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The rest of the week is an exercise in slow, silent torture as I wait for the shit show to unfold. Patience isn’t my strong suit, and the hours tick by like minutes.
The Saints insist on sitting at my table at lunch, and if any of them are in my classes, they force kids aside so they can take the seat behind me, each one of them enjoying breathing down my neck in an attempt to make me uncomfortable.
They largely ignore me, with the exception of a few carefully chosen insults and threats, but I know we’re all biding our time, and I just want all the cards laid out on the table.
Friday rolls around, and when I arrive home from school and see the red truck parked outside the front of the house, I know D-day has arrived.
I drive past Neo’s truck, ignoring the asshole as he comes out of the house to unload more boxes, parking in the garage beside Mom’s car. I climb out of my SUV and lock it with the key fob, pausing a moment to stare at Dad’s collection of sports cars.
Besides Mom and me, they were his pride and joy, and I always feel a pain in my chest whenever I look at them. A hideous thought infiltrates my mind, and I rush toward the lockbox mounted on the wall at the rear of the garage, removing the keys to all of Dad’s cars and slipping them in my bag.
I’m damned if Neo is driving any of them, and I vow to find some safe place to move them to. The cabin is the ideal solution, and I make a mental note to ask Diesel if he can help me to transport them without anyone knowing.
If Neo gets his hands on any of these cars, I will pepper his body with so many bullets he won’t resemble anything even remotely human when I’m done.
All week I’ve been dreading this moment until I concluded this is actually a good thing.
Keeping your enemies close is a well-known adage that most people dismiss without any thought.
But there is wisdom in the age-old saying.
Having Neo here means I can keep an eye on him in a way that won’t raise suspicion. He might believe he has the upper hand, but I know more than he realizes, and if he knew what I knew, he might not be so confident about moving in here.
At the very least, if he’s under my roof, I have access to kill him.
I don’t want to go to jail for that bastard, but I will if there’s no other option.
I might have to sleep with one eye on my door from now on, but so does he.
I try to keep that thought at the forefront of my mind when the doorbell chimes a couple hours later. I skip down the stairs, getting to the door before Mom or Neo, because I want to have some fun with this.
I open the door, shove my middle finger up at Saint and the guys, and slam the door in their faces before they can barge their way in.
One of them—my money’s on Galen because he’s the most hotheaded—presses his finger to the bell and doesn’t let up. The shrill ringing is like music to my ears as I step away from the door, resting my back against the wall, grinning like a goober while I wait.
Mom and Neo appear a few minutes later. Mom frowns when she spots me, and Neo grins.
“Harlow. What is going on?” Mom asks as Neo flings the door open with more force than necessary.
“Man, am I glad to see you guys. Come in.” Neo ushers the four guys into our hallway. He slaps Saint on the back, dragging him into a one-armed hug. “Welcome to your new home, son.”
CHAPTER 7
I CAN TELL from the shock splashed across Mom’s face she had no idea they were moving in, and that goes some way toward reassuring me. “Neo?” Her face registers confusion as she faces her asshole fiancé.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mention they were moving in with me, darling,” Neo says, reeling Mom into his arms.
I dig my nails into the backs of my thighs and work hard not to project my disgust.
“I wasn’t sure they were going to come with, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up for nothing.”
I smother my snort of hilarity. And they say women are drama queens? The bastard clearly planned it like this so he could intimidate me a little more. I’m glad he thinks I’m an imbecile, because that means he underestimates me, and I can use that to my advantage.
Truth is, the second I saw Neo Lennox sprawled all over my mother, I knew this was coming.
A light bulb goes off in Mom’s eyes as she glances at the guys. “Oh my gosh. Saint.” She reaches out, touching his arm. “You’re so grown up.” Her face softens when she notices his cousin. “You too, Galen.” She palms his face, and he smiles at her like he adores the ground she walks on. “You’re both so handsome.” The smile fades when she notices Theo, and she runs her fingers through her hair in a nervous tell. “Theo. It’s nice of you to help the boys move in,” she says after a few beats.
Neo clears his throat, shooting me a smug look over his shoulder. I like that he’s not even pretending this isn’t all about me. “Theo and Caz are moving in here too. The guys are undergoing initiation, and they need to stick together. I probably should’ve asked you, but it’s not like you don’t have the room. This place is massive.”
Mom doesn’t look surprised at the mention of initiation, but why would she? She grew up in Prestwick. Galen’s mom, Alisha, was her best friend, and she was going out with Neo’s brother, who was also a member of The Sainthood. Mom was Neo’s childhood sweetheart, and she would have been with him when he was undergoing initiation from junior to senior level.
The truth is, Mom knows everything there is to know about The Sainthood.
Including the fact Neo is now the leader of the Prestwick branch and president of the entire national organization.
And she thinks it’s a good idea to move him in here and make him my stepfather.
Way to pick ’em, Mom.
Neo smooths a hand up and down her spine, and I shiver at the thought of his touch. I don’t know how Mom can bear him to touch her. I can’t even look at him without wanting to flay my skin from my bones.
If his touch is like his son’s, then you totally get it, my gnarly inner demon whispers in my ear, and I scowl.
Saint notices, misconstruing it as a smug grin crosses his mouth.
I flip him the bird, and his grin expands.
I’m going to enjoy wiping it off his face.
“I thought they’d be good company for Harlow.” Neo continues lying. “She must get lonely in this big old house by herself when you’re away or working late.”
Mom turns to face me. “Honey, are you okay with this?” Her nerves betray her, and I know it’s not just for me. This has her on edge too. I want to tell her I’m fine with this, because I’d rather they were here, letting this play out right under my nose, than sneaking around behind my back planning shit I can’t predict or control.
But I can’t admit any of that, so I stick to the role I’ve created for myself. “No, Mom. I’m not okay with this.” I glare at the guys before forcing my lower lip to wobble. “I didn’t know who they were,” I lie, pushing off the wall and moving toward her with fake upset on my face.
Her brow creases as she eases out of Neo’s embrace. “I don’t understand. What—”
“They’re the guys from the tape,” I blurt, cutting her off. “I fucked all of them. Except Theo although he watched, and he did jerk off on my tits.”