Page 56 of Deceptive Games

“Considering you think she’s too young for you, you sure seem to be invested in her,” I stated dryly, earning a scowl.

“Of course I worry about her. She’s a fucking teenager, Skeet. You’re the one that brought her into this mess, so do her a favor and keep her alive.”

“She walked her ass into our world all by herself.”

“Yeah, and you couldn’t help but take her for a ride and make her feel welcome,” he muttered, checking his phone and making me roll my eyes. It was obvious he was waiting for a text from her too.

“Fine, I’m leaving. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I answered, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone else before heading outside to my car. The Slaughterhouse was being dealt with and it was a quiet night at the Shed, despite today’s chaos, so I trusted Diesel to make sure everything was handled.

I’d organized a cover-up for Tristan’s death, so as long as Diesel stuck to the plan, Rory would be okay.

I drove straight to Caden’s, parking right by the garage and not even bothering to try the front door. It was close to midnight and all the lights were off, so I assumed that Rory and Caden were asleep.

I walked around the side of the house, dodging the cameras easily thanks to their blind spots, and found the dodgy window I’d been using to sneak in, pushing it open and climbing inside. I gave my eyes a few moments to adjust to the dark before walking through the living room and kitchen towards the stairs.

The house was silent as I made my way upstairs, quietly opening Rory’s bedroom door and peeking inside to find her curled up with Caden, and as much as I wanted to be annoyed that he was in here, I couldn’t be.

At least she’d had someone with her today that she was comfortable around.

I closed the door behind me as I walked in, moving to the other side of the bed and stripping down to my boxers, waiting Caden out.

He was awake, his breathing had changed.

When he didn’t speak, I chuckled quietly. “You just checking me out, or what?”

“How do you keep getting in?” he grumbled, not seeming to give a shit that I was there.

“If I tell you, you’ll find a way to stop it from happening,” I replied, sliding into bed and wrapping myself around Rory’s back. “How is she?”

“She slept most of the day. I don’t know how she’s still sleeping,” he admitted.

“It’s the emotional crash. She’ll probably sleep until daylight. Has she said much?”

“She’s more worried that I hate her, I think.”

“Do you? I know you weren’t close with the prick, but he was still your dad.”

“He put me and Mom in the hospital more times than I can count. I’m glad he’s dead,” he replied, a sigh leaving him. “I just hate that Rory was the one to do it. She’s messed up from Liam, so what will this do to her?”

“Make or break her. She’ll either find peace in it or let it sink her. I think she'll be fine. I’m more worried about her and Slash. They’re going to end up having it out soon, and it won’t end well. The crew wants her dead,” I admitted, making him jerk upright to glare down at me in the dark.

“Why do you let her near them then? What the fuck, Skeet?”

“I don’tlether do shit. I’ve kicked her out and she keeps coming back. The guys are starting to notice her lack of rules and they’re pissed. If she was anyone else, she’d be dead already.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“Because I know you love her. I’m tired, man. My crew thinks I’m against them, and I’m worried they’re going to make a stand. Pretty sure that’s what Slash’s bullshit today was. I should cut her off completely this time to make sure she’s safe.”

The thought made me sick. This goddamn girl had me beating up my best friend and boss.

I couldn’t imagine walking away from her though.

“But you’re not going to,” Caden said with annoyance as if reading my mind, making me snort.

“The smart thing to do is for all of us to push her away and let her track down her mom, but we’re all too selfish.”

“My love for her isn’t going to get her killed, unlike yours,” he argued.