Page 77 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

“Not this time,” I shot back, stepping closer. The other guys shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between me and Seth. “But next time? You might not be so lucky. That kid could’ve been burned. He could have drowned. He’s definitely traumatized for life. You think the cops are just going to let that slide? You put people in danger and destroyed property. Do you think someone else should have to pay to replace that boat?”

Seth stood up, brushing dirt off his jeans. He was only a couple inches shorter than me, but he still looked small somehow, like he’d never outgrown that scared kid who used to hide behind me when our dad came home drunk. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far,” he muttered, finally meeting my eyes.

“You never do,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter what you meant, Seth. It’s what you did. And now you have to face it.”

“This is stupid,” he muttered.

“You’ll do better turning yourself in than making them hunt you down. Trust me. Cops hate it when you make them do their jobs.”

“Trust you?” Seth swayed a little, telling me that it wasn’t just weed. I could smell the liquor on his breath. “Why the fuck would I trust you when you’re here to hand me over? Whose side are you on?”

I should’ve expected that. Should’ve known he’d make this harder than it needed to be. He knew how to make me feel bad. How to play on my emotions. I had always taken care of him.

“The side that doesn’t want you to make this worse,” I snapped.

“Worse?” Seth barked a laugh. “Man, it was a prank. A fucking boat stunt. No one got hurt.”

“It wasn’t a prank, Seth. It was a serious crime. You’ve pushed the cops too far. They’re not playing. There’s nothing I can do to protect you from yourself.”

Seth’s jaw tightened. He glanced at his friends, like he expected backup. He didn’t get it.

One by one, they stood, brushing dirt off their jeans. “Uh, yeah, man, we gotta bounce,” Matt muttered.

Seth’s head whipped around. “What? You’re leaving?”

“This is family business,” another said.

“There are warrants,” I said. “Not just for Seth. He wasn’t the only asshole playing with fire that night. I know at least one of you was there.”

They scattered like cockroaches exposed to daylight. They ran, leaving Seth standing there, fists clenched, chest heaving. For a second, he looked like he might swing at me. Then his face crumpled.

“Dean,” he choked out, voice cracking. “You can’t let them take me. I can’t—I can’t go to prison.”

His eyes were wet. Fuck.

I dragged a hand over my face. “I’m scared too, Seth.”

The admission tasted like ash. Neither of us admitted we were afraid of anything—ever. It came from a childhood knowing we had to be tough.

Seth blinked, stunned.

“I don’t want to see you locked up,” I said. “But if you run? It’ll only get worse. Own up. Do the right thing for once.” I stepped closer. “I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll get you the best lawyer money can buy. But you’ve got to take the first step. If they have to track you down, it’s going to be ugly. What if they would have found you right now instead of me? You’d be looking at more charges.”

Seth stared at me, his face pale and genuine worry in his eyes. His mouth opened and closed like he was trying to find the words to argue, but nothing came out. For once, he looked young—too young for the mess he’d gotten himself into. I hated it. Hated that I couldn’t just fix this for him like I used to when we were kids. Hell, six months ago I was fixing shit.

“Dean, you don’t get it. I can’t go to prison. I’ll—I’m not cut out for it, man. Do you know what that’s like? No, you don’t. You’ve never even been to jail. It was a stupid joke. I won’t do it again.”

“Tell it to the judge,” I snapped, my patience fraying. “You think I want this for you? But you made the choice, Seth. You lit the damn fireworks. You blew up that boat. You could’ve killed someone. It was such a stupid move. You’re not fifteen. You’re an adult and adults face real consequences.”

“It wasn’t supposed to go like that!” he shouted, slamming his fist on the picnic table. “It was supposed to be funny! A joke!”

“Funny?” I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a growl. “Funny is slipping whoopee cushions under someone’s seat or putting a fake spider in their drink. Funny isn’t nearly burning some kid alive.”

He flinched, but I didn’t stop. “You keep acting like the world owes you something, Seth. Like you can do whatever you want and there won’t be consequences. But guess what? Life doesn’t work like that.”

“So what are you saying?” he said.

“I’m saying that you’re facing charges whether you turn yourself in now or they catch up with you eventually. Turning yourself in will go a long way to proving to a judge you’re taking this seriously. Run, and he’s going to throw the book at you. I said I would get you an attorney. The best we can find. But you have to deal with this. Running isn’t an option.”

Seth swallowed hard. “You swear you won’t leave me?”

“I swear.”

The wind kicked up, rustling the weeds between us. Seth wiped his nose with the back of his hand, staring at the ground. Then, slowly, he nodded.

Or did he?

I held my breath.

And waited.