Page 45 of Dark

Crap. Maybe I’d said that last part out loud.

“Like this is any of your business,” I snapped.

Ellie shot Hayden a look. Brody raised an eyebrow. I clenched my teeth.

“E, c’mon.” August inserted himself between me and Dallas. “You’re worse than Dad.”

“For real,” muttered Dallas, taking a pull from his beer.

Lacey snorted.

“Enough,” growled Brody, infusing his voice with power. “You know the rules. We hang that shit at the door on Sundays.”

The yard fell silent. I ground my teeth but took my plate to the table. Brody had been acting Alpha for just over a year, ever since Ben left. Cal was serving as second after Brody’s original choice bailed, and let’s just say no one was doing particularly well with the transition.

Ellie grabbed Hayden’s sleeve, a freaky telepathic eye fight taking place while everyone else dug into their potato salad like whoever reached their plate first would find the winning Powerball numbers. Ellie dropped her plate, scattering Nilla wafers across the flagstones. A tail ghosted beneath the table.

“Major!” Brody barked.

Sulking, the dog reemerged.

“This is bullshit,” Ellie snapped.

Hayden glared. “Can we not do this here?”

“No. I’m through pretending everything is fine. First there was the mugging. Now you’re telling me that the fever, the discoloration in your eyes was because someone tried to poison you? And you still won’t take this seriously?”

“Newsflash: I am taking it seriously. And I need you to trust me.”

“Why should I? All you do lately is lie. And now they’re after both of us. We have to go to the police. We can’t just sit here—”

“We’ve been over this,” Brody cut in. “I’ve been gathering intel on this gang for years—”

“Oh, but you can’t even tell me their name? Because that’s so believable.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“I’ve told you everything I’m allowed to disclose. This organization is brutal, well-connected, and the last thing you want is for them to put a hit out on you and your sister because then there won’t be a damn thing I can do to protect either of you.”

And… cue the crickets.

Tears flooded Ellie’s eyes. Gripping her hand, Hayden sliced a glare Brody’s way.

“Please can we just go?” Ellie said in a low voice. “Just walk out the front door with me right now, no questions asked, and I’ll never ask you for anything again.”

Hayden looked away, eyes bright and glassy.

I frowned. “Ellie—”

“Don’t.” She stood, the few curls that had sprung loose from the knot on top of her head shaking with rage. “Every time you come around my sister, she winds up getting hurt. If you want to help, stay away from both of us.”

The words twisted in my gut like a knife.

Brody cleared his throat. “Need you to trust me on this. I’m going to have a plainclothes deputy, someone I know is clean, watching you and your sister at all times until we catch this guy. You’ll be protected—”

“I don’t want anything from your family. You own half this county and think it entitles you to do anything you want. I’m calling someone to come pick me up.” Tossing her plate into the trash, Ellie slammed the door, Hayden close on her heels.

Brody leaned forward. “Let’s do this quick. West?”

My brother whipped out his phone. “Grabbed the video off the camera we installed in her car. There isn’t much, but we got a couple of shots.”