Violence (Antihero Inferno #3) - Lily White Page 0,74

all their eyes shoot past me in the next second.

I glance behind me to see what they’re looking at and curse beneath my breath.

Emily is staring out at me from her room, the door only partially open.

Dropping her gaze down to the kid still bleeding and crawling on the floor, anger floods that turquoise stare before her eyes shoot up to me again.

It feels like we’re right back in high school where another kid was bleeding, the same night the cops were on their way to drag both Damon and me off to jail.

Shaking her head, Emily says nothing, but I can feel the anger rolling off her before she slams her door shut.

“Fuck...”

Stabbing a hand through my hair, I march down the hall, not surprised when kids practically dive left and right to stay out of my way. The only one who doesn’t move is Dylan.

He stands solidly in the middle of my path, his eyes narrowed on me with hatred and his hands balling into fists. I step up to him so close that our noses are almost touching.

“Did you want to say something?”

His jaw tics, his nostrils flaring, but he doesn’t say the first word.

Jabbing a finger at his face, I warn him, too.

“Stick up for your sister, you little prick. Stop letting people disrespect her in her own house. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Another tic of his jaw, but still not a single word. He eyes me like he wants to throw a punch, but those arms don’t move. His shoulders flex in an indication that he’s thinking about it.

Dylan is welcome to bring it on.

Considering I’ve already upset Emily by hurting the other kid, I realize it’s better to walk away from this than teach her brother a lesson in respect as well.

Smirking at his tough boy act, I knock him out of the way and head through the foyer to the front door, the door slamming hard enough to shake the wall when I let myself out.

Fuck all those assholes for bringing up old shit. Why do they even care about that video? It just makes me hate this place even more than I already did. Makes me hate our families and the bullshit social circles.

The Jeep’s tires squeal over the driveway when I drive away, my hand gripping the wheel as my foot hits the gas a little too heavy.

But I can’t help it. I’m too pissed. Not because of the video or those kids’ stupid comments, but because Emily had to see what I did.

I almost laugh to think that this entire trip was a wasted effort.

The rules I’d wanted were blown to shit, as well as any good feelings Emily might have had left for me.

Emily

We’re right back where we started.

Regardless of what he shared with me and those secret few hours in my room, Ezra and I are back at each other’s throats the second we see each other again.

Thank God for Damon. If not for him, these friendship dates we keep having would be an absolute nightmare.

Oddly, it’s the temperamental brother who keeps things lighthearted, the hot-headed twin who manages to act as a calming influence and prevents constant arguments.

For a few days, I’m so pissed at Ezra I can’t see straight. We spoke a total of five words to each other on the three dates we’ve had.

Damon and I have no problem getting along, and I spent most of my time talking or laughing with him, while Ezra hangs in the background glaring at the two us, his piss poor attitude problem a shroud hanging over everybody.

He’s acting more like a babysitter than a friend, and I have to wonder why he’s so insistent to be a part of this when it’s obvious he’s miserable.

But that’s Ezra. He’s so damn controlled and contained that he can endure hours of doing something he hates without giving up and moving on.

Still the question of why lingers.

Why is he insisting on this?

Why won’t he just walk away?

Why is he holding me to an agreement that’s torturing all of us?

Not that I’m trying any harder than him. Not after seeing what he did to Dylan’s friend, and not after Dylan informed me the following morning that Ezra threatened him, too.

I’m just thankful Damon wasn’t there. Once one of them gets to the point of throwing punches, you can bet your ass the other one will jump in to help.

These two would have sent all of those kids to the hospital