in trouble. This time was legit, right?”
My eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding me? You were the entire reason we had problems last year.”
Nate moved back. “What?” His hand tightened around the bag strap.
“That’s not fair.” Sam stood up from the couch.
“Sebastian would’ve come after us anyway,” Mason added.
“But not the fraternity.”
That shut them all up. As I said those words, whatever fight Nate had left him. His eyes darted to the ground.
“They wouldn’t have gone after all of us, on three different occasions, if you hadn’t fucked things up,” I added.
His jaw clenched as his gaze found mine again. “That’s not fair, Logan.” His voice was heavy, raspy. “I made a mistake my freshman year of college. You make mistakes all the Goddamn time. Every fight we had against people in high school—”
“—was because of Mason,” I cut him off.
“Logan!” Sam’s voice was a reprimand.
I shook my head, looking at all of them. “It’s true. All of our fights have been because of Mason in some way.” I turned to him and held up a hand. “I’m not throwing shade at you. I’m really not, but it’s because someone wanted to control you or girls wanted you.” I flung a hand toward Sam. “Girls going at Sam because of you, or it’s just some dickhead like Sebastian who wanted to take you down because you hurt his ego. I deal with my fights. I always have.”
“You didn’t tonight.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes sparked with anger. I’d gone after Mason as far as she was concerned, but I was speaking the truth. It needed to be put out there, or—I glanced at Taylor and my anger damn near raged a bonfire in me—maybe I was pissed and taking it out on other people.
A savage curse slipped out, and I brushed past Mason as I went to his room. “Let’s get this talk done.”
“That asshole—” Sam said behind me.
But Mason shut her down. “He’s upset.”
“I don’t care.”
“His girl was in danger tonight,” Mason added softly.
I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes. Goddamn. He was right. I’d been lashing out, and…I was a dumbass. As soon as Mason and Sam came into the room, I apologized. “I’m sorry—”
My insides were roaring, but I grinned. “Hey, any time I can set a car on fire, I’m all for it.”
Sam didn’t seem to think this was funny. A worried look came into her eyes. She looked to Taylor and Delray, her gaze lingering the longest on Taylor. Then she sighed and pointed upstairs. “Nate got home a second ago. He rushed upstairs. I asked him what was wrong, and he said something about needing a second bat.” She looked up toward Mason. “Did you guys fight someone?”
Mason laughed and sat next to her, pulling her to rest against his chest. His arm dangled over her shoulder, their hands laced together. “Only one guy, and it was to get him off of Taylor.”
Taylor let out a shaky laugh, sinking down into one of the other chairs. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
This was awkward. The entire scene. Moments like these, after a fight, I was the joker. That was what I did. Nate was usually cursing, and Mason planned how to make things right, but he was holding off this time. This was my girl, and my problem. As if sensing my thoughts, my brother lifted his head and motioned to the back. I nodded. We needed to talk, then maybe I’d take my anger out on Delray.
“Hey.” I touched Taylor’s shoulder. “Mason and I are going to talk in the back, okay?”
Delray stood up. “I should be there.” His face was locked down. There was no readable expression, but his voice was low and foreboding.
My anger flared at him. “You.” I growled. “That was your boss back there?”
His eyes grew wary, but he nodded. “Yeah. Rankin. That’s his name. He kinda runs a lot of the crime around here.”
“So, he’s a fucking crime boss?” I wanted to interrogate the shit out of this weasel, but Delray looked ready to piss himself and we had to regroup first. I pointed to the chair in the corner. “You sit your ass down and don’t move a fucking muscle.”
We’d ridden home mostly in silence, but the tension was brewing. I wanted to explode now, and I was damn near ready to let loose. I took a step toward him, but a hand touched my arm, and I swung around to see Mason.
He took a step back. “We can deal with him in a minute. Let’s talk first.”
Fuuuuck. I wanted to pound something or someone, but I nodded and let out a ragged sigh. I turned to follow Mason to his bedroom, and my eyes caught and held Taylor’s for a moment. The pain I saw there pulled more of the anger from me. I seared Delray with a look, but reminded myself he was her buddy.
“Dudes.” Nate’s voice broke through my reverie. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a bag full of bats thrown over his shoulder. “You guys are back?” His hand slid off the railing with a thud. “Oh, man. I just grabbed these from my room upstairs.”
“You were coming back?” Mason asked.
“Yeah.” Nate nodded. “We haven’t had a decent rumble in forever.” He gestured to me. “Most times it’s because his mouth gets us in trouble. This time was legit, right?”
My eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding me? You were the entire reason we had problems last year.”
Nate moved back. “What?” His hand tightened around the bag strap.
“That’s not fair.” Sam stood up from the couch.
“Sebastian would’ve come after us anyway,” Mason added.
“But not the fraternity.”
That shut them all up. As I said those words, whatever fight Nate had left him. His eyes darted to the ground.
“They wouldn’t have gone after all of us, on three different occasions, if you hadn’t fucked things up,” I added.
His jaw clenched as his gaze found mine again. “That’s not fair, Logan.” His voice was heavy, raspy. “I made a mistake my freshman year of college. You make mistakes all the Goddamn time. Every fight we had against people in high school—”
“—was because of Mason,” I cut him off.
“Logan!” Sam’s voice was a reprimand.
I shook my head, looking at all of them. “It’s true. All of our fights have been because of Mason in some way.” I turned to him and held up a hand. “I’m not throwing shade at you. I’m really not, but it’s because someone wanted to control you or girls wanted you.” I flung a hand toward Sam. “Girls going at Sam because of you, or it’s just some dickhead like Sebastian who wanted to take you down because you hurt his ego. I deal with my fights. I always have.”
“You didn’t tonight.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes sparked with anger. I’d gone after Mason as far as she was concerned, but I was speaking the truth. It needed to be put out there, or—I glanced at Taylor and my anger damn near raged a bonfire in me—maybe I was pissed and taking it out on other people.
A savage curse slipped out, and I brushed past Mason as I went to his room. “Let’s get this talk done.”
“That asshole—” Sam said behind me.
But Mason shut her down. “He’s upset.”
“I don’t care.”
“His girl was in danger tonight,” Mason added softly.
I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes. Goddamn. He was right. I’d been lashing out, and…I was a dumbass. As soon as Mason and Sam came into the room, I apologized. “I’m sorry—”
