Austin stuffed his hands in his pockets, jingling the coins around. “Maybe some of the other Breeds will fight alongside us.”
Lorenzo laughed and opened the door. “Keep dreaming, Cole. They have long despised us and will happily line chairs in the street to watch us slaughter one another. Other Breeds don’t give a damn. When will you learn we’re on our own?”
Maybe deep down, Austin wanted to believe that someday the Breeds wouldn’t be so divided. “I’d like to see it happen in my lifetime.”
“So would I,” Prince agreed. “So would I.”
Chapter 19
The two main concerns I had in life were my pregnancy and the Northerners. Aside from that, my stress levels had dramatically reduced. Atticus fit in splendidly at the shop, and even Trevor had warmed up to him. That man worked like a machine—prepping dough, monitoring inventory, filling orders, and assisting where Izzy or Trevor needed him. I’d never seen anyone learn the ropes so fast.
Two days after the infamous peace party, people were still gossiping about it. Austin had informed us we were to set traps on the property, construct hideouts, and work on preparations. Judas’s plan to wait around was clearly having an effect on morale.
As a welcome diversion, we took an afternoon off and headed out to play laser tag. When the going got tough, the Weston pack goofed off. Although, not really. Reno decided to use the opportunity to train the pack on tactical warfare, so he’d reserved the room for six hours. Everyone was required to attend, including my mother, and nothing could have prepared me for seeing her in a blinking vest with a laser gun in hand.
With everyone running around and minimal ventilation, the room felt like a jungle, and some of the men had stripped their shirts off.
“This is like Chippendales gone awry,” April said quietly, her left shoulder against the wall and a gun in her right hand.
“You won’t get any complaints out of me,” Naya purred. Even she had dressed down in a pair of black leggings and a tank top, a style Wheeler fully endorsed. Especially with her cleavage spilling out.
“Why does it always have to end up men against women?” I said gruffly.
Melody appeared from behind a pillar in front of us and stepped close to our huddle. “Uncle Reno’s recharging at the base, and Grandpa’s taking a nap behind one of the walls. Both grandmas and my mom are protecting the base station. I think we’re going to win.”
April smirked and put her arm around Melody. “That’s why I don’t mind when they split the teams up this way. Mel is our secret weapon. Right, sweetie?”
Melody was a gifted teenager who not only designed her own clothes, but she’d also shared a natural-born ability to handle weapons with her Uncle Reno. Most girls her age might have gotten bored after hours of strategizing and hunting prey, but not Mel. She wanted to learn, improve, and compete with the best of them.
The most interesting aspect of watching our pack in the game room was how Hendrix and Lennon never took a shot at Melody. In fact, if one of their teammates fired a gun at her, they’d intervene and block the shot. Since we were divided by gender this round, Hendrix and Lennon volunteered to side with the women since there were more men in the house, and that way they wouldn’t be forced to compete against their sister.
I leaned forward and whispered, “Why don’t you take out Uncle Wheeler? I saw him on the second level, hiding along the back wall. If you walk slowly, you can see him from the top of the ramp. Take a shot before he knows you’re there, and drive him out of that hiding spot.”
Her face lit up. “Awesome!”
When she disappeared, April’s vest lit up like a Christmas tree, buzzing with electronic sounds that indicated someone was firing at her kill zones. She scowled and spun around, shooting her gun in vain.
Trevor laughed. “Sorry, babe. Thought you were the bad guy.”
“You did that on purpose! That’s going to lower our score.”
She chased after him and left us alone.
Naya planted her hand on her hip, tilting her head to the side and watching Trevor disappear around the corner. “He’s been in an altered mood lately. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so… carefree.”
I was uncertain if Trevor and William knew it was me who’d walked in on them. Neither of them had mentioned it nor acted any differently toward each other than they had before.
Except… the awkward shyness that Trevor always carried around William had vanished. That tipped me off that the other night had been their first time together.
“Maybe he’s less stressed now that Atticus is working at the shop.”
Naya’s big lashes fanned together, making her brown eyes all but vanish. “You know something, don’t you? Spill it.”