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His foot leaves my back and I get back up, dizzy from the fear and spending time on the cold floor.
“Rose,” he smiles. His voice is back to a sickly-sweet drawl but I’m sweating in fear when I see her at the bottom of the stairs with Chris.
“What are you doing here?” she asks in her high voice. The one she saves for him, the innocent one that he loves so much.
“I was just visiting. Jake and I needed to have a chat, and I missed you, my beautiful flower.” His words are daggers as he finishes his sentence, “I see you were too busy to miss me.”
Chris’ brows furrow in confusion. He knows who Bianco is, he knows how much we loathe him, but I know Ozy never talked to him about what he used to do to her, what he started doing again. I don’t even know if he’s ever seen the letters he branded on the back of her neck. If he has, he never mentioned it to me.
“I hate your hair like that,” Mateo insists, spitting venom at her.
Her hair is always down when she’s not around him and he can’t stand not seeing the brand he left on her, whereas she can’t stand showing it.
“I know,” she replies in a trembling voice. Her hands automatically go to her wrists, looking for a hairband that isn’t there. “I’ve got a hairband in my room. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t bother.” The disappointment in his voice could break a weaker soul.
“Nate isn’t here,” I jump in. “We talked. You can leave.”
My eyes can’t stop going to Chris. His seem to have lost their usual honey color and turned a few shades darker. They’ve never looked so brown.
Mateo doesn’t reply to me. He tucks his gun back in the holster he’s wearing under his suit jacket and takes his time to walk to Rose. I start walking too but her hard eyes stop me in my tracks. Why does she do this? Why does she let him get close? She knows what follows.
He’s barely reached her that his palm slaps her hard enough to resonate in the immense foyer. She tries to stay straight but her hand shoots to her now bright red cheek.
“You look disgusting,” he seethes. “I–” He doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Chris is on him, grabbing him by the neck and pushing him until Bianco’s back hits the wall.
“Chris!” My twin shouts.
“Fucking touch her again. Go on, fucking try!” My friend’s voice is hoarse with anger. I’ve never seen him like that.
We always joke about who would finally make calm Christopher Murray flip. We just never realized it would be that bad when he did. He’s much taller and bigger than Mateo, and when he grabs him by the collar of his crisp white shirt, lifts him, and slams him into the wall, Bianco hits the back of his head.
Rose runs to them, grabbing Chris’ shoulder in an attempt to pull him away but I grab her.
“Let him,” I growl.
“That’s not gonna help us, Jake,” she seethes at me, but I don’t let her go.
I need this, and if I’m too weak and Chris has to take over then I don’t care. As long as Bianco suffers.
“He’s got a fucking gun!” she screams at me.
Looking at the position he’s in right now, with Chris practically choking him into unconsciousness, I don’t think he’s got the strength to reach for his gun.
The front door opens to Nate and Sam, and everything happens too quickly to do anything. Nate pulls out his gun faster than I can understand, pointing it at our friend.
“Don’t!” I shout at him, fear gripping me.
Sam is on Chris anyway. He pulls him away and punches him in the jaw, making him stumble back. I let go of Rose to jump on Sam. I manage to hit him in the ribs, making him retreat slightly but the whole thing is a fucking mess.
Until Mateo pulls out his gun. Everything freezes when he aims it at my best friend, my brother.
Chris steps away from Sam, raising his hands in front of him in surrender.
“Do you know what people who rise against me have to say about it?” Bianco says in a voice colder than arctic.
Chris’ gulp is loud in my ears. He shakes his head in negation.
