See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(15)

I haul ass up to my floor and ignore any double glances as I stumble to my room.

Shoving it open with my shoulder, I slam it shut behind me and lean against it, my chest heaving.

I close my eyes and rest my forehead on the wood until I’m aware of foreign noises behind me.

My eyes bulge and I spin to find three guys lounging in my room. They’ve set up camping chairs at the end of my bed and they’re huddled around a laptop, engrossed in a hockey game.

“Yes!” Kade pumps his arm while the commentators start shouting about an amazing play.

He glances over his shoulder and raises his eyebrows at me, as if being in my room watching a game is the most normal thing in the world. Then he does a double-take, his face flickering with a pained wince before softly greeting me. “Hockey’s on. We’re into the third quarter if you want to watch.”

Watch? No! What I want to say is “I don’t care what’s on, just turn it off and get the hell out of my room!”

But I hurt too much to form words.

Or maybe I like the idea of three muscly guys in my room. Maybe they’ll have my back if Ivan pops in for a visit.

But would they? Or would they just sit there watching while I endured some deranged rite of passage?

Boys are idiots.

I slump onto my bed with a pitiful frown. Trey turns to give me a smile, his expression dropping with surprise, then morphing into anger. I lean away from his gaze, crossing my arms and frowning.

With a little sigh, he grabs something out of the cooler at his feet and stands. Holding out a can of Bud Light, he murmurs, “For your face.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, pressing the cool beer against my tender cheek.

“He doesn’t usually go for the face.” Riley’s reading something off his phone while he talks to me. “He always punched me in the gut.”

“He did,” I mutter darkly. “After he punched me in the face.”

Riley winces and looks up long enough to give me a sympathetic smile. “It’ll pass.”

I scoff and work my jaw to the side.

I wonder again why they can’t do this in their own room. Then my eyes travel over the illegal beers and contraband potato chips. They’re probably streaming the game illegally too. It’s only then that I register the fact they have a laptop in my room, plus an illegal cell phone!

“Where’d you get this stuff?” I grumble. “I thought you weren’t allowed tech in your room.”

“We’re not.” Kade grins. “Which is why we have it in your room.”

“Great, so I’m gonna get busted during room inspection tomorrow!”

“Relax.” Trey soothes me with a look that makes my insides curl with desire.

I swallow and glance away from his chiseled jawline and those eyes I want to go swimming in.

“You’ve been living here for nearly a week and haven’t found any of this stuff. Our hiding places are solid.”

I frown. No wonder Trey keeps popping into my room. He’s been sneaking in to grab his stuff. This must have been their secret haven before I arrived.

The hockey commentator’s voice rises and all eyes return to the screen. “He strips it away. Two on one with Winston, he feeds it to…”

“Go! Go!” Trey and Kade sit forward, beer splashing out of Kade’s can as he raises his hands with a whoop. “And he scores!”

“We’re creaming ‘em. It’s gonna be an easy win tonight.” Trey’s voice is bright and eager.

“One step closer to the playoffs,” Riley mumbles like he’s only half listening. Whatever he’s reading on his phone has most of his attention. His eyebrows bunch, his lips dipping into a sharp frown. “This is such bullshit.”

Kade rolls his eyes. “Dude, would you stop reading the news? It always puts you in a bad mood.”

Trey snickers and takes a swig from his beer. “What’s up, Ry?”

“Don’t encourage him.” Kade slaps Trey’s leg with the back of his hand.

I have to fight a grin. The banter between these guys is kind of cute. It reminds me of my friends back home.

Pulling the cold can away from my face, I gently pat my aching cheek, then open the can as Riley starts ranting.

“Just another case of injustice. This rich asshole has been arrested for murder but has pled not guilty.” He spins his phone around so we can see a photo of the accused.

My stomach clenches.

“Prosecution is confident for a win, but they have to put on that front. You read the interviews and it’s all bullshit. Defense is adamant their client didn’t shoot the unarmed eighteen-year-old in the chest…twice!”

I close my eyes.

“The body was discovered on Saturday morning. The car was rubbed clean of prints, and ballistics have yet to match the bullet with the gun.”

“So, how do they know that guy did it?” Kade asks.

“Who knows?” Riley shrugs. “But I bet you my trust fund the guy is going to get off clean.”

Kade shares a look with Trey and softly mutters, “Here we go.”

“It’s always the same. It’s got nothing to do with right or wrong, innocent or guilty. It always comes down to whichever lawyer has the best argument. This guy is loaded, and he’s probably going to walk because he’s paying five fucking lawyers a billion dollars each to win for him.” Riley shakes his head. Bitterness is seeping from him like mustard gas.