Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(9)

After climbing down to the second floor balcony it was an easy jump to the ground below and I pulled it off without a sound. But when I straightened out all I saw was a dark hooded figure trying to pry open the lock on Brayden’s window. A skinny high school punk by the looks of him, he was just begging for a lesson in good manners.

I didn’t know if he was carrying anything more lethal than rank stupidity. I decided to chuck him to the ground and sort the rest of it out along the way. He fumbled too much, meaning he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. Piece of cake to take him down. I didn’t really want to hurt the kid. I just wanted to scare the living crap out of him and send him on his way to think about being a better person. That’s all. And if he pissed his pants in the middle of it, so much the better.

He was a featherweight and went down with scarcely a nudge. It was a good thing I didn’t handle him more severely because the yelp of pain and surprise knocked the wind out of me.

“Shit, you’re a girl,” I said, shaking my head. Okay, so the would-be intruder had a vagina. It didn’t mean she was off the hook. But still, I couldn’t ever justify hurting a female. That was the path to being as big a bastard as my old man.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I pulled her up. Her hood fell away and a cascade of wavy brown hair spilled onto her shoulders. She was sputtering somewhat indignantly, then gave me a hard look which stopped me cold. I think she was even more shocked, though she managed to gather her wits enough to speak first.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” she grumbled and glared at me hatefully. “Cord Gentry, what the hell are you doing here?”

I swallowed. “Hey, Saylor. Nice to see you too. What’s it been, four years?”

“Not long enough and I didn’t say it was nice to see you for god’s sake. I asked what the hell you’re doing lurking around Tempe like Jack the f*cking Ripper.”

I just stared at her. Saylor McCann was one of the few things I’ve ever truly felt bad about. Sometimes I meant to ask Bray what she was up to now but I never had the guts. Wherever she was I was sure she hated the shit out of me.

“I was catching a prowler,” I muttered, then narrowed my eyes. “You know, you looked suspicious as f*ck out here.” Saylor let out a hiss and turned her head, as if she were hoping I would just dissolve into the atmosphere. She pulled her sweatshirt off and I found myself noticing the soft curves of her body. She wore a tight shirt and no bra. Then I realized from the way she crossed her arms and shuffled dejectedly that she was trying not to cry.

“Hey,” I reached for her but then backed off. I could read her icy look well enough in the dark. “So what, you’re here to visit Brayden?”

“What the hell do you know about my cousin?”

“I know he’s not home.”

“Wow, you’re a real Sherlock goddamn Holmes.”

“Shit, stand down, okay? I don’t know where the hell he’s at but you’re welcome to come back to my place for a while if you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

She gaped at me in disbelief. “Your place?” she echoed. “Thanks Cord, but I think I’d rather run my tongue over some hot charcoal for a few hours.”

There was a flood lamp overhead. Her face was bathed in the brash yellow light and I looked at her more carefully. “Jesus, I didn’t do that to your face, did I?”

Her shoulders slumped. “No. His name’s Devin. He’s an *.”

“Obviously.” I began to simmer with a slow boil towards this unidentified Devin prick.

Saylor sighed and stared miserably at the ground. “You’re an * too,” she finally said.

I chuckled. “Never said I wasn’t. But you can still come hang out with me and the boys for a while, unless you prefer crawling around in the dark. You know, the next guy to come along might not be as nice as me.”

“The boys,” she frowned. “What boys?”

“Creed and Chase. You might remember them.”

“You Gentry brothers are fairly unforgettable,” she said witheringly.

I didn’t care for the sound of that. I was a mighty dick when I was sixteen and she had fair reason to despise me. But she was acting as if I should be squatting a step below the gutter. The fine folks of Emblem had always shaken their heads over the white trash Gentrys. We were violent, shiftless, hopeless. They even made up stories that we were inbred.

“Fine, I guess you don’t need a damn bit of help, Saylor, great judge of character that you are.” I was being mean, running a finger across her swollen jaw as she cringed. “You obviously know a good man when you see one.”

I’d hit her below the belt there. Her face collapsed and she leaned against the side of the building. “Just leave me the f*ck alone,” she muttered and I felt a jolt of remorse. She’d apparently been through the wringer tonight already. No need to make it any worse.

“Look,” I told her. “I made you an offer, one Emblem reject to another. You can stay here alone and nurse your old bitterness if you’d rather do that.”

Saylor didn’t answer. She didn’t even look at me. I shook my head and started to walk away, no longer in the mood to deal with some cranky chick and her angst.

“Cord,” she called.