Devil's Pass (The Harlequin Crew #.5) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,50
unruly blonde hair which had fallen over his face in the storm.
"Listen to me," he said in a calm, deadly tone which I'd noticed Fox had been perfecting lately too. It was the kind of tone that said you're fucked without having to shout or swear to drive the point home. "I can't let this go, Rick. You're a Harlequin now. You swore in. And there's rules I gotta abide by that are beyond even me."
"If you hurt her you're a dead man," I vowed on everything I was, staring him right in the eye. "You'll have to put me in the ground too if you touch that girl."
He nodded like he understood that and fear trickled through me at the thought that he just might pick that option and kill two birds with one stone.
"Here's what's gonna happen," he said eventually, my pulse feeling like it was going to burst my ear drums with how fiercely it was pounding in my head. "Someone's gotta take the heat for killing Snake Eyes," he said quietly. "Axel's body is with the Sunset Cove PD, it's outta my hands. So we need a fall guy and it looks like you just volunteered."
"What?" I croaked, staring at him as those words ricocheted around my skull. Fall guy?
He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. "I'm a reasonable father, kid. But you're not just my boy anymore. You're part of my crew. And you've wronged me bad tonight. There ain't no two ways about it."
"You can't do this," I rasped. "I've been nothing but loyal to you!"
"Well that ain't exactly true, is it?" he growled, his eyes narrowing and they looked so much like Fox's for a second my hate extended beyond Luther to his whole fucking family. But then I pushed the thought away, because Fox wasn't like him. He'd always have my back. He'd give me an alibi, all my friends would.
I lifted my chin, a snarl on my lips. "You wanna send me to prison?"
"Juvie," he corrected. "Maybe a couple of years in there will straighten you out anyways because I'm tired of you fighting me, son. Maybe I'll pay your way out once you've got the message."
"I'm not your son," I snapped, my blood heating up, burning away the cold. "Never have been. Clearly I was just kept here to go down for whatever you want to save your ass and the ass of your real son from."
Luther lurched forward, grabbing me by the back of the neck and pressing his forehead to mine, looking me directly in the eye. "You will learn what it is to be a man one day, Maverick. And you will learn your value among my men too. I know your potential. You're not meant to lead the Harlequins, that's not what you're best at. If this is what it takes to teach you that lesson, then I'll pay the price."
"What price?" I scoffed, shoving him away and he just looked at me like I was a fucking dumbass.
"Put your seatbelt on," he commanded before indicating onto the highway, but I ignored him, gazing out the window at the rain, my heart fracturing into a thousand jagged pieces. No matter how long I looked for them, I knew I'd never fit it back together. Not even with all the kings horses and all the kings men.
Rogue was gone. Luther wanted rid of me. But he was still underestimating the depths of the bond I had with my friends. They'd get me out of this. They'd give me an alibi and then I'd find a way to run again and be with Rogue. I couldn't give up. Even now. Even though the world was crying and nothing felt right anymore. I will find a way.
Luther drove me home in stony silence and when we arrived back in the garage, he escorted me inside like a prisoner of war.
"Fox!" he roared as we stepped through the door, making my heart jolt in surprise.
Fox appeared from the lounge with Chase and JJ on his heels, all of them dressed in jeans and shirts, all of them looking scared shitless as they spotted me beside him.
"What did you do?" Fox demanded, his eyes full of fear.
Luther shoved me toward them. "Keep an eye on him, I need to make a call." He strode away down the hall and I hurried towards my friends as they stared at me with looks of betrayal.
"He's not gonna hurt her," I