He rolls his eyes.
“He’s not scared of them; he just knew they’d make it impossible to speak to you. He knew they’d be keeping an eye on him. So he went into town, and then got your friend to draw them out. She’s under the impression you’re denying your feelings.”
I don’t tell him how much I already miss my best friend/boyfriend. His groveling game needs to be a little stronger than this if he really wants me back.
My smirk grows. “He’s right. My brothers never would have left if he’d been right across the lake. But the problem now is that they just got back. And they’re being really quiet. That’s never good.”
He looks around, seemingly unconcerned.
“I’m not really scared of two guys. I mean, I did see them wailing in pain after you finished with them.”
It’s positively adorable how clueless he is.
“No one has explained the four corners of the Wild Ones, have they?” I ask, amused.
He shakes his head slowly.
“The what?” he asks.
“First rule of family: brothers don’t hit sisters. They take their beatings, because sisters only beat them when they deserve it.”
I start backing up, closing the door in the process. “Good luck, Deacon. You’re going to need it. You’re about to learn what the Wild Ones really are.”
He snorts, still unconcerned, and I listen for the first—
“Motherfucker!” I hear him roar, seconds before a series of loud pops ring out.
Then the whistle of a firework sounds as a scream pierces the air. I glance out the window to see Deacon running with his ass on fire, leaping into the lake on purpose as more fireworks shoot off in his direction.
I laugh to myself, knowing he deserves at least that much, even though I should probably thank him.
I guess Benson forgot to warn him my brother’s don’t always fight fair.
Eh. What the hell.
He’ll survive.
Chapter 21
Wild Ones Tip #100
Don’t try to understand why we are the way we are.
You’ll just get a headache and no answers.
BENSON
“Explain the Wild Ones to me,” my brother says, hissing out a breath as he slides on a pair of pants.
I have to give it to him; he still wants to help me even after the brothers shot fireworks at him and lit his ass on fire with a homemade blow torch. He had to jump in that cold water to keep from getting seriously injured. As it is, it just left him with a little burn no worse than sunburn.
“At a metaphorical four corners of the lake, you have a different family representing a Wild family. Wild Ones are not allowed to date each other. They’re not allowed to all be in one place at one time. At most, only two Wild One families can be in the same place at the same time. Never more. With the exception of certain circumstances.”
His eyebrows are at his hairline.
“And this is normal to you?” he asks dubiously.
I smirk. “You grow used to it. The Vincents—Lilah included—are part of the Wild Ones. This is their corner. The Vincent brothers, as you’ve learned, can be ruthless. Usually they’re harmless and only destructive to inanimate objects. Unless you piss them off.”
“And the cops do nothing?”
“There’s one cop. There’re a lot of Wild Ones. Unless someone presses charges, there’s no reason for police. And no one is stupid enough to press charges against anyone, because all the Wild Ones will come after you until they drive you out of town. The Vincents were the youngest addition. Lilah’s father and mother made their name notorious, and the brothers and Lilah expanded on that.”
He shakes his head, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“You sound like you’re proud of this.”
My smile grows. “Lilah has both of them under her thumb, even though she likes to act like she doesn’t. She knows, without a doubt, that if she told them to kill someone, they’d simply ask her where she wanted them to hide the body. So yeah, I’m proud to be with her, because she’s tough but never acts like she runs this town. None of the Wild Ones do. They simply defend their own and mind their business, for the most part, when they’re not bored and looking for a good time.”
He groans as he shifts.
“Their business was burning my ass. I could have been seriously injured.”
“If they thought you were too stupid to jump in the lake, they would have found another way to scare the shit out of you. They’ve tested all this stuff on each other—the brothers, not Lilah—before they use it on other people. It’s ‘fun’ to them to test these things. They knew, down to the second, how long your ass could be on fire before it burned through your clothes or spread.
“That’s just…insane.”
I look out, seeing the flag flying high, taunting me. Lilah’s at home. So close, yet so far away.
I bet her brothers are camouflaged and armed with pipe bombs right now. I have no choice but to take extreme measures.
“That’s Tomahawk,” I say, smiling tightly with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
“And you’ve lived like this for nine years and we never knew when we came to visit,” he says on a sigh.
“It only gets really crazy in the winters. During the summer, people seem to entertain themselves better. During the winter, the Wild Ones get restless.”
He moves to the window, eyeing her flag as well.
“Does it make me a masochist that I want to see it in the winter now?” he asks seriously.
I’m not sure what’s happening here, but I actually feel a little bit like I have a brother again. Not like before, but maybe one day.
I never thought that bridge could be repaired.
“That’s Tomahawk. It draws you in with its craziness, and once you start rolling with it, you find it impossible to leave.”
“Speaking of leaving, doesn’t she know that’s dangerous? To fly a flag when she’s home and lower it when she’s not? People always know her movements.”
I snort, then double over and outright laugh.
“What?” he asks, confused.
“Her brothers set your ass on fire, and they knew you weren’t a physical threat,” I say around my laughter. “What the hell do you think would happen to an intruder?”
He pauses like he’s thinking about it.
“If anyone ever tried to hurt one Wild One, all the Wild Ones would break the cardinal rule by coming together and joining forces, and hell would rain down on whatever idiot thought it was a good idea to break in or worse. And that’s only if they survived the original Wild One. There’s not a soul for a hundred miles who doesn’t know this. It’s why Tomahawk is the safest place to visit.”
He massages his temples. “I feel like I’ve landed in another universe.”
“No. Just a small lake town that literally has nothing much else to do but entertain itself. Born and raised in the wilderness makes you…different. Hell, living here for nine years has changed me.”
He studies me for a moment. “I can tell. You seem to really be happy.”
My eyes flick back to that damn flag.
“I will be happy. As soon as my water cannon gets here.”