Here Lies a Saint (Here Lies #2) - C.L. Matthews Page 0,9

brought stragglers. If I didn't see them myself, I would have thought my ears were fucking with me.

"Stay," I demand, watching as Colt tries bringing them inside. She doesn't need to see this. There's been enough carnage today, enough for a fucking lifetime in Colt's eyes, I'm sure.

She shakes her head, her dainty little frame trembling from head to toe, and fuck, I hate that fear. I hate how unsafe she's feeling.

"We'll be okay, princess," one of the twins say. Not sure which one since they're practically a carbon copy of each other.

Her lips and chin warble, and I can see Ten wanting to push forward and Ross too.

The last time I'd witnessed her even slightly this distraught was after Cassidy's funeral. That day changed us all forever.

But for Colt? It was the end of her. She died that day, had been buried with him.

Colt finally relents, trailing after Ross, who guides her toward the rooms. I'm sure he'll avoid her old one. He's not cruel.

"Start talking," Bridger bites, and I wish I had popcorn to eat and watch this unravel. The twins look different with age.

"You guys are fucking dumb," Justice lets out.

I chuckle darkly. Yep, that's definitely Justice. The twins—while not around anymore—aren't new faces. They've changed a lot in the last five years, but they're definitely not any different from the last time I saw them.

"You couldn't have waited to piss all over her when she was inside? She's traumatized," Prudence hisses. He's a lot softer than Justice. He's the mellow one out of the two of them. Justice is the aggressor and always will be.

"Why are you with her? I told you in Tennessee to back the fuck off," Bridger yells.

I quirk an eyebrow. Tennessee? He went? When?

"What the fuck?" Lennox barks, breaking through. "Why were you in Tennessee?"

Bridger doesn't show his cards. While he's given an inch with Colt, showing his jealousy, he isn't willing to show the rest of us anything.

"Can we discuss this somewhere that isn’t the foyer?" Ten offers, ever the mediator.

I smile, feeling like we're kids all over again.

"She's not your friend, Ross," Lux grumbles, punching Ross in the shoulder. "She doesn't even like you."

I'm standing with Jay—Justice Krane—and Ten. We're all watching as Lux and Ross battle over who gets to swim with Colt. Ross is Cassidy's closest friend, but in reality, he's Lux's best friend.

"Guys, stop fighting like a bunch of dicks," Ten hollers, trying to get one side to concede. "She's not worth fighting over."

But that's the lie, isn't it? Ten is the closest to Colt. He kisses her more, dotes on her more. We all know it'll be him to pop her cherry.

That was last year, when I'd first came back after Maxim's passing. Ten always tried to calm them down.

We all head to the main room. It's where meetings usually happen. Everyone sits at their normal seat, and the twins stand, showing their truths.

"Yang's gone," Justice remarks, scrunching his face as if it annoys him more than anything. These two don't care. The fact that they're soft for Colt is both telling and troubling. How can two psychopaths care about anyone?

"Yeah, fuckface, we're aware," Lennox mocks. Still covered in his own jizz that I spit on him, he's standing regal as fuck, acting as if he's not bothered by a goddamn thing. Even with the dried splooge, he's not allowing it to change what matters.

Protecting the corpse.

"We weren't aware she was at Arcadia," Prudence continues Justice's thought.

"She wasn't supposed to be," Lux informs, his posture astute as always.

I don't say anything. This is usually how these things go down. They argue, I listen.

"Well, what the hell were y'all doing? Your job is to keep tabs on Colt. Did you decide to take the night off?" This time, it's Just who stares at us all pointedly.

I wondered about this, too, though. Tonight was Lennox's night. We did the ruse, pretending we were going out of town. Shit, we even posted to the Arcadia bulletin board, saying we were heading out. We needed everyone aware of our absence.

Yang was a wild card.

"How long has she been here?" Justice questions us.

Fuck, I don't even know that. Past Emeralds are meant to check in before coming back to campus. It's our own safety net, a line we don’t cross.

"Why are you all silent?" I peer at the twins, smiling, realizing that no one has said anything because all of us know it's Lux's night, which means, he was either not