Page 45 of The Trouble with You (Rixon Raiders 1)

Great.

Just great.

“You shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Fuck, Hailee, it’s East territory. Those fuckers—”

“You think I care about that? About what team they play for? Me being there had nothing to do with you.”

“Come on, Hails, you expect us to believe—” Asher swallowed his words when I levelled him with a hard look.

I threw up my hands, bitter laughter spilling out of me. “You’re deluded, all of you.” My eyes went wide. “If you must know, me and Flick went to that party because you made damn sure we don’t get invited to any parties here. We didn’t even know it was an Eagles thing until Toby said—”

“Toby, who the fuck is Toby?” Cameron finally spoke, and my gaze slid to his.

“You’re actually going to sit there and act like you care?” I all but spat the words at him. In true asshole fashion he remained stone masked, my words rolling off his impenetrable expression.

Silence stretched out before us, the air growing dense. With an exasperated sigh, I looked to Jason again. “Why do you care so much that Lewis Thatcher knows who I am? It’s never mattered before.”

“Because they could come at me through you.”

I scoffed at that. He was talking stupid. I was nothing to him, no one. So the idea someone would hurt me to get at Jason was the most stupid thing I’d ever heard.

“If that’s the case,” I said, “Then I’m surprised you didn’t hand me over willingly.” I locked eyes with him, daring him to prove me wrong.

Jason’s jaw clenched as he curled and uncurled his fist against the counter, over and over, as if he was working the muscles in his hand as well as the problem in his head.

“Trust me, little sister,” he seethed. “You don’t want to end up in the middle of this.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I didn’t ask to end up in the middle of anything.” My voice was shrill, but I was so done with his shit. “You don’t own me, Jason. Everyone else might treat you like the prodigal son of football, but I. Don’t. Care.” My blood boiled with contempt.

Jason stood up. “Fuck this shit,” he said, storming out of the room.

“That went well.” Asher gave me a wry smile, and I rolled my eyes. But he wasn’t done. “You know, he’s right. You think we make your life hell, but if you get in the middle of things with Thatcher and Jase, things could get very messy.”

“What did he do that Thatcher would want to use me to get back at him?”

Asher went to reply, but Cameron said, “Ash, don’t,” shaking his head.

My eyes snapped over to his. “Really, you’re going to keep me in the dark?”

“It’s for your own sake.”

“Oh please, like anything you do is for my sake.”

“Aaaand, I’m out.” Asher got up and started to leave. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, bro. Although looking as good as she does,”—his eyes raked over me, eliciting a shiver up my spine, and not the good kind—“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“Pig.”

“Bitch.” He disappeared into the hall leaving me alone with Cameron.

The very last place I wanted to be.

Cameron

“He’s a disgusting pig,” Hailee said as the door closed behind Asher’s retreating form.

“He’s only messing with you.”

“He called me a bitch.” She gave me a pointed look, daring me to disagree.