Chapter 24: The fight

I’m on the porch, shaking out a rug, when I hear the low, expensive hum of an engine that doesn’t belong in the flats. Most cars around here have rattling mufflers or rusted fenders. This sounds like a purr.

A black sedan, polished to a mirror finish, pulls up to the empty lot across from our house. It’s a jagged piece of land—overgrown with weeds and littered with the foundations of a warehouse that burned down a decade ago.

The door opens, and Jaxson steps out. He isn't in a hoodie. He’s wearing a tailored coat and holding a leather portfolio. He looks exactly like a Thorne. He looks like the enemy.

He doesn't look toward our house. He unfolds a set of blueprints, his face set in a hard, professional mask as he walks the perimeter of the lot.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

The screen door bangs open. Leo is standing there, his face already flushing a dark, dangerous red. He’s holding a wrench from the garage, his knuckles white.

"Leo, don't," I say, my heart dropping. "He’s just standing there."

"He’s standing on our dirt, Maya." Leo starts down the steps, his limp barely slowing him down. "That lot was supposed to be zoned for the community center. If the Thornes bought it, they’re going to put up more luxury condos we can’t afford."

"Leo, stay inside!"

He doesn't listen. He marches across the street, the wrench hanging at his side. I drop the rug and run after him, my stomach twisting. Jaxson hears us coming. He turns, and for a split second, I see the flash of panic in his eyes before he covers it with that cold, aristocratic stare I haven't seen in weeks.

"Get off this lot," Leo growls, stopping three feet from Jaxson.

Jaxson doesn't back down. He’s taller than Leo, broader, and he stands with the confidence of someone who has never been told no. "This is private property, Vance. My father purchased the deed this morning. I’m just here to verify the sewage lines for the surveyors."

"Your father is a vulture," Leo says, his voice vibrating. "And you're just the bird dog he sends to sniff out the carcasses. You think you can just buy up this land? You think you can erase us?"

"I’m doing a job," Jaxson says, his voice flat. He doesn't look at me, but I can see the way his pulse is jumping in his neck. "If you have a problem with the zoning, take it up with the city council. Or better yet, get a lawyer you can actually afford."

Leo lunges. It isn't a punch—it’s a shove, a desperate burst of rage. Jaxson drops the portfolio, his papers scattering into the mud, and grabs Leo’s arms to keep from falling.

"Leo, stop it!" I scream, throwing myself between them. I push against Leo’s chest, trying to force him back. "He’s just doing what his dad said! It isn't worth it!"

"Get out of the way, Maya!" Leo yells, trying to reach around me. "Why are you standing in front of him? Why are you taking his side?"

The question hits like a physical blow. Leo is staring at me, his eyes wide with a sudden, horrible suspicion. My mind goes blank. I can feel Jaxson’s heat behind me, the weight of his presence, and the silence of the street feels like it’s screaming.

"She isn't taking my side," Jaxson says, his voice cold. "She’s just the only person in this family with enough sense to know that hitting a Thorne is a one-way ticket back to a cell."

Leo doesn't listen to him, he whips to my direction, his eyes bloodshot. "Why the fuck would you defend him, Maya?"

"I...I—"

"Maya!"

A high-pitched voice cuts through the tension. Sarah comes jogging down the sidewalk, her backpack bouncing. She doesn't even look at the fight. She walks right up to me and grabs my arm.

"There you are! I’ve been texting you for twenty minutes. We’re going to be late for that study group at the library, and you know Mrs. Gable locks the doors at four."

She turns to Leo, giving him a bright, fake smile. "Sorry, Leo, I’m stealing her. We have a huge biology project due tomorrow and she's the only one who understands the diagrams."

She doesn't wait for him to answer. She yanks me away from the two men, her grip like iron.

"Vance," Jaxson calls out. I look back. He’s picking up his muddy blueprints, his face unreadable. "Tell your brother to stay on his side of the road. Next time, I won't be so polite."

Leo spits on the ground and turns back toward the house, his shoulders hunched.

Sarah doesn't stop walking until we’re around the corner and out of sight. She stops, leaning against a brick wall and letting out a long, shaky breath.

"You owe me," she says, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Big time."

"How did you know?" I ask, my voice trembling.

"I didn't. I was coming over to see if you wanted to go for coffee, and I saw the black car and Leo looking like he was about to commit a felony." She looks at me, her expression turning serious. "Maya, that was too close. Leo isn't stupid. He’s looking for a reason to hate the world, and if he finds out the reason is you..."

I pull out my phone, my fingers shaking as I type.

MAYA: Why were you really there?

A minute later, the reply comes.

JAXSON: My dad sent me. He's buying the abandoned block behind the flats, Maya. I tried to talk him out of it. He sent me there to 'toughen me up' because he knows how I feel about the place. I’m sorry about Leo. I didn't want him to see me like that.

I lean my head against the brick. Jaxson was just a puppet today, and I’m the girl lying to the only person who ever looked out for her.

"We need to get to that library," I whisper to Sarah. "For real. I can't go home yet."