Page 176 of Five Brothers

What?

I gape at Santos, not remembering if I’ve seen him anywhere near me other than the restaurant. Why would Macon have a guard following me?

“Since when?” I ask Santos.

“Since you got jumped at the Bug Jam.”

Jesus.

Well, that explains how he got to us so fast. He was already here. All Macon had to do was call him.

“We’ll take her home,” Army says, taking my hand.

But when we move toward the door, Santos doesn’t move out of the way.

“To the Bay,” he commands Army. “He wants her home now.”

“That’s not her home.”

“To the Bay,” Santos repeats.

Army squeezes my hand like he’s gauging whether the three of them can take Santos.

I look up at Army. “He doesn’t want this,” I say. “Which means he wouldn’t use it.”

Even if I went through with it.

I pry my hand out of his and step forward. “I’m going home,” I tell the guy. “To my house.”

“Macon says to bring you to him.”

And then he sweeps me up, knocking the wind out of me as he throws me over his shoulder like a wet sheet.

I scream. “Are you kidding me?”

“Motherfucker,” Army bites out.

But no one tries to stop him, Dallas and Trace saying absolutely nothing as I’m carted toward the field house where their trucks are parked.

We pull up in front of the house, all the windows dark and the garage door closed. The boys jump out of the truck, and I step out of my mom’s Rover, Santos in my driver’s seat. He didn’t trust me to drive here, and even though I bitched a little, he was right not to. There’s no way in hell I actually want to look in Macon’s eyes right now.

We walk through the front door, the shutter hanging above flapping against the house in the wind as Trace and Dallas scan left and right, because they’re just as nervous as I am. We turn into the living room and see Macon sitting in the chair, a stream of smoke from a cigarette rising from his fingers.

Army steps forward. “Macon—”

“Leave her here” is all he says.

I look to Trace, and he darts forward. “Macon—”

“Get the fuck out of my sight.”

I can’t swallow.Shit.

An image of the container he keeps out back flashes in my head.

I look to Army, frozen for a second, but then I nod.I’ll be okay.

Army hesitates, but he backs away. Dallas and Trace follow him up the stairs.