okay to go into the Reed’s yard to search for a cat?” His words are skeptical, but I can see the deflation in his eyes. He knows his opportunity to bust Reyn is slipping right through his fingers.
Reyn gives a tight shrug. “Cats don’t understand the laws of property lines.”
I add, “Why don’t I just go and give Mrs. Reed a chat? She’ll tell you it’s fine.” They both know I’m right. No one around here would be anything less than perfectly hospitable and courteous to Vandy Hall.
Jerry assesses the two of us. He, like everyone else around here, knows all about our history and the accident. Because of that, he probably thinks he knows what we are to one another. After all, why would Vandy Hall falsely vouch for the boy who hurt her so terribly? She wouldn’t. I can tell that’s what he decides. “Fine. If Miss Hall says you were helping her, then I believe it.” He grabs Reyn by the shoulder and lurches him back, away from the cart. I can tell from the way Reyn holds himself that the motion is rough and jarring. A pathetic attempt at intimidation. “But you just stay on your own property from now on, is that clear?”
The security guard climbs back into his cart. He gives me a look. “The next time your cat goes missing, call me. There’s no need to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation.”
I open my mouth to speak, but Reyn’s hand tugs at the back of my sweater. It doesn’t matter anyway. Jerry’s already zipping down the road away from us, off to terrorize someone else.
I face Reyn. “God, he’s such a—”
“Douchebag. I know.” He takes a deep breath. He still won’t meet my eyes. “Well, I need to change, and you have a party to get back to.”
I nod but grab his arm and say, “You know that’s not true, right? I don’t feel uncomfortable with you. I never have, even that ni—”
“I know,” he says sharply, not letting me say it all the way. Quieter, he adds, “I know you don’t, V. Thanks.” He walks away and I stand there watching, not knowing what to say.
Disappointed, I walk toward my own house, stopping to pick up Firefly on the way. He’s pissed about all the people being inside, getting in his space. I carry him into the kitchen and drop him in the laundry room, shutting the door behind him. When I turn, Emory is waiting for me.
I freeze. Shit. Did he see what happened outside? Does he know I’ve been missing? Once again, I run my hands over my hair and tug at my sweater. He gives me a weird look.
“Where were you?”
“Oh, I uh,” I give an ambiguous wave toward the window. “I was just outside with Firefly.”
His mouth forms a line. “I’ve been looking for Reyn. Have you seen him?”
I decide to tell some of the truth, admitting, “Jerry was giving him a hard time out front.”
“What?” His eyes widen and he starts toward the door. “That fucking prick.”
I grab him. “No, it’s fine. I vouched for him and Jerry let it go.”
“You did?”
“Sure,” I say, my stomach twisting anxiously. “Isn’t that what you do for another Devil?”
“Yeah, actually, it is.” His expression smoothes. “I’m not saying Reyn never did anything wrong, but it’s hard for him, you know? He just has this need to take things that aren’t his.”
I fight a smile. “Yeah, I do know.”
“Well, I needed to talk to you, too. I just found out Sebastian is in a fight tonight. Seems semi-organized. Some dick from Northridge is starting a bunch of shit with the Preston crowd, so I thought maybe we could go as a group. Watch that kid get his ass handed to him.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Go to an illegal fight?”
He shrugs. “It’s not like any of us have clean hands these days. I know it’s not something you’d normally do, so you don’t have to. I just thought it’d be cool for all of us to have his back.”
“It is,” I say. “I think it’s a cool idea.”
“Awesome.” He gives me a grin. This is new for us, doing things together—as equals, not just Emory looking out for me. “Let me go find Reyn and tell him.” He jerks his thumb toward the main room. “You go figure out how to ditch Sydney, because this shit is for Devils only.”