Saint smirks, Galen snarls, and Theo is passive. As usual.
Caz beams like he just won a fucking award.
“You are so freaking weird,” I admit, taking another bite of my burger.
Saint watches me eat with a wolfish grin on his face.
“It’s his word of the day,” Theo says, and I arch a brow.
Caz elbows Galen in the gut as he leans toward me, his warm brown eyes lit with excitement. “You know what the Urban Dictionary is, princess?”
Now, it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Well, duh,” I mumble over a mouthful of burger.
“Caz is addicted to it,” Theo continues explaining.
“And he drives us fucking insane,” Saint cuts in. “He picked skullfuck from the list of trending words this morning, and he’s been trying to fit it into the conversation all day.”
I finish my burger, crumple up the empty paper bag, and throw it on the floor of Saint’s pristine new ride. The wolfish grin vanishes from his face, and I silently fist pump the air as I turn to face Caz. “I think that’s pretty cool. And I’m game to play.”
The goofy smile on his face matches the smug glint in his eyes as he flips Saint off. “The princess loves my geekiness. I’ve just died and gone to heaven.”
I snicker as I extract my cell and power it on. I can practically feel the hostility radiating from Saint. I’ve noticed he doesn’t like it when I give the others attention, and I’ve added that to my arsenal of dirty tricks.
Ignoring the multitude of fake worried texts from Mom, I log on to Google and type in the name of the site. I can hardly contain my laughter as I read the definition. “Skullfuck. The action of inserting one’s erect penis into the eye socket of another person and proceeding to thrust your hips back and forth, thereby fucking their skull.” I knew what the word meant, but I still make a face. “Ew. Gross. What kind of sick fuck would do that?”
“Rumor has it the SoCal Sainthood chapter did that a couple years back to a bunch of their rivals,” Theo says in a deadpan voice like he’s reading an encyclopedia.
“After they’d gouged out their eyes and before they pumped them full of bullets,” Saint clarifies.
“They sent a video of it to the dead dudes’ girlfriends and wives,” Caz says, waggling his brows like it’s the best thing he’s ever heard.
“Never invite me to any parties in the SoCal chapter,” I deadpan, shivering at the thought.
“I don’t know why you’re looking so pleased with yourself,” Galen says, goading Caz with a look. “That was lame-ass.”
“You’re just pissy ’cause the princess beat your time,” Caz retorts.
“What the what?” My confused gaze bounces between them.
“The pit was one of our initiation trials,” Saint confirms, and I try to look like all the blood hasn’t drained from my face. “And you beat Galen’s time by ten minutes.”
I frown. “How can you tell?”
Did the assholes have eyes on me in the woods?
“We based it off the time it took for you to return to the house,” Saint replies.
I slant my best puppy-dog eyes at Galen. “Aw, beaten by a girl. How tragic.”
“Consider it a freebie,” he snarks. “It won’t be happening again.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, my mouth tasting like sandpaper. “Whose idea was it for me to replicate one of your trials anyway?”
Saint picks up on something in my tone, and he scrutinizes my face closely before he’s forced to return his attention to the road. “Mine. Why?”
“I doubt your dad’d be pleased. Girls have a clear role in the organization, right? I thought they were either wives, girlfriends, or hoodrats?”
“Correct, but why would us dropping your sexy ass in the same pit ruffle Sinner’s feathers?”
I shrug. “Just an observation.”
“Neo wouldn’t give a fuck,” Galen says. “You crawled your way out of a pit. Big fucking deal.”
“One of these days, I’m gonna carve that grumpy look off your face and give you a new smile, à la Joker style,” Caz replies, attempting to lighten the tension in the air.
“One of these days, I’m gonna hack the Urban Dictionary site and wipe it off the face of the planet,” Galen retaliates.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m sick of this shit talk.” Saint grips the wheel tight. “We’ve got business to attend to, and I need everyone’s head in the game.”
“Then, you should’ve left the slut at home,” Galen supplies. “Because all she does is stir shit.”
“I haven’t done a fucking thing,” I protest, flinging my hands in the air. “Not my fault you’ve got a giant stick up your ass.”
The car screeches to a halt in the middle of the road, and cars swerve to avoid crashing into us, honking their horns, the drivers waving angry fists as they pass by.
Holy fucking shit.
Saint is a law unto himself.
“You’re acting like spoiled children, and I won’t tolerate insubordination,” Saint roars, glaring at his friends. He pokes his finger at his cousin. “You’re giving me a fucking headache. Knock it off.”
Galen folds his arms, challenging Saint with a look that suggests he won’t back down.
“I’m in fucking charge,” Saint continues, “and you’ll do as I say. If you don’t like it, I can always have a word with Sinner. See how well that goes down.”
“Drive the car, asshole,” Galen hisses, gripping the back of Saint’s chair. “And fuck off with the lecture. We don’t need a reminder of who’s in charge.” A snide smile graces his lips. “But not for much longer.” He prods Saint in the back in a deliberate move. “Just remember, once we complete initiation and graduate school, we’ll be members of the senior chapter. You’ll only be a small fish in a big pond then.”
“I’m the prez’s son. My word will still be king.” Saint’s bloodcurdling tone sprouts goose bumps all over my body. “And like my father, I’ll move through the ranks quickly.” He sends a bone-chilling look in Galen’s direction. “You’d do well to remember that, cousin.”
Galen bleeds frustration as he stares out the window, seething. He’s a melting pot of restrained aggression that’s going to erupt and destroy everything around him someday.
Saint starts up the car, and we move forward again. “I know shit is eating you up,” he says after a while, glancing at Galen through the mirror. “We’ll get to the bottom of it. I promise.”
Hmm. That’s interesting. Is he referencing the pics of Galen’s mom? Everyone knows she’s a junkie, and I doubt anyone is shocked she’s hooking. I’m only surprised because my dad had them. Am I missing something here?
“You seriously need to get laid,” Caz adds. “Blue balls make you cranky as hell.”
Galen grunts, and I feel the daggers digging into my back. “Not like that’s happening anytime soon.”
I twist around, smiling sweetly. “I’ll crawl in there and fuck you right now if it means you stop being an almighty pain in my ass.”