Eye for an Eye

Chapter 36: Remembering

Right now, I'd rather be trapped in one of Jigsaw's twisted games than stuck in this room with these idiots.

Well, apart from Jace. I couldn't hate my best friend.

The silence was suffocating. I sat on one side, Jace beside me, our arms brushing ever so slightly. The contact was enough to calm the storm of nerves brewing in my chest.

Across the room, West and Ryan exchanged quiet whispers, their voices low and guarded. West would glance at me now and then, but Ryan... Ryan wouldn't even spare me a glance. Maybe that was for the best-I was ready to rip his head off.

Nice thoughts, Hope.

Shut up.

And then there was Callum. His glare was icy, his expression unreadable. He'd never been like this. The old Callum would have been cracking jokes, flashing that boyish grin, the cheerful one in the trio. But not now. Now, he looked like a stranger.

One reason why I fell in love with him.

A sharp pang tugged at my chest as I remembered all the times Callum made me laugh effortlessly, no matter his mood. He was always the one who could lighten the room with just a smirk.

"I have a question," Callum started, leaning back in my chair, my tone laced with sarcasm. "How come you've got Jace with you and West has fucktard Ryan, but I can't have... what's her face?" I snorted, amused by how easily Callum had forgotten the girl's name.

"Piss off. Crawl back to whatever hole you came from," Ryan snapped, his eyes finally leaving his phone. "We were fine without you."

"That's not true," he shot back quickly. "I know for a fact Hope missed me terribly. Isn't that right, babe?" Callum smirked, the old glint in his eyes.

I sat up straighter, my voice firm and cutting. "Let's get one thing straight: don't call me 'babe.' I'm not one of your little pigs." I could feel Jace's hand on my lower back, grounding me. "And secondly, I don't want one of your playthings involved, so zip it."

I turned my gaze to Ryan, my tone dripping with venom. "And you? You don't speak to him like that. Because next time, it'll be you in a grave."

My heart pounded in my chest, but I kept my stance, fists clenched beneath the table.

Jace's hand moved in soothing circles on my back, his presence as a quiet anchor. "Just breathe, love. After this, we'll hit Costa, just like the old days. Don't let them get to you."

I smiled softly at him, my breath steadying, grateful for his calming influence in the storm.

The memory of coffee with Callum hit me unexpectedly. He was always the one who remembered my order, no matter how complicated. It was one of those little things that I hadn't realized I missed until now.

It was sweet of Jace to offer, though. He didn't drink coffee, preferring hot chocolate with exactly four mini marshmallows. Only the white ones, because, apparently, the pink ones made him look "feminine." The things I learned about him...

My focus shifted back to the guys. They were engaged in what looked like a silent staring contest, neither of them willing to blink first.

I cleared my throat, loud enough to break their trance. "Alright, I don't want to be stuck here with you lot any longer, so let's cut to the chase. Xavier's going to be late, or at this rate, not show at all. We need to work together to take down my uncle and whoever's working for him. That's where West comes in."

West finally looked at me, his eyebrow raised, as if realizing we were actually here for something important.

"West knows who works for him. I need to find as many of them as I can, pick them off one by one. My uncle's been planning this for a while, so I'm guessing his numbers are greater than ours. Am I right?" I turned to West for confirmation.