Lighting a Match in the Rain

Chapter Thirty-Three

I'd had a bad feeling all day.

A part of me was sure it was the hangover that I'd been dealing with since I woke up at noon. But I couldn't help but question the universe if it was because of Reed's repeating words in my head, that my eyes were glued to the front door of the diner.

"Porter said that you were a part of this as soon as you stepped in that room for the first time....nothing good..."

The tightly gripped knife slashed across Reed's cheek, pushing his head to the side with force. What if next time, that was me? What if next time, Porter did something worse?

The point of my pencil anxiously tapped the booth table, chipping away the lead point further each time, but I didn't pay any mind. My eyes fluttered to the front door. No. Stop. He's not out to get you. Not yet, anyway. We were paying the money. We'd paid half. We were fine.

I forced my gaze back to the paper in front of me. It was my original project on the problems with reputation. It was ridiculous, I'd explained better in the inked wording. Reed wasn't truly the guy everything thought he was. He kind of was, but not to that extent that they portrayed him. He was just slightly misunderstood. The longer I thought about it as the clock's hand ticked by, I added my name to the list. My reputation was the perfect student and class president, who never caused a sliver of trouble. Little did they know, I was breaking into houses and stealing in order to pay off a debt to a drug lord. What had my senior year become?

A bell rang as the glass door opened and I was mighty tempted to check the face of the customer. But I willed my eyes on the paper in front of me that I was supposed to be editing so I could rewrite the final draft. I was being paranoid and I needed to stop.

A person slid into the seat opposite of me and when my eyes connected with Ricky Steele's, I decided that I'd been wrong. Maybe being a little paranoid was a good thing.

"I heard Reed recruited a new partner in crime," he said first thing, his ice-blue eyes shining at me. "Though I will admit, Ella Jansen was the last person I expected to fill the role. I was convinced you truly hated each other."

Rage overturned the paranoia in my veins. But not because of the confrontation. No. I admit I'd been wondering how Ricky was doing after he painted Reed's picture in his own frame then ran for a better horizon. But all I could think of was his betrayal. He covered his best friend in dirt.

"You should be eaten away with guilt," I spat, shoving my now dull pencil in his direction. "You're a scum. Do you know how easily, Porter could kill Reed? He's supposed to be your best friend."

A careless grin stretched his tight cheeks. "I knew he'd be able to do it," I was assured. "And I was right. Just look at y'all go."

My chest ached with such a heavyweight of emotion. "I want you out of this building. It should be your wanted picture on the glass, not Reed's. And if you ever come near me, this building, or Reed again..."

"You'll what?" he challenged. "Turn me in? That'll get Reed turned in too, you know. And yourself," I was reminded. "You aren't an innocent bystander in this anymore."

I swallowed, not wanting to admit to him that he was right. Though I didn't need to; we both knew he was. If I said anything, all of us would be behind bars. "You should be watching your back with Porter," I advised him instead. "I've only met him once but I know he'd turn his back on you in a second."

His gaze narrowed. "You forgot about the brotherhood. This isn't a gang. We'd kill for each other. To keep each other safe and out of bars, we'd do anything. We'd kill anyone necessary-including you and Reed...So don't try to be smart with me. You should be the one watching your back."