Page 17 of Between Steel and Secrets
“Except that we hate each other. Well, she still hates me, probably more than I hate her. Not that I ever liked her—” I shut my eyes and tip my head back on the sofa.
“Right. You have a lot of strong feelings toward a girl you don’t like.”
“Hate is a strong emotion,” I counter. But Nova is right, the feelings are strong between us.
Luca gets up from the sofa and points at the bedroom. “Speaking of hate … I need to talk to Harper.”
Nova and I exchange a laugh. “I don’t think you could ever hate Harper.” I’ve seen the looks those two give each other, how they can undress one another solely with their eyes.
I want that kind of relationship, where it’s both passionate and filled with trust.
I’m not sure if I could ever trust Bristol; passion, that’s something we have a ton of, even though it’s more rooted in hatred than romance.
Lust and hate aren’t necessarily opposites, though, either.
Fuck, am I lusting after Bristol Greyson?
Zeke climbs down from the sofa and follows after Luca.
“Daddy!” he squeals, running right up from behind, and Luca swoops down, lifting him into the air and letting him fly like an airplane.
Zeke holds his arms out, sailing through the air and giggling the entire time on his way to the bedroom.
Luca finally puts the kid on his hip and then carries him into their bedroom, shutting the door behind himself.
With Harper and Luca out of the room, I have to ask, “What’s going on with those two? You guys mentioned a visit to the police station?” I’m still wondering what the fuck happened today. I’m not usually one for gossip, but if it involves two of my best friends, then I want to know everything.
Nova shrugs, and Ashton stands up from across the room and grabs the empty seat on the sofa.
“I’m not entirely sure. She mentioned stealing from Dante the stuffed dragon that Massimo had used to threaten Luca. But she thought it belonged to someone else?—”
“Who?” I ask. “Wait, was he the reason we’ve been keeping an eye on Harper and Zeke?” I’m trying to wrap my head around what’s going on. I feel a bit like Harper, kept in the dark.
“Yes.”
“And how do the police factor into this?” I glance between Ashton and Nova.
Nova’s voice is soft, fueled with concern. “I believe she may have been trying to take down Dante, without realizing all of our involvement.”
Ashton glances at Nova, raising an eyebrow.
“I just mean all of us as family. My hands are clean.” Nova holds her hands up in the air. “Mostly.”
There’s a smirk on her face and I roll my eyes and stand, heading toward the fridge. I could use a beer. “Sounds overly dramatic for a Sunday night.”
“Tell me about it,” Ashton mutters. “Any more trouble today around here? I heard about the guy lurking this morning.”
“He did a little more than lurking,” I say. I open the fridge, grab a beer and pop off the lid, taking a swig. “But we scared him off. No more trouble, yet. Do you think he was tied to that Massimo fellow?”
“Likely,” Ashton says.
We don’t have a massive supply of beer, since getting a hold of it can be a bit difficult during the summer. At least during the hockey season, there are seniors who are willing to buy and supply us a case here and there.
Campus is practically dead, but in a little over a week, students will start moving back into the dorms.
Town will once again be bustling.
I’m looking forward to everyone getting together to practice. A few of us still meet up at the gym daily, but it’s nice when it’s the entire hockey team.
