Page 23 of Trick or Treat

I look at him in shock. He grabs his mask, turns around to take his sunglasses off, and then slides the silver mask over his face, never wiping the blood off. He gets off my bed and heads toward the window, which I assume is the same way he came in.

"Wait… why do you keep showing up? What do you want from me?"

Keeping his back to me, he puts his hand on the window and hangs his head as he speaks. "I told you what we wanted." Anger drips from his voice as he speaks.

"Yeah, but why do you want me?"

"Payback, Trouble. Carli was Red's family, and you and your friends killed her." After his admission, he sneaks out my window, leaving me more shocked than I was when I found out River wasn't the one with his head between my legs.

nine

Double Trouble

Blade

Because the Mausoleum gets hot and stuffy in the summer, we spend those months at our apartment. The moment I enter the room after making a quick trip to the grocery store, I can tell the guys are losing their minds from boredom from the expressions on their faces. We go out and do things every day, but we haven’t done the one thing that gives us all the release we crave.

As I pause in the kitchen to store the food and the alcohol, I catch sight of Saint on the balcony, chain smoking and holding a pint of Jack while he peers over the railing.

"Riley, what's up with Saint?"

"No clue. He's been dead ass quiet all day."

I scratch my chin and shoot him a look of confusion as I pop the top on a beer. "Has he been out there long?"

"Ever since we got back from the beach." He never takes his gaze away from the TV as he and Nixon sit in front of it, playing Xbox.

I throw the cap in the garbage, lean the bottle against my lips, and move toward the door. As I open it and step outside onto the patio, I let the beer slide down my throat. Closing the door behind me, Saint doesn't even turn around. But he knows it's me behind him.

"What, Blade?"

"What are you doing outhere?"

"Just watching the view."

I follow his gaze and notice he’s staring directly into Scarlett's apartment, a pained grin on his lips as he puffs on a thickly rolled joint, his gaze never leaving her bedroom window.

"Halloween is coming soon enough, brother. We’ll have her in no time." I pat him on the back and fix my gaze on her apartment, a smile twitching at the memory of the night we first met her in the cemetery. Since then, there have been other times we’ve seen her, but she still has no idea who we are, and I don’t think she ever will.

Saint

As Scarlett pulls her shirt over her head, my eyes widen even more as I welcome the burn from the glaring sun. My eyes already sting from not blinking, but I widen them even more.

Even though we lived across the city, we seized the opportunity when a building opened up across from hers. I now frequently come out here to keep an eye on her. The wait is fucking agonizing since Halloween is five months away. My cock aches at the plans we have for her, and I know they’re torturing Blade and the boys as well.

Any guy, whether he wants to fucking admit it or not, dreams of stealing a precious girl's virginity.

Ilean over the railing and keep a close eye on her as she changes from her bathing suit into a simple black T-shirt. As I recall dressing her in my shirt the night we brought her home from the finger games, a sly grin tugs at the corners of my mouth.

“What are you smiling at?” Blades asks, nudging my elbow with his.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” I sneer, never taking my eyes off Scarlett’s window.

“Alright, have fun with this. Me, Riley, and Nixon are going out tonight. Do you want to join us?” My brother asks, mischief flashing in his ice blue eyes.

“Nah. Raincheck?”

He casts a quizzical look at me, but I still keep my eyes on Scarlett. “Sure, raincheck.”