Page 15 of Bane's Beginning

“Prez fucked Ares’ sister,” Circuit said still laughing his ass off.

“Oh, shit. That was fast. Didn’t she just get here?” Crash said, joining Circuit in his laughter.

Ares jumped at me again, but Hollywood pulled him back.

“It was last night,” I growled. “The only reason I’m telling you is because I don’t keep secrets from my brothers and she said some shit that I thought you should know.”

For a second, it looked like Ares might not try and kick my ass again. He yanked away from Hollywood’s grip.

“What did she say?”

“Said that she was going through a bad breakup and that the guy wouldn’t leave her alone,” I said and leaned against the counter, crossing my arms. “I don’t know how much of it is true, seeing that she lied about almost everything she said last night.”

Ares looked lost in thought, but I could tell he calmed down a lot. He took a seat back at the bar and looked back at me.

“Why would she need to lie about her age to get into a bar? She’s an adult.”

“I don’t know, man. But something tells me she came looking for you for more than just a change of scenery.”

“She mentioned something to us, too,” Serena said from the stove. “Said that her boyfriend and best friend were hooking up behind her back and that she had caught them.”

Ares mumbled some curse words. “That doesn’t change shit. I don’t give a fuck about some stupid college kid drama.”

“And you,” he said as he got up and got into my face again. “Stay the fuck away from my sister. You’re not going to treat her like a club girl until you get bored and move on! She’s not even your type.”

I heard the boys mumble in agreement.

“She did not look like that last night. She was wearing a fuck ton of makeup and a tight ass leather dress, no offense,” I said, lifting my hands in surrender. “Look, take it as you want. I’m not going to just fuck her for the fun of it, but I just thought you should know there might be more behind her showing up.”

Ares just continued to look lost in thought.

“Prez is right, man,” Circuit chimed in. “Take it from someone who spends most of their time looking for missing people, adults only use fakes when they don’t want to be found.”

I nodded in agreement.

“She did almost shoot the prospect,” Hollywood said, chuckling. “Maybe she shot her ex, too.”

We all laughed as we remembered how she scared the daylights out of that prospect earlier. Serves him right for not properly checking who he let on our property. I made a note to get on his ass later about it. Ares doesn’t say anything, he just gets up and walks out.

Ma walked up and put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

“If you boys are done gossiping like a bunch of bitches, dinner’s ready,” she teased and we all laughed before making our way outside.

***

THEA

Anna led me to the backyard where everyone was for dinner. I knew this was going to be awkward, but knew I had to make the most of it. Outside I saw almost everyone I met earlier and a few new faces. The backyard was designed like a park. There was a big pool, lots of tables and chairs, a tiny cabana-style bar and fireplace. The house also had a huge wraparound wooden deck that had a grill and patio furniture on one side and a hot tub on the other.

“Thea,” Serena called out to me, carrying a big dish of mac and cheese. “Come sit down over here with us.”

At the table she was referencing sat Anna, Crash, my brother and Jane. I nervously took a seat by Anna, and looked over at my brother who looked pissed. Luckily, I hadn’t seen Bane, so I was hoping he wouldn’t join us for dinner.

After a while, we had all gotten our plates and sat back down. I saw something move in the corner of my eye, and it was Bane coming out from the house. Fuck.

He sat at the table over from us, thank god. I still hadn’t talked to him since being here. I wasn’t sure if he even recognized me or not. If he did, he never gave it away the few times I had caught him looking at me.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and saw that it was Marcus. I knew I should have blocked his number, but I couldn’t. Those three were the only ones who knew my secret, and if something happened to Bridgette or me, we all needed to know. Even so, I still sent his call to voicemail.