apologize. Wanted to join.”
“And you’re gonna let him?”
“He screwed up, Davy. We all know that. I can’t forgive him for what he did to
Pike. But I won’t throw him under a train. If he can pull his life together,
I’m not going to get in his way.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I do. I understand what Pike would have done for him.”
Davy scowled, his eyes narrowing, his teeth showing.
“Pike saw something in Anthony,” I said. “He stuck with him even when the kid
was being an ass.”
“And it got him killed.” Davy stood. “I’m not that stupid. I didn’t think you
were either.”
“Lon Trager killed Pike,” I said. “Not Anthony. You know that.”
“I know Pike wouldn’t have gone down to Trager alone if Anthony hadn’t used his
blood to frame Pike.”
“Pike went there alone because he was a stubborn old man. I told him the police
would go with him, with us. He wouldn’t listen. Sometimes Hounds make stupid,
stupid choices, Davy. Just like Pike did, just like Anthony did, and just like
Tomi did. She almost killed you. And if she came walking in here, telling me
she was clean and had pulled her life together, I’d give her the chance to
prove it to me too.”
Davy’s face flushed red. The thin scar that still hadn’t healed over his left
eyebrow and down his temple turned white.
“Leave Tomi out of this.”
“Listen—” I stopped. Took the volume out of my voice. “What I’m saying is,
Hounds make bad decisions. It comes with the territory. I think you have to be
willing to do stupid things if you’re going to Hound. We’re hardwired that way.
Pike understood that. I think if he were still alive, he’d probably give
Anthony the ass-kicking of his life, and then take him in, and teach him so he
never made that kind of mistake again. It’s up to Anthony to pull his life
together. There’s a good chance he’ll find something better than Hounding,
safer than Hounding, before I let him in the pack.”
“You think that’s how Pike would want you to run this place?”
“I think that’s how I’m going to run it. When someone wants to take over, they
can run it their way. Until then, I make the rules. If you don’t want to follow
those rules, no one’s saying you have to stay.”
I leaned back. “I hope you won’t leave. Not over Anthony. He’s not worth it.”
Davy gritted his teeth again and looked out the window. Not much to see out
there, just the roofline of Get Mugged and a few lights shining through the
rain.
I waited. Gave him some space to think, some time to breathe.
Zayvion, who had been silent this whole time, stayed where he was, sitting in
one of the couches behind Davy, in my line of vision, watching Davy, me, and
the door, without looking like he was doing any of those things.
The rain pounded harder, wind kicking it across the window. It felt suddenly
much colder in here, as if night had crept unnoticed through the seams of the
walls and sunk down into all the shadows of the room.
“Things aren’t . . . aren’t what I want,” Davy said quietly.
“Hounding?”
“Everything.”
“You want some time off?”
He shook his head. “More time only messes with my head. I can’t even sleep,
well, not enough. Not really. Not since . . .” He stared out the window, and I
watched his eyes shift, as if he could see someone there.
“Sometimes I think I can feel her.”
I didn’t let my surprise show. “Who? Tomi?”
He nodded. “When she’s hurt. I think when she’s cutting. . . .”
“That seems a little strange, doesn’t it?” I asked gently.
He laughed, a short huff. “You think?” He looked back over at me, gave me the
half grin that I hadn’t seen in weeks. “Just a little strange?”
I had no idea what to say to that. Davy didn’t know about the Authority. He
just thought Zayvion was my boyfriend, who sometimes hired out as a bodyguard.
Since Davy didn’t know about the Authority, he also didn’t know about the
“And you’re gonna let him?”
“He screwed up, Davy. We all know that. I can’t forgive him for what he did to
Pike. But I won’t throw him under a train. If he can pull his life together,
I’m not going to get in his way.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I do. I understand what Pike would have done for him.”
Davy scowled, his eyes narrowing, his teeth showing.
“Pike saw something in Anthony,” I said. “He stuck with him even when the kid
was being an ass.”
“And it got him killed.” Davy stood. “I’m not that stupid. I didn’t think you
were either.”
“Lon Trager killed Pike,” I said. “Not Anthony. You know that.”
“I know Pike wouldn’t have gone down to Trager alone if Anthony hadn’t used his
blood to frame Pike.”
“Pike went there alone because he was a stubborn old man. I told him the police
would go with him, with us. He wouldn’t listen. Sometimes Hounds make stupid,
stupid choices, Davy. Just like Pike did, just like Anthony did, and just like
Tomi did. She almost killed you. And if she came walking in here, telling me
she was clean and had pulled her life together, I’d give her the chance to
prove it to me too.”
Davy’s face flushed red. The thin scar that still hadn’t healed over his left
eyebrow and down his temple turned white.
“Leave Tomi out of this.”
“Listen—” I stopped. Took the volume out of my voice. “What I’m saying is,
Hounds make bad decisions. It comes with the territory. I think you have to be
willing to do stupid things if you’re going to Hound. We’re hardwired that way.
Pike understood that. I think if he were still alive, he’d probably give
Anthony the ass-kicking of his life, and then take him in, and teach him so he
never made that kind of mistake again. It’s up to Anthony to pull his life
together. There’s a good chance he’ll find something better than Hounding,
safer than Hounding, before I let him in the pack.”
“You think that’s how Pike would want you to run this place?”
“I think that’s how I’m going to run it. When someone wants to take over, they
can run it their way. Until then, I make the rules. If you don’t want to follow
those rules, no one’s saying you have to stay.”
I leaned back. “I hope you won’t leave. Not over Anthony. He’s not worth it.”
Davy gritted his teeth again and looked out the window. Not much to see out
there, just the roofline of Get Mugged and a few lights shining through the
rain.
I waited. Gave him some space to think, some time to breathe.
Zayvion, who had been silent this whole time, stayed where he was, sitting in
one of the couches behind Davy, in my line of vision, watching Davy, me, and
the door, without looking like he was doing any of those things.
The rain pounded harder, wind kicking it across the window. It felt suddenly
much colder in here, as if night had crept unnoticed through the seams of the
walls and sunk down into all the shadows of the room.
“Things aren’t . . . aren’t what I want,” Davy said quietly.
“Hounding?”
“Everything.”
“You want some time off?”
He shook his head. “More time only messes with my head. I can’t even sleep,
well, not enough. Not really. Not since . . .” He stared out the window, and I
watched his eyes shift, as if he could see someone there.
“Sometimes I think I can feel her.”
I didn’t let my surprise show. “Who? Tomi?”
He nodded. “When she’s hurt. I think when she’s cutting. . . .”
“That seems a little strange, doesn’t it?” I asked gently.
He laughed, a short huff. “You think?” He looked back over at me, gave me the
half grin that I hadn’t seen in weeks. “Just a little strange?”
I had no idea what to say to that. Davy didn’t know about the Authority. He
just thought Zayvion was my boyfriend, who sometimes hired out as a bodyguard.
Since Davy didn’t know about the Authority, he also didn’t know about the
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