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Chapter Three

Ezekiel

Three weeks later…

I haven’t seen Hayze or Archer since we were banished. I’ve wanted to reach out to them and try to explain what happened but always lost the nerve. I don’t think they would even take my calls if I tried but it’s not like either of them has reached out to me. Vox refuses to speak to me whenever my sister calls. Even after suffering through the loss of my brothers and her , I’m still grateful to know that Taylor didn’t die and is in fact alive and well. She just has a different name now. Her story isn’t mine to tell, I’m just so fucking glad she had the strength to escape the hell she was put in and find us without meaning to.

I shift and wince in pain, nearly a year later and my hip is still fucking causing me pain. Even after Vivi betrayed and banished all of us and our families from Hollow Hills, I still chose to be blooded in for her. As her husband, she had the choice to take the beating from the Saints that all new lords—or in her case lordess—go through or give the honor to me. I took it without her having to ask because I would rather die than ever allow those cunts to touch a single hair on her fucking perfect head.

It took me a long time to recover from being blooded in for her but once I did I spent my days tracking my boys. I found out they had applied to college and are going to play ball for some elite rich preppy school, Crestview Heights University or better known as CHU. They have one of the best teams in the country and I know Vox and my sister have applied there as well.

I don’t think any of them know that we are all going to end up in the same place.

I didn’t choose CHU to play ball, I chose to go there so I can bring the Filthy Few back together. Which is why I arrived at CHU a week early to catch Hayze and Archer off guard. Nova is the only one who knows about all of us coming here together, she’s nervous about how Vox will react to seeing me and the guys but it's time he learned that Vivian is mine– ours.

The only reason I haven’t killed him for touching my sister is because I know he fucking loves her. He proved that by saving her and risking everything we had worked for just to prove that he loved her.

Nova is so madly in love with Vox nothing else in the world seems to matter except for him. Living next door to my sister and ex best friend for the past year has been tense. Vox refuses to come to dinners with our moms or even look at my house when he goes out. I know him, and I know he thinks I betrayed him by marrying Vivian. I didn’t marry her because of the reasons he thinks I did.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when I see Hayze and Archer stumbling toward the dorms with a few guys and girls trailing after them. Fuck, my boys have changed a lot in a year, we had never gone more than a day without speaking or seeing each other. We may be a foursome but Vox and I were always closer and the same goes for these two idiots. I step out of the car and move around the front to lean on the hood. The second Archer tenses I know he can feel my eyes on him. Hayze spots me and instantly sobers. They say something to their group before they storm across the lot toward me. Before they can come at me, I lift my shirt slightly so they can see the gun in my waistband which forces them to a stop. Both their faces morph into masks of anger.

“You want to come here after months of silence and bring a fucking piece with you?” Hayze scoffs in disgust. “Take the beating like a man, you little bitch.”

I raise a brow at my friend and purse my lips. “I’m not here to fight,” I say.

“Then why the fuck did you come here, you backstabbing fuck?” The venom in Arch’s tone has guilt gnawing inside me.

“Because we need to talk.”

“I got nothing to say to you,” Hayze spits out, then moves to leave but I stop him with my words.

“Vox and Nova will be here next week.” That has them both looking at me with judgment in their eyes.

“Ah, so because he’s fucking your sister he forgives you, nice.” I push off the hood of my car and step into Hayze.

“Talk about my sister like that again and I’ll put a bullet between your eyes,” I warn.

“Fuck off, Ezekiel, we got nothing to say to you. Go back to your best friend and wife. ” He spits the word wife like it burns his tongue. I can see Archer’s hurt over this and thinks I betrayed him but I didn’t.

“I had to do it.”

“Why?” Hayze roars.

“Since when the fuck did you fall for Vi?” I clap back.

“Long before you and Archer, dumbass, but I respected her too much to act on my feelings, unlike you fuckers.”

I shake my head. “I never fucked Vivian, Hayze.” He reels back clearly surprised by my answer and I dart my gaze to Archer who is looking everywhere but at us. “But, clearly Archer did,” I snarl.

His brown eyes burn with anger as he glares at me. “Yeah, I did. I touched her and I don’t fucking regret it because she wasn’t just some chick to warm my fucking bed. I was prepared to go against Vox for her.”

“Well, why didn’t you?” I fire back.

He scrubs a hand down his face. “Because I got scared of how much I felt for her,” he admits bitterly. We’re all silent for a while as we digest everything.

“Why are you here?” Hayze asks, sounding tired.

“I want her.” They both snort.

“You fucking have her, dumbass, the ring you still fucking wear shows you own her! We lost, so fuck off and leave us alone,” Archer snaps.

“I didn’t win shit! She stood there and watched as I got my ass beat and didn’t even look like she cared. I want her out of there and back with us but I need your help.” Both of them share a look before turning back to me.

“What the fuck do you need us for?” Hayze grits out.

“I had a friend hack her system and decline all her college applications except for CHU.” Both their eyes widen as I smile smugly.

“You did what?” Archer rasps out.

“She still has to graduate college before she can fully lead the Saints. Vivian is going to be touring CHU,” I tell them.

“I know that look,” Hayze mutters.

“What look?” I snap.

“The one you have right now, fuck face. It's your I have a plan look.” I grin but neither Hayze nor Archer smiles. Arch seems to be too lost in his own head to even fathom what is happening around him. “Archer and I are done with this shit, even if she does come here…” Hayze clamps his mouth closed and drops his gaze to the ground, unable to finish.

“She will come here, I made sure of that when I?—”

I snap my mouth shut when Archer pushes into me, getting right in my face. “ We don’t know her. If we fucking did then she wouldn’t have married your fucking ass,” he roars. Guilt churns inside me at the sight of pain etched into his features. I had no idea Archer felt this strongly about Vivian. I always knew he was soft for her and that there was a spark or whatever the fuck you want to call it, but I guess I just chalked that shit up to her being the one none of us could have and you know the old saying, you always want what you can’t have.

“It’s not what you idiots think,” I grit out, then shove Archer back. He tries to come at me again but Hayze darts his arm out, stopping him.

“You came here to do what, Ez? Rub it in that you got the girl, then fucked it up so you came crawling back?”

I shake my head. “You have it all wrong, Draven. I married her to save her fucking life and all of yours!” I snarl.

“No, you may have saved her life but you fucking ruined ours and you ruined our brotherhood for the sake of you wanting to be the fucking hero. I hope it was worth it, asshole,” Archer spits then stalks off. Hayze stares after him for a second, then sighs and scrubs a hand down his face.

“Why are you really here, Ezekiel?”

I meet Hayze’s gaze and I hate that I can see so much apprehension in his eyes. Never before has he ever looked at me like this and I fucking hate it. Archer may be right, I think I really did break us and I don’t know how to fix it.

“I meant what I said. I want her, Hayze.”

“Since when?” he shouts.

“Since always! I was just never obvious about it like Archer who followed her around like a love sick puppy.”

“If you want him to forgive you, then you need to give her up.” I balk at him.

“What?” I grit out.

Hayze shakes his head and then glances in the direction Archer stalked off. “He’s in love with her, Ezekiel. He has been for years. Him finding out the way he did that you married her nearly fucking broke him. He was ready to go against Vox and take every broken bone he would have given him just so he could date his sister. Can you say you would do the same for her?”