Page 42 of Furious (The Six Six Six Rule #2)

The Truth Will Set You Free

ZARA

A res’s shoulders are tense as he stops with his back to me.

I don’t need to see his face to know how he looks right now. I’ve seen him angry, furious, before.

Out of all the things I should pay attention to right now, I notice that the car he’s just unlocked isn’t his jeep.

“Ares.” I repeat, but this time my voice is barely above a whisper.

He doesn’t turn to look at me, but at least he speaks to me. “What?”

“Please, look at me.”

When he does, the pain in his eyes hits me harder than if I had been slapped. I know Ares would never hit me, but somehow that look is more painful than a thousand strikes.

Betrayal.

That’s the emotion that turns Ares’s silver eyes into a dark slate gray. His chiseled jaw is ticking, the muscle in it jumping as he grinds his teeth.

His fists are clenched at his sides, so tight that his knuckles are white. “What do you want, Zara?”

I want you to hug me and kiss me. I want you to understand that I love you, but I love them, too.

I don’t say any of it out loud. This is not the time or place. “What you saw…” I begin, but I stop when his scowl deepens.

“What?” he laughs when the words fade into my mouth. It’s a harsh, mirthless sound. “It wasn’t what it looked like?”

My tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth and all I can do is to shake my head.

“Good.” His mouth flattens into a hard line. “Because I don’t know what kind of spin you could put in what I just witnessed other than you letting my brother and Lev use you like their own personal fuck toy.”

My heart was beating wildly in my chest, but it almost stops at his words. I was distraught, worried about hurting Ares’s feelings, but that emotion is quickly replaced by anger.

“So what if I did?” I take one step closer to him, mimicking his hard stance. “Have you thought that maybe I’m not their fuck toy, but they’re mine?”

His blond eyebrows hit his hairline as his mouth drops open. “What?”

“Yes.” I advance, hitting his chest with my pointer finger. “What if what happened wasn’t to fulfill Chance and Lev’s fantasies but my own? Have you thought about that?”

His eyes are wide with shock, the pupils blown so big that they’re almost entirely black. “What are you talking about?”

“Last time I was with Lev, we talked about some of the stuff that happened today. It wasn’t the first time I was with both of them together, and if it’s up to me, it won’t be the last.”

It’s Ares’s turn to shake his head. “That… Zara, that’s insane.”

His shock does nothing to calm my temper. If anything, it fuels my anger. “Why? Because a woman can’t have any sexual fantasies?” I provoke him.

“No. I never said that.”

“Then what?” I insist. “I’m allowed to have fantasies, but only if they match your expectations?”

He’s panicking now. I can see it in his eyes.

“No. No. You’re allowed to have any fantasies you want.”

I’m the one who barks out a laugh this time. “Gee, thanks. For a second there, I was wondering if you expected me to walk two steps behind you. Maybe even ask you how I should vote and get your approval every day before I leave the house to make sure that my outfits don’t offend you.”

My verbal barbs hit the intended target. “Ok, point taken. You can cut the snark, Zara.”

Zara, not princess.

Ares is still mad at me, but I’m just as angry. “What you saw,” I bite out tersely. “Was something I wanted. No one was being used or betrayed.”

He frowns, as if he was trying to rationalize what I just said.

“I wanted what happened with Chance and Lev. You can’t act like what we did was a betrayal, because you know I’m seeing both of them. I would be very careful before you say anything else you can’t take back, Ares.” I warn him.

When he doesn’t say anything else, I continue.

“They love sharing me in bed and the only thing that could have made the last half hour more perfect would have been to have you there, too.”

“Zara,” he begins shaking his head again, but I interrupt him.

“I’m falling for you, Ares. But I’m falling for Chance and Lev, too. I don’t know if I can ever choose.”

He considers my words, and for a second I dare hope that he understands.

“That’s fucking insane.” He says. “Do you really expect to continue to have a relationship with each of us? You can’t be in love with more than one person. If you can’t choose, maybe you don’t care for any of us as much as you think you do.”

I have given that a lot of thought. “That’s not it, Ares.

It’s just the opposite. I’m falling for each of you so deeply and completely, that just the idea of letting one of you go hurts too much to even think about.

Each of you completes me, and I know how crazy it sounds, but it’s how I feel.

I’m in love with you, Ares. But I’m also in love with Chance and Lev.

I don’t feel guilty and I’m not ashamed about it. ”

Chance’s voice comes from behind me. “Oh, baby. I love you, too.”

I turn and my breath hitches in my throat at the sight of my stepbrother and Lev.

“I love you, Zee.”

They must have run after me when I followed Ares. They obviously got dressed in a rush.

I can’t stop but smile at the sight of Lev wearing his t-shirt inside out. Chance’s chest is bare and I realize that in the heat of the moment, as I was running after Ares, I put on his t-shirt.

I turn again to look at Ares. What I find in his eyes isn’t what I was hoping to see.

“I’m not going to say those three little words right now, Zara.” He bites out. “Not because I don’t feel them. I just… I want to be with you, but this? I don’t know if I can give you what you want.”

Chance comes to wrap one arm around my shoulders. “If you really loved her,” he says to his older brother. “You would at least try, Ares.”

“And do what?” Ares’s voice goes up a few decibels.

“Join the three of you the next time someone’s feeling a little freaky?

Have you even listened to yourself? But let’s say that for one second I was crazy enough to consider this.

Let’s pretend that I didn’t want to cut both your balls off with a rusty butter knife when I saw you in there, tag teaming the woman I love.

Have the two of you thought about this long term?

Dad hit the roof when he thought you and I were both interested in Zara.

When he assumed that she might want to date one of us.

How would our parents react to this little arrangement? ”

Worry swirls in my stomach. Ares isn’t wrong.

“I know they won’t be happy.” I admit. “But we’ll find a way to talk to them, eventually. Hopefully, they can see that no one is being hurt or betrayed. That what we have is based on love and respect.”

Ares’s eyes go from me, to Lev, to Chance.

“So this is it? You two are going to share Zara? And you expect me to agree to this and join in?”

Chance shrugs. “You don’t have to join into anything you aren’t comfortable with, brother.

But yes. We all love Zara and if you calm down enough to give this some serious thought, like this we all get to be happy.

No one will have to get their heart broken and watch his brother, his best friend, with the woman he loves.

Like Zara said, everything is out in the open, like we’ve been doing so far.

We all love Zara and we care about each other more than anyone else in the world.

We can work on jealousy and on how to keep this relationship going in a way that makes us all happy.

No one is being cheated on or lied to, don’t you see? ”

Hope is a terrible thing. Because when it’s gone, it hurts like hell.

Ares’s eyes bore into me as if he could see deep into my soul. He gives Chance and Lev the same probing look. “Nice speech, little brother. It would be even nicer if any of it was true.”

Ares is right. I haven’t been completely honest with them.

Anxiety twists my insides and I struggle with the urge to squirm under that silver gaze. I’ve been looking for the right moment to come clean about the racing. About the fact that I’m JJ Smith and that I was racing that day in Bridgeport.

It’s possible that they won’t forgive me for keeping this secret from them, but I had my reasons. Coming clean is a risk I have to take. I want our relationship to be based on complete honesty and trust.

“Guys, Ares is right.” I force the words out of my mouth, willing my heart to slow its pace long enough to tell them everything. “There is something I’ve been wanting to tell you. I?—”

“I know I’m right.” Ares interrupts me, his gaze fixed on Chance and Lev. “So? You two have nothing to say?”

A look passes between Chance and Lev. It’s like some kind of silent communication between them. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen them do this.

My pulse skyrockets at the way Ares is challenging them. Does he know? Does he know about the secret races on campus?

No, it’s impossible. Ares is a cop. If he knew, he’d have had to tell the sheriff.

But if he isn’t talking about the races, what else could it be?

Whatever it is, I need to remember that I love them and they feel the same way about me. Like I haven’t been completely honest with them, I need to keep an open mind if there’s something else Chance and Lev have been keeping from me.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about, Ares.” Chance says. “We’d love to find out whatever it is that you think can make Zara choose you over us, but we have a hockey game to play tonight and we’re due at the arena very soon. This will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Fine. Dig your own graves if you want. But when the shit hits the fun, don’t come looking for my help.” Ares gets into the unfamiliar car and drives off.

I follow Chance and Lev into the house.

We all use separate showers to clean up and for once I’m glad neither of them tries to join me.

I trust them enough not to be too worried about whatever Ares was implying before. If there’s something they aren’t telling me, I’m sure they have a good reason. Like they aren’t telling me about the races to protect me from breaking the law and from Cal.

My ex gave them no choice but to race. For as much as I love riding my dad’s old bike and racing, I know we can’t keep this up without being caught.

Cal is doing this for the money. I have no doubt about it. There’s only one way to get him to let Chance and Lev off the hook. Money.

Wren told me that the bets were uncapped. Anyone could bet an unlimited amount on their chosen bike.

As my “girlfriend,” she would only be allowed to bet on my victory to avoid me fixing the race and let someone else win.

My mind is made up. If I bet enough to bust the house in case of victory, I can demand that Cal lets my men go in lieu of paying me.

Betting my entire trust fund is risky, even because I can’t really touch it until I turn twenty-one. But it’s the only way to be free from under Cal’s thumb. All I have to do is win and everything will be fine.

I text Wren from Lev’s car.

Thankfully, both Lev and Chance seem lost in their own thoughts and don’t look over my shoulder.

I wave them goodbye as they drop me off in front of Heather’s house. Getting ready to go to the hockey game with Heather is just what I need to take my mind off what I’m planning to do tonight.

After losing last week, my odds will be very rewarding in case of victory and that will give me leverage with Cal. But if I lose? I’m going to be in a lot of trouble.