Page 300 of Wicked Brutal

“I won’t leave Tobias.”

Victor looks at her brother like he’s something inconvenient stuck to the bottom of the evening. “This has nothing to do with him.”

“It has everything to do with him!”

“Alison.”

“I won’t leave him.”

Victor’s voice rises. “And I told you to COME HERE.”

“She fucking heard you,” I snap. His head whips toward me.

“You shut your fucking mouth.”

“She said no.”

“You don’t speak for her.”

“I don’t fucking have to. She keeps telling you herself.”

“Ryan,” Arthur barks.

Victor starts toward me. Callum steps between us before he gets far. Kaid’s hand lands on my shoulder. X moves in on my other side — not holding me back, just there, a wall on both sides of me so I don’t do the thing every muscle in my body is begging to do.

Because now nobody’s having one conversation. Roman is yelling for everyone to leave. Dad is yelling right back. Arthur is trying to get everybody to shut the fuck up long enough to hear him. Thomas starts in the second Roman threatens to call the police. Clifford has one arm across Danny’s chest because Danny is staring at Roman like he’s one wrong word from forgetting every warning Arthur gave us in the yard. Theodore is beside him. Gideon moves up with Arthur. It’s all the same fight now, ten voices deep, and underneath it Tobias is crying and Ally is white-knuckling her phone and I can feel this whole thing coming apart in real time.

Then Roman stops yelling. I see why. He’s looking at Jane. Really looking at her. Jane standing behind him ready to leave. Tobias clinging to her. Ally holding his hand, her phone still clenched in the other. Arthur Walsh standing in his yard with half the people whose lives have crossed the exact names Jane spent years hiding in a box. I watch it land on him. I watch him do the math.

“What did you do?”

Jane’s face drains.

Victor looks at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Roman ignores him. His eyes drop to Ally’s phone. Then Arthur. Then back to Jane. “You went through my things.”

“No.” Too fast. Way too fast.

Roman laughs, ugly and low. “You fucking did.”

“Roman—“

“What did you give her?”

Victor’s attention snaps to Ally. “What did she give you?”

Ally takes a step backward. Tobias goes with her.

Jane moves in front of both of them. “Leave them alone.”

Roman fucking explodes. “WHAT DID YOU GIVE HER?”

Tobias jumps at the sound.

Dad surges forward. Arthur catches him across the chest. “He’s fucking terrified, Arthur!”

“I KNOW.”