Make My Move (Hannaford Prep #5) - J. Bree Page 0,86

my sister, but Avery runs interference like she’s spent her whole life training for this moment.

I sleep on the pullout just to be sure that Joey isn’t going to show up and try to kill Avery the moment I turn my back for a second… and, honestly, I’m here to make sure that the Jackal doesn’t send one of his men in to kill Lips.

Or kidnap her.

I get fucking livid just thinking about it.

When the school fills up with students again the night before classes go back, I head back to my room, feeling safer once there’s more bodies in the building. Joey is easily distracted and with his stupid fucking friends around he’ll just get high and fuck some brainless girl instead of worrying about us.

Harley grills me about the break, but there’s nothing to tell him. Blaise fared better at home with Harley as a buffer so at least we’re not back on suicide watch. There’s a long list of people I’d love to see buried in cheap pine boxes, and the Morrisons are on that fucking list.

Impressive considering they’re the only ‘clean’ people on it.

I pass out for the night, ready for the early start of getting back to training in the morning, but I’m woken by my phone at two in the morning.

Avery is the only one who calls after midnight.

“Joey’s at the bar in Haven. Ria said he’s cooked, we’ve got to go now.”

For fuck’s sake.

Harley is already awake, the insomnia still wrapping him up tight. When I glance over to where he’s studying on his bed, he huffs at the sight of me. “Joey? Gotta be that asshole if you’re looking like that.”

I nod and heave myself up. “Of course it’s him, when is he not ruining my fucking life. Get Morrison up; I need to take a leak.”

I pull a pair of jeans on and shove a jacket over the tank I was sleeping in while Blaise grunts and groans his way back to consciousness. Harley looks fucking wrecked, he always does on the bad nights, but he tamps down his usual asshole bitching.

At least until we lock up and head out to meet the girls.

“Why the fuck do we have to pick that asshole up?”

I shrug. “My father will be pissed if we don’t.”

That’s more information than I usually give him and he shares a look with Blaise about it. “So what? Tell him to parent his own fucking kid. If he rages out over you trying to drag him home, are you expecting us to just let him? Because I will kill the cunt the second he raises a fucking hand to you or one of the girls.”

I’m saved from answering as we get to the stairs, Avery and Lips already waiting for us there. I give Lips a nod as I tuck Avery under my arm, because I know she’ll be freaking out about the potential shit-show this might turn into.

When we get to the Maserati, Lips mumbles something, probably snarky, and Avery cackles at her. I find myself feeling really fucking grateful, not only that they found each other, but that my sister told me to fuck off about being friends with her.

I’ve never seen her so happy and relaxed with a friend before.

I could have ruined that for her.

I tuck Avery into the front seat with Blaise and then sit in the back seat with Lips between Harley and I. She sits so stiffly, it’s as though she thinks we’ll kill her for touching us.

Really, I’d kill to have her touch me.

“Park around the back, Ria will let us in the service entrance. She’s lost sight of him, we need to get in and out fast,” Avery says, her phone now glued to her ear as she fixes up Joey’s mess once again.

I don’t want to know what the fuck he’s been doing here all night. There’s very possibly a trail of dead bodies we’re about to trip over and won’t that be fun to explain to everyone.

Once Blaise parks, we pile out and wait at the door for Ria. We’ve been here to pick him up a hundred times over the last few years and she scoffs the moment she comes out, snapping, “It really gonna take five o’ you to git him outta here?”

It kills me not to roll my eyes at the old hag, but we’ve learnt that Blaise is the right person to smooth things over. He stalks over to her like he’s done