Page 405 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

My Wifey is so scary.

Isn’t she amazing?!

“As I was saying, Cooper and Tiger will take either side of me. Alby, you can go on Tiger’s right—Scotty, Cooper’s left.”

There are nods all around.

“You will escort me out, then follow my lead.”

“Yes, Havoc, baby,” Tate purrs.

More affirmatives sound out before Ez dips her chin in return.

A moment of quiet passes, then says Scotty lowly, “Are you ready for this, Love? You’re stunning—never doubt that. But with your father there—”

“I am ready. The world will see my face.”

Unease curls up my insides.

I want her to have this, to spit in that disgusting man’s face, to not have to hide all the time like some filthy little secret. But we all know this is extremely dangerous, and we’re not even aware of the extent of just how much. Things are worse than we know, and fear quickens my heart rate.

Me and my brothers share worried looks.

Ezla doesn’t speak the rest of the way there.

55

COOPER

The back door of the limo opens, and the din of the crowd outside rushes in.

In the order we’ve agreed just a moment ago, Scotty exits first, adjusting his black suit with a matching waistcoat beneath—because he’s excessive like that—and stepping into the pandemonium like some sort of supermodel as cameras flash in his face and paparazzi and reporters shout at him, attempting to steal both our vision and hearing.

Yeah, these are not the fucking hidden cameras used in The Dome during Bonding Games.

Bloody hell.

Alby gets out next, looking worse than petrified, and I internally wince as sympathy for him works through me. I’ll never truly know how horrid it is for him to be around so many people like this, but from everything I now know about him, I’m thinking this is likely one of the scariest moments of his life. And I don’t miss the way HC tracks him with narrowed eyes before a scathing glare is directed out the limo, even though no one out there can see her yet with where she’s sitting to scream and sprint from it, as if she’s thinking something along the same lines as me. But with much more violent thoughts in the mix.

Doesn’t fucking care about us, my ass.

Tate steps out after him, glowering like this is the most irritating thing he’s ever had to do.

I’m pretty sure he’s just pissy because he’s separated from his Havoc for 0.1 seconds.

“See you out there, Ezzy! Love you!”

Ezla blinks at Tiger as he hops out the limo and into the crowd with a dramatic hair toss.

Shaking my head, I follow, internally cursing as I’m blinded by the white lights that assault me straight away.

Motherfucker.

Trying to see my goddamn hand through it all, vision spotty, I scowl at the figures I can vaguely make out behind the bloody attack machines, their barrage of questions—which I can hardly even understand in the cacophony—popping my eardrums, and I reach that hand out back into the open limo door.

A small, silky palm lands in mine, and the world around me shrinks, narrowing down to her.

Vengeance hikes her dress higher with her free hand, dark lashes rising to allow those mismatched eyes to meet mine, and my heart gives a forceful thump that echoes throughout the mind that’s silent other than for thoughts of her.