The Blackwell Brothers ✓

Allies

Chapter 10:

The slam of the front door echoed through the house, followed by a repetition of various curses. Ava woke up, startled by the racket, nearly falling off the couch.

"Oh shit! Sorry, I didn't know you were here," Dakota grabbed a bag of chips out of the pantry and curled up in the chair across from Ava.

She placed a couple chips in her mouth, munching on them, watching Ava as she sat upright.

"I don't think I've actually gotten the chance to introduce myself. I'm Kota," she smiled with her mouth closed, still chewing.

Her red hair was tied in a braid that rested on one side of her neck. She looked so youthful, so innocent, Ava couldn't believe she was involved in all of this.

"How old are you?" Ava finally spoke, folding the blanket and setting it beside her.

"I'm fifteen," she took a moment to finish chewing yet another mouthful of chips, "I know what you're thinking. 'Kota, you're a kid, what are you doing killing and kidnapping people?'"

Ava's eyes widened and she suddenly considered that maybe Colton wasn't the worst of them.

"Oh, I see Colt spared you the details," she scratched her head, "But he's not wrong, you know. We're not 'bad people.' We're just people who do 'bad things' to the 'bad people.'"

Her overuse of air quotes, and even her overall personality, made it a little bit easier for Ava to talk about these kinds of things. When Colton and Quentin had explained it, it seemed more like she was talking to psychopaths. Although, this girl was pretty damn close.

She dumped the remnants from the bag into her mouth, then sat up and leaned forward, toward Ava.

"Alright, the boys aren't here, so ask me whatever you wanna know."

Ava mentally organized her questions, feeling a surge of excitement at the idea that she could finally get her answers.

"I know Colton, I know Quentin, and now I know you –" Ava started.

"—But you wanna know who those other guys are?" Dakota finished for her.

Ava nodded, and Dakota let out a giggle, thinking about how she would describe Zeke and Dominic.

"Well, the tall one is Zeke. He's eighteen, just like Colt. He's a total asshole but he can cook a mean steak," she leaned forward even more, resting her elbows on her thighs, "But what you really need to know is that Zeke is second-in-command. His style is very different than Colton's. If you thought Colt was ruthless, Zeke is worse when he's in charge. Just something to keep in mind."

I will definitely keep that in mind, Ava thought.

"And then there's Dominic. Dom won't bother you so long as you don't bother him. If you stay on his good side, you may find that he could be a really reliable friend."

"And what about you?" Ava still didn't know much about Kota, other than she liked to eat.

"Me," Kota smirked, "I'm probably your greatest ally here. My family wasn't in a gang like the others. No, I'm more like you. I witnessed Quentin's dad get shot. Colt and Quentin gave me the same options as you. I chose to embrace the life."

"What about your parents?"

"My dad left when I was born. Last time I saw my mom, she was drunk off her ass," Dakota shrugged.

Dakota and Ava's attention turned toward the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. The boys were back.

"Quick," Dakota snapped her fingers to regain Ava's attention, "You get one more question. Make it fast, and make it good."

"What happened between you and Cade?" The question flew out of Ava's mouth before she had time to think of a better one, or even a less awkward one.

Dakota's face turned as red as her hair. As she opened her mouth to say something, the door swung open, and the boys filed in, each holding a gun in their hand.

"Where were you?" Ava asked openly, even though she meant the question for Colton.

"Patrolling," he said as he set his gun down on the coffee table, as if it were a normal thing to do.

"Hey, ask them why they didn't invite me," Dakota smirked and winked at me, and Ava looked at Colton for an answer.

"Hey, Quentin, would you trust Kota with a gun?" Zeke teased.

"Aw hell no!" Quentin hollered and the two of them burst into laughter.

"Come on," Colton yelled over the ruckus, "I'll take you home."