“Yes, sir.” His confident smirk is enough to know he believes they’re still in charge, which is exactly what we want.
Once I’m in the car and heading towards the house, I call the twins to let them know our next demands. The phone twills through the surrounding speakers as I turn onto the main road.
“How’d it go?” Rowen answers, all business, and grumpy. Another thing that transformed overnight since Berkley’s departure. Zero tolerance for bullshit. He rarely laughs or smiles, only serious. “Em, you there?”
Shaking my head clear, I answer. “Yeah, sorry.”
Berkley’s been lodged in my head more than usual this past week. Not that a day ever passes without her slipping in, uninvited, but lately she’s everywhere—woven into every thought, every quiet moment. And yeah, most of what I feel is still anger. That raw, sour kind that never really fades, no matter how much time passes.
It’s been years, but it all feels sharp again, like it just happened—like we’re still standing in the wreckage of it. I can’t shake the memory of finding out what she did. To Reign. To all of us.
I never believed she had it in her—the girl who once looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered—to agree tobe with the three of us, only to turn around and screw someone else the very next night.
And not just anyone. Reign’s boyfriend.
That’s the part that still guts me, the one detail that won’t stop twisting the knife.
Reign’s letter left no room for doubt. Every word laid it out plain, like a confession carved in stone.
Still, no matter how many times I reread it, doubt crawls in.
Why would Berk say yes to being with us if she was already planning to mess around?
None of it makes sense.
And the part that keeps me up at night?
Somehow, even after everything, a piece of me still wants to believe there’s more to the story.
“What’s the next move?” Rowen asks, already informed of the warehouse.
“Whoever burned that shit down did a hell of a job. Bryce says there’s nothing left, but wants us to go check it out, and then check on the other buildings to ensure business as usual.” The corner of my lip finally glides up in humor.
“Excellent. I’d like to have torched the place myself, but the job’s done, and we have access to the other warehouses. We’re sticking to the plan since this incident played into it perfectly.”
“Same page.” I agree. “Is Ronan home?”
“Right here, bro!” he hollers down the line, stretching my smile.
“I’ll swing by to get you both, so we can get this shit over with. I’d like to relax tonight if possible.”
“Nice!” Ronan practically giggles. “We going to the Underground? I’m dying to glimpse my little pixie again.”
Rowen growls at his brother, something he does more than not these days. “Will you leave it alone! All I’ve heard this week is pixie this and pixie that. She doesn’t even know you!”
My heart skips a beat, remembering the purple-haired vixen at the ring the other night. It seems she’s made an impression on all of us, because Rowen wouldn’t be getting pissy if he didn’t find her attractive too. Which is what’s probably putting him on edge. The last person we all wanted together was Berk, and that ended before it really began. She’s the center of our weakness. We can’t talk about her without it ending in a fistfight. Typically, the twins, because Ronan doesn’t believe a damn thing about her “death”. Not what Bryce and Dean told us happened that night between the girls, not Reign’s letter of accusation, not the fire, not any of it. He believes it was all staged, planned, and that she needed our help. He’s been looking for her since the night of the fire, going on about some dumb text.
Rowen believed it too easily. Heartbroken that Berk could do that to him and betray their sister. He hopped right on the bash Berkley bandwagon, refusing to speak about her again, and if either of us brought her up, he’d have a complete meltdown. Acouple of years ago, Ronan confronted him with his beliefs again, and it didn’t end well. They were both bloody when Rowen disappeared only to enter the ring for the first time, impersonating Ronan at the Underground. He also started whoring himself to anyone who’d let him, fucking anything that moved at one point.
“No, but she will.” Ronan’s voice darkens to a sinister tone.
I sigh heavily, tired of hearing them go at each other’s throats. “I’m pulling in now. Are you two done bitching at each other or do I have to wait?”
They both got quiet, forgetting they were on the phone at all. “We’ll be out.” Rowen replies and hangs up without another word.
Seconds later they’re slipping into their seats, and we’re gliding toward the dilapidated warehouse. The ride is silent, each of us in our own thoughts, and likely on the same sweet innocent girl of our past. Whether we hate her or not, wondering what happened is always on our minds. No matter if we admit it or not.
“Has Dean contacted either of you about the fire?” Our fathers operate as a team, which is why if one of them is crippled, the other will barely function.