Becoming A Vincent (The Wild Ones Book 1)(46)

Sadie walks by, and we all get quiet.

“What?” she asks, studying us. “Are you two talking about me?” she asks, her eyes narrowing as she points between me and Deacon.

“No. We’re talking about Lilah,” Paul says, frowning. “Who the hell are you?”

Her face relaxes. “Sadie.”

He continues to stare at her. “Okay…but who are you?”

In that moment, Sadie’s face falls, and she realizes she wasn’t important enough for me to ever whine about when I ran off to this place. She blows out a breath before turning and walking away.

Deacon is practically beaming.

“So what do I do?” my brother asks, unaware of what’s about to happen to him.

“Deliver a message.”

“Can’t you just call her?” my mother asks, confused. Hell, I forgot she’s been listening to all this.

“Lilah doesn’t have a phone,” Paul supplies.

“Her flag is up, so I know she’s at home right now,” I go on.

“Her flag is up?” Deacon asks, eyebrows rising.

“Are you going to help or not?” I ask him, exasperated. I don’t have the time or patience to explain Tomahawk to him right now.

“Two against two sounds like better odds, so I’m definitely going to help. What’s the message?”

“Not today,” Paul says, shaking his head. “The brothers won’t leave her today. Wait until tomorrow.”

As much as I hate the thought of giving her more time to stew, I know he’s right. If I tried to cross the lake, they’d possibly throw pipe bombs at me.

I wish I was kidding.

“You think you could get them out tomorrow?” I ask him.

“Me? No. Delaney can though, as long as I explain that there’s a really good reason for all this. There is a reason for all this, right? It’s not just because Lilah is afraid to settle down?” Paul asks with a frown.

Yeah, no. I’m not telling him.

“Helping or not, Paul? In or out?”

“Delaney might come for him if you don’t hurry up and help,” my brother goads, not knowing anything at all about Delaney.

She’d never do that to Lilah. Even if she wasn’t her friend, Delaney isn’t suicidal.

A determined glint shades Paul’s eyes. “I’m in.”

I point a finger at Deacon. “Whatever happens…no matter what is said…do not tell Lilah my true last name.”

“Why?” he asks slowly.

Sighing heavily, I answer, “Because this is Tomahawk.”





Chapter 20



Wild Ones Tip #26

If your ass catches on fire, jump in the lake. That’s what it’s there for.





LILAH



I’m not sure who I’m expecting when I swing open the door to find out who the hell is banging it so loudly, but it’s certainly not Deacon—Benson’s brother.

I pump my Daisy, aiming it at his forehead, and he holds his hands up as a smile etches across his face. A face too similar—but smoother with no beard at all—to Benson’s.

Why is he smiling? Does he not realize this thing is loaded? I know it looks small, but it’s pump action—Vincent style. It hurts like a bitch the more times I pump.

“Easy. I’m just here to talk,” he says, still grinning.

“The last girl who dated Benson that you talked to announced she was pregnant with your baby,” I remind him, feeling defensive of the bastard even as I hate him a little.

That turns his smile into a grimace. “Which is why I’m here on behalf of my brother now, to do the right thing for once.”

“Tell me why you screwed his fiancée, and I’ll consider not shooting you.”

“Are all the women here like you?” he muses.

“Some are crazier,” I say with a shrug, now feeling defensive of myself as I stand a little taller, pushing my shoulders back as though that somehow helps me look saner.

His grin spreads again, but it falls when he exhales harshly. “Fine. To be fair, they weren’t engaged the first time I was with her. I wanted Sadie before my brother. We were sixteen—”

“Who’s we?” I interrupt.

“All of us. Sadie, me, and Benson.”

I lower the gun a little, keeping it pointed at his groin now. Which he subtly tries to cover. Guess he witnessed Benson’s pain. That makes me feel a little better.

Wait? All of them were the same age? That means—

“You and Benson are twins?” I ask, that part of the puzzle suddenly snapping together.

“Fraternal twins,” he says, frowning. “He didn’t tell you that?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I wasn’t told a huge chunk of family history.”