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He gives me that cocky grin. “Don’t lie. Everyone saw you hiding under those bleachers last week.”
“I was just checking her out. This school’s small, man; it’s not every day we get fresh faces. Don’t pretend you weren’t looking, too.”
The fire flickers in his eyes and right now he reminds me of Talia. Not in the physical way, but their mannerisms. “Yeah. I’ve been looking at her.”
My blood sears beneath my skin. “Yeah. Whatever. I don’t give a shit.”
He doesn’t believe me, he gives me a sardonic grin. “You catching feelings, Tommy? Have you forgotten about Talia already?”
“Did you screw her in the library?” I fire back. Two can play this game. The two of them were seen talking in the library multiple times. I wonder if that’s where she’s been all week… With him.
He smirks. “Are you jealous?”
I want to knock his brains out. He’s jabbin’ me. He’s good at getting a rise out of me, and I can’t let him. I grab the powder out of his hand and give myself more as Bax sits down, passing me a joint. My hangover tomorrow is gonna be bad.
I grab the joint and hold it in my lips. “Whatever, dude. I don’t care about that chick. She’s nothing.”
“You should,” he says darkly.
My eyesight is completely distorted as I blink at him. “I should what?”
He takes another swig, then adds another bump, wiping his nose clean when he’s done. “You should fall in love with her…it would make your life easier.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Stone silence.
“Remy, man, what the hell are you going on about? Why would falling in love with Diana make my life easier?”
He curses under his breath. “Because no one would miss a girl like that. She the perfect one.”
My insides curdle. “You’ve lost your damn mind.”
“You ever wonder why our parents are so messed up? Or why people die here all the time and have for years and no one seems to care?”
What the hell is he going on about?
I sit down beside him. “I think about that all the damn time. This town has been messed up for as long as I can remember. You’d have to be blind not to see that.”
He runs his hand along his beard and the shadows dance along his dark eyes. “Have you ever heard of the Order of the Shadows?”
I pause for a moment before answering, “Who hasn’t…” Then it clicks…everything clicks. Shadowface…
The truth smacks me right in the face. “Our families are part of it.” Not a question, but a bold statement I never thought I’d say out loud.
We’re not just part of it; it’s in our blood. We’ve been a part of this for hundreds of years, Tommy. All the money in town, all the greed, evil and death stems from us. It’s ours…all of it. Open your eyes for once Tommy. All the evidence is there. It always has been.”
I knew this…the signs were all there. My old man’s first love he never spoke about, the brotherhood among our families, the endless wealth, and power. My father’s testing me, waiting for me to face it. I’m such a goddamn joke.
Remy continues. “There are only four rules you need to follow. Talia calls them the creeds. Embrace the chaos, don’t run your mouth about it to anyone, and you can only enter with your bloodline.”
I jerk my head toward Bax who is very messed up in the corner, not listening to us. “What about Bax, is he involved?”
Remy shakes his head. “No. Just our families. There is another bloodline in town, but we aren’t sure who it is. For now, it’s just us.”
I stare at the fire which is now red embers. “How long have you known all this?” I ask darkly.
He flicks his gaze up. “Longer than I should have. Since I was a kid.”
