Chapter 11

Jace.

I sat back, my legs stretched out on the most comfortable couch I’d ever come in contact with, the show I’d been watching on mute. It was one of those reality shows taking place at a trendy beach, with hot girls in bikinis and more drama than what they are worth.

There was probably something better to watch, but I wasn’t sitting this close to the bathroom for the sake of TV.

No, nothing beats the sound of Elise’s cries of fury.

I had to admit, I expected her to scream for help, but so far, she’d been calling us all the vile names under the sun, and cussing worse than a filthy-mouthed sailor.

“It’s been twenty minutes,” Hunter chuckled behind me. “You think she’s going to crack soon?”

I sat up, surprised to see him lounging in a black bean bag with a creepy-ass grin on his face. My eyes narrowed on the bean bag that was practically swallowing him whole and arched a brow. “That does not look comfortable.”

I had learned to stop asking him where he came from, or how he managed to get around so stealthily. This fucker would have you dead even before you saw him coming.

Good thing we were friends. That was, if you could call it that.

We had met the night Elise was arrested. I was there to watch the race, minding my business, when Hunter snuck up on me, and asked me about Elise. He somehow knew I was in her pack and wanted to make sure he had the right girl in his sights.

Turned out he was hired by Elise’s father, the alpha of our pack, as protection, and under the impression that her father thought she was in danger. From who, my guess was as good as anyone’s. I had no idea what made him feel like he could trust me with that bite of information, but he did.

In return, I pointed her out for him. But something felt off about the situation. I decided to follow him and when he had confronted me, I convinced him that I wanted to help keep her safe. At first, he turned me down, thinking I wanted his cut of the money her father was going to give him for the job.

I made it clear I wanted to help and didn’t care about the money. He gave in and agreed.

That was when we saved her from the Snake and took her to the police. It was a big shock to me when I found out it was in the plan to have her arrested all along.

I felt like shit. I promised her safety, and that I wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to her–look what played out instead. I was pissed at Hunter at first, aware he had tricked her, and planted drugs on her.

Once Elise’s father explained it was for her protection, I understood why it had to be done.

Still didn’t make me feel any better for lying to her.

I mean, screw it. She was hot as fuck and I’d be lying if I’d say I wasn’t planning to have a go at her. It was my intention when I had picked her up outside that detention center this morning.

It took a good beating, and her racing off with my car for me to get riled up enough to change my mind.

I full-on snapped when I found out on the surveillance footage what she had done to my crimson beauty.

Do you have any idea how many shady jobs I’d had to do to afford that fucking car?

“I could sleep in it,” Hunter replied with a sigh.

A crash sounded, followed by glass shattering. I faced the door, a sense of unease settling inside my chest. “I should go check on her.”

“Worried she got hurt?” Hunter eyed me. “It was your idea.”

He didn’t need to remind me. I thought it would be hilarious if she’d wake up in a bathroom of chickens. I didn’t think it would bring serious harm to her. Now, however, doubt was settling like an ugly monster inside my chest.

Fuck. Maybe I wasn’t angry or vengeful enough to follow through with shit like this.

“Bastards!” Elise screeched from somewhere outside the window.

“What the?” I bolted for the window, sticking my head outside to see her disappearing around the corner, with four chickens speeding after her, clucking furiously.

When I peered left, I spotted glass and a piece of the window frame lying on the grass.

A low whistle sounded from behind me. “She doesn’t go down easy, does she?”

“Why do I get the feeling up my ass that she’s going to be a problem?” I straightened to face Hunter, who was still lounging unbothered in the bean bag.

“If there’s one thing I learned about problems…” he breathed, a dark look crossing his face. “Is to either eliminate it, or to put it in its place.”

I pursed my lips. “Elimination isn’t an option.”

“Well,” he cocked his head to the side, grinning. “You know the other option.”

I crossed my arms to my chest. “It’s been what I’ve been doing, shithead.”

“Yeah? Where did you get those bruises from?” he smirked. “And what’s that red, not-so-shiny thing in the lake in the backyard? Looks like you’re definitely putting her in her place.”

“She had the upper hand, for like a fucking second. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“No. She had your dick in her hand. And once that happens, you’re fucked.”

“She did not–”

Hunter sat up, snorting. “You had a haircut yesterday. This morning before you left, you nearly killed us with how much deodorant you sprayed your crummy ass with. Not to mention, how you checked your reflection about fifty times.”

“So?”

Hunter got up effortlessly from the bean bag. “You can’t bullshit me. I know what your intentions were the moment you left this house.”

As much as I hated to admit it, the shithead was right. I sighed. “Not anymore.”

Hunter huffed. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

I was about to snap at him, when Elise appeared in the doorway. Not a second later, my vision blurred as she tossed a bucket of mud and feathers in my face.