Kings of Chaos (Dirty Broken Savages #1)(20)

“But she is now,” I tell him firmly. My face is still basically blank, and even though I’m arguing with conviction, there’s no trace of emotion in my voice or posture. “What if she decides she wants revenge for being locked in the basement all night?”

Ash shakes his head. “She’ll take out Ivan first. That’s what’s most important to her, and if she gets it in her head that she wants to start some shit with us afterward, then we can deal with that then. But at least she’ll have already done the dirty work we want her to do, right?”

Frustration wells up in me. I want to grab Ash and shake him. Everything is so easy in his mind. Everything always works out for the best. He gets the girl and there’s no drama, and things work out the way they should, with all of us on top. He doesn’t understand that sometimes things blow up in your fucking face. Sometimes you don’t win. Sometimes you lose everything, and all you have left is the burning question of why you didn’t see it coming.

That thought makes my stomach clench, a years-old ache in my chest throbbing dully.

But again, I don’t show any of that. I just take a controlled breath, letting it out and looking at Gage once more.

He seems angry, growling under his breath as Ash and I argue. He’s always got his anger close to the surface, ready to use it like a weapon when he needs to even though it burns him up right along with it. I can tell he’s working through the situation in his head, turning over the few things we know about this girl and the things Ash and I are saying.

Out of my three best friends, Gage is the one most likely to take my side. He’s cautious enough to not do things recklessly. Usually.

He sighs, dragging a hand through his hair in a motion that looks like it hurts. “Ash is right,” he says finally, even though it sounds like he still doesn’t like it. “She’ll be solving a problem for us if we let her take down Ivan St. James. We need him gone so that he stops fucking around with our business, and she’s giving us the perfect chance to do that without upsetting any of our allies or bringing down fire on ourselves.”

Ash grins, folding his arms and mimicking my posture.

I don’t say anything, but I grit my teeth.

I can see their points—mostly Gage’s point, since everyone knows what Ash’s point is, and it mainly has to do with his dick—but I’m not convinced, and I don’t agree.

Before I can make another argument against it though, the front door opens. A second later, a scruffy brown dog comes trotting into the room, tail wagging a mile a minute and tongue lolling out of its mouth. It gives one loud, gleeful bark, and then plops down on the floor in front of us, its tail thumping against the carpet as if its expecting attention or a treat or something.

I blink at it, confused, and for the first time today, Ash and Gage are on the same page as I am, staring down at it like they have no idea how a dog just materialized in our house.

Then Knox comes strolling in, a grin on his face.

“Everyone say hello to River,” he declares, gesturing behind him. “Our new houseguest.”

River.

So that’s her name. It fits her somehow, even more than Ghost does. She’s slippery and hard to grasp, seeming calm on the surface but concealing rapids underneath. Not someone you should trust when you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

Knox doesn’t seem to care about any of that. He grins, bending down to pet the dog. “Good boy, Manson,” he says.

“That’s not his name,” the girl—River—snaps from behind him, stepping around him with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. She’s showered and changed since we last saw her, her hair pulled back into a messy bun, and more of her body covered up by a t-shirt and jeans. Her skin has been scrubbed free of blood, but her wrists are still raw and red, and a bruise blooms over her temple.

“I’m just trying it out,” Knox shoots back, rubbing the dog behind the ears. “You obviously don’t care about his name, and this one fits him better.”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“Don’t mind her, Manson.” Knox puts on a funny voice as he talks to the dog, scratching him under his hairy little chin. “She’s just cranky. We’ll find you a good name.”

“What. The. Fuck,” Gage breaks in before she can reply to Knox again. “I told you to bring her back. Not her and this.” He gestures to the dog like it’s dragged in some kind of disease, and judging from the state of the thing, it very well may have.

It’s scrawny, and its fur is matted in some places despite not being very long. There are healed scars and bite marks on its droopy ears, as if it’s been through some shit.

“We’re a package deal,” River snaps, matching Gage’s anger in a flash. “If you’re going to drag me back here after telling me I’m free to go, then you get to put up with Dog until I’m done with my mission. Otherwise I can leave.”

Gage narrows his eyes, and I know he hates her tone. She’s acting like she’s the one calling the shots here, instead of her being here because we said so. His face darkens, ready to lash out right back at her.

Ash and Knox both look a bit amused. Knox keeps petting the dog, and Ash is looking at River, not at all deterred by the fact that she’s more covered up as he lets his gaze roam all over her.