DECEIT (B723) by Hazel Grace (ebook reader for surface pro .TXT) 📕

cheekbone, sending my head to the side to make his point, then straightens his spine.

“Don’t underestimate me, asshole,” he grounds out before popping me in the balls with his knees like a fucking douchebag. “And that’s for Emmy.”

“You mother—“

“Kace!” The trailer door squeaks in protest of opening too many damn times and slams shut while I’m registering the woman’s voice who just called for me. Then it hurls into me.

Camilla. 

Mills rises to his feet, eyes locked with mine before holding out his palm for me to take.

I do, accepting that we’re done with today. There are always other times for us to wail on each other when we need to let off some steam. It’s not conventional nor healthy, but it’s the way we operate.

At least we don’t use each other for target practice.

“Get away from him!” Mills is propelled backward by small hands and replaced with a sleepy-looking blonde that’s been back in my life for less than a week and made me feel more worthless than anything in the world.

“It’s alright, Cam,” I soothe, feeling my face and body begin to bruise. “We do this all the time.”

“Fight?” she asks through knitted brows. “They were all ganging up on you and—“

“They’re friends.”

“Friends don’t do things like that.”

“Kyson and I fucked around all the time.” I wave my hand dismissively in the air.

“You were teenage boys.”

“And now there are two more added to the group who are still teenage-minded.”

“Kace—“

“They’re my family, Camilla,” I ground out. “I don’t give a shit if you like it or not.”

“Awww,” Mills coos. “You finally admit it.”

I look past Cam’s shoulder to glower at him, to which he smiles at me like he didn’t just flip the script on my ass.

I jerk my head towards the trailer. “Go on ahead and get back inside. It’s cold out here.”

“But—“

“I’ll make you some breakfast. We have a lot to talk about.” Sadness clouds her features, but she does what I ask her to do anyway, rounding my body and taking off back inside.

Kyson, Mills, and Marty circle me as we watch her close the screen door behind her.

“She was an old girlfriend,” Marty exposes at my side. “And she went down a dark path that you couldn’t save her from. It’s what you’re trying to do with Emmy. Keep her not as fucked up as we are.”

“And not as dependent,” Kyson states. “Camilla needed Bish like air, then she replaced him with drugs, leading him and I to a crossroads.”

“What crossroads?” Mills asks.

“Choosing between Kyson and her,” I tell him because they should know, I guess. “He was going to take off from this shithole either way but waited until after he graduated high school for me to go with him. But I was so…in love with Camilla I didn’t want to leave.”

Marty turns to look at me. “What made you go then?”

“Family.”

“Hi, can I help you?” I stare at a beautiful woman with medium-brown hair, stunning blue eyes, and the bone structure of a goddess.

Her smile is infectious, warm, and kind as she patiently waits for me to speak.

Thing is, my jealousy is clogging my throat.

I’ve never seen jeans and a white top with ugly maroon buttons that go down the middle look so good on someone. The unheeding factor that she probably just threw that outfit on and looks like a million bucks makes me feel self-conscious that I spent way too much time in the mirror this morning trying to pick out the right thing to wear.

All over someone who doesn’t want me here in the first place but, alas, my dumbass is here again.

“Hi,” I manage to force from my lips. “I’m sorry, is Bishop here?”

“Should be back soon,” she replies cheerily. “He ran to grab some lunch.”

Right.

I bob my head. “Uhh...okay, well would you tell him—”

“Is that you, Ems?” Kyson’s voice infiltrates through my stumbling—God bless his soul— and shows up behind the woman. His usual and welcoming smile calming my nerves. “I was wondering when you were getting here.”

I return the gesture, but my lips don’t want to curl into something that matches the woman in front of me.

Oh no, she has me beat by a long shot. They are only at half-working capacity.

“Here I am,” I deadpan, trying to sound like my normal upbeat self. But inside, my heart just skidded and crashed into my ribcage.

This makes two women within a week that have been possibly linked to Bishop.

I want to kill him.

Kyson gestures to the woman still holding the screen door open. “This is Scarlett, Bishop’s sister. Scar, this is Emmy Lou, the only female that your brother works with that can handle his shit.”

Sister. 

Ah, yes, he’s mentioned one of those vaguely before, and embarrassingly enough, I’ve never met my husband’s family before.

Scarlett’s perfectly shaped brows clash as though she doesn’t like the fact that I have a vagina who does indeed work with her brother until she surprises me with, “Oh my God, is he mean to you?”

“I’m extremely good to her.” Bishop’s voice and lie behind me sets my whole body buzzing from head to toe.

God, his voice is a weapon to me. 

I surrender to it every single freaking time.

I didn’t hear a car pull up, my jealously ramping up too loudly in my head, I guess for me to take heed of my surroundings.

I hear the sound of his boots hitting the stained porch then his massive frame brushes up against mine, sending my next inhale fluttering away.

“Em, only gets the best, don’t you?” I mindlessly glimpse up at him like a fly to shit.

At first, he appears like he truly believes that he’s not a complete asshole to me. Until his brow perks underneath his black hat like he’s expecting me to accept his fib just to save face with his sister.

Which—not gonna lie—I’m thrilled about.

“Sure,” I reply, not bothering to make my response believable. It’s not my job. I then extend my hand. “It’s really nice to meet you, Scarlett.”

“Same,” she conveys as Bishop