Between Us (The Renegade Saints #3) Read Online Free Page A

it big, and it had killed Gavin to leave her behind. Hell, it fucked with all of us. We knew what we were leaving her with, and it wasn’t ideal. The only thing that made it even somewhat bearable was knowing that my parents, Todd and Gram were on top of it—they loved Bree like their own and made sure she was safe and had the things she needed.
    As I rounded the corner to Flynn’s house, I frowned when I saw the electric gate at the bottom of the driveway open. We all took security seriously, and him just leaving his shit unsecured was not the norm. I picked up my pace, then slowed down when I saw his Escalade come flying down the driveway. His tires screeched as he came to a halt next to me.
    Swinging the door open I said, “What the fuck—”
    “Get in,” he barked tersely.
    I knew right away something was wrong, and my hands started shaking. Was something wrong with my parents? His dad? Gram and Pop? Ty? Shit! Was he using again?
    I hastily climbed into the car, panicked out of my fucking mind. The only people I wasn’t worried about right then were Gavin and Bree, because I knew they were at dinner.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Allison died this afternoon,” he answered. His hands were clenched around the steering wheel as he drove us quickly out of our development.
    My initial feeling was relief it wasn’t someone I cared about. I wanted to be with Gavin and Bree, but I wasn’t devastated or anything. Before I could say anything, Flynn continued.
    “Joe called Gavin and Bree while they were at dinner and told them. I guess Allison’s body was found in a hotel room with some fuckwad who lived, but barely. They’d OD’d on God only knows what. Gav and Bree left the restaurant right away, but by the time they got to the house, it was too late. They found him in his bedroom. Joe fucking ate a bullet and left his kids a note saying he didn’t have anything to live for without Allison. On his daughter’s fucking birthday,” Flynn spat angrily.
    The air left my lungs in a whoosh. Gavin and Bree had been dealing with their fucked-up parents for years, but this was so far beyond the pale, there were literally no words.
    This, I thought, was another reason I was never going to be in a one-on-one relationship. I knew two sets of people it worked for—my parents and Flynn’s grandparents. But even with them as my examples, I always wondered. Would my mom fall apart if my dad died, and vice versa? The same question applied to Gram and Pop. They were rarely apart. If something happened, could one survive without the other? I’d never forgotten the way Todd had lost his shit after Rachel died.
    In my opinion, relationships weren’t worth the fucking risk. There was no one on earth, male or female, who would ever make me change my mind.

 
     
     
     

 
    I ’m twenty-nine years old and retiring. Well, sort of. No one will be giving me a gold watch, and I’m not going to be at home taking care of my flowerbeds or anything. But still—the first part of my career is definitively coming to a close sooner rather than later. It isn’t a bad thing. Even though it isn’t happening without some sadness, it’s time.
    After slightly more than a decade of rocking, we all concluded recording and the endless and insane touring that goes along with it, isn’t for us anymore. Our shared dream of creating music for the masses and rocking arenas around the world has come true a thousand times over—hell, ten thousand times over. But somewhere along the way it all became something unfulfilling, an obligation as opposed to an adventure.
    When we were just starting out, each of us dreamt of a day thousands of fans would love our music. Those dreams didn’t just come true—they were completely smashed, and then some. Instead of thousands, we’re idolized by millions. It was unbelievably cool for the first few years. Beyond our wildest expectations or anything we’d dared to hope for.
    But for every up, there’s a down, a