I curse under my breath and start after her. She’s back in the doorway holding my key up. I reach for it, but she pulls it back.
“I don’t know why I care, but if you need anything, I owe you one. All you have to do is ask.” She hands over the key. “I have your number from the call list. If it’s the same I can text you the address to where I’ve been keeping the car.”
“How the fuck did you get it in the first place?”
“You’re not the only one who can call in favors. I repaired the damage from the explosion. It wasn’t anything big.”
I work my jaw as I pocket the key. “Thanks. My number’s the same. We’re even.”
“Whatever, Will.” She rolls her eyes and goes back into the room.
“Kiss my ass, Mayven.”
She looks over her shoulder and there’s a smile on her lips. I drop my gaze to her ass. When I look back up, the smile is still there as she looks me over.
“I’d rather you kiss mine,” she says before turning and leaving my ass staring after her.
Chapter 3
The Asshole Club
Pit
Six months later…
“Do you know why I’m bringing my gun? I’m not spending my weekend handing out free tats,” Deacon grumbles from the seat beside me in my car.
“Beats the fuck out of me. Like I told you. She sent me that text and told me to be here, like she’s my fucking boss or some shit.”
He laughs and I start to grumble to myself. I need to stay away from this chick. However, here I am headed to some crap she’s planned. I wasn’t going to come, but Deacon talked my ass into it.
Don’t ask me how the fuck we’ve become besties. It’s probably because he’s the sanist out of this little crew. Yup, somehow, we became Skittles’ crew.
If you ask me, she’s been trying to pull us all together to bond. I’m not sure why. She’s forever cursing us out.
“I don’t think it will be that bad. She’s actually pretty cool. She helped me find a building for the shop and got me to closing faster,” Deacon says.
“When daddy’s a politician, what do you expect?”
“So that’s true? I heard he could be the next mayor of Bridge Lake with future plans for Vander.”
“It’s true.”
I don’t tell him her father is a shoe in due to his connections. He’ll be mayor next term without question. He moved back into his Bridge Lake residence to make it happen.
We fall silent for a bit. I’m lost in thought about all the things I’ve learned about Mayven Jennings. She’s a rich spoiled brat just like Kelex. I guess that’s why they get along so well.
“Hey, how’s the bar coming?”
“It will be open soon.”
“It’s not my business or anything, but you do know Blake Knight isn’t someone you want to get in business with,” Deacon says cautiously.
“You’re right. It’s not your business.”
“True, but you’re a friend and as a friend, I’m telling you, you don’t want to fuck with that guy. I didn’t know you well when I first heard that’s who was backing your bar. Now I do. I’m just telling you, if you can get out of that shit you need to. You might not be able to later,” he warns.
“If you must know. We have an agreement. I needed a new life, and he needed a neutral partner. Someone not invested in things the way he is. In the end, it’s a win-win.”
“Cool, if you know what you’re doing, then I won’t say shit else about it. Obviously, your grown ass can take care of yourself.”
I say nothing. It took me a long time to bite the bullet and reach out to Blake. Leo showing up at my door with a busted lip and black eye pretty much sealed the deal.
He swore it was from a fight with some boy at school, but he and Thaddeus got into an argument about Leo fighting at the elite alma mater. I still question that shit.
I had won a few card games and earned enough to get off of Roman’s couch. The place I was renting wasn’t big enough for me and a growing teenage boy, but I vowed to Leo he didn’t have to go back. In order to make that happen, I needed more money, more power, and more information.
Blake was able to hand all of that over. He’s also able to hand me what I want most. The pull to embarrass my father in a way he’ll never see coming.
“This is it,” Deacon says, breaking into my thoughts.
I lean forward and peer out of the window. The place looks like a winter wonderland lodge. There are three levels from what I can see and all three have decking wrapping the place.
“This looks like some shit out of a magazine,” I grumble.
“Come on, you come from money. This can’t be new to you.”
“Didn’t say it was. That’s not my point. This shit looks like her, high maintenance ass.”
“You know, I think you two should fuck and get it over with,” he says and laughs.
“I don’t do sloppy seconds. Not my style.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
I glance at him after pulling up in front and parking. I pull a face because he has to know what I’m talking about. Kelex has been fucking her since he got out of the hospital, that is if she didn’t give him some ass before that.
“She’s fucking Kelex. You can’t tell me you don’t know this,” I say.
Deacon cracks the fuck up beside me. I get out of the car and ignore his ass. I don’t see what’s so funny.
I have the trunk open and I’m pulling out my bag by the time he gathers himself and rounds the car. He reaches in for his stuff while trying and failing miserably to stifle his laughter.
“Truly don’t see what’s so fucking funny.”
“You are. They’re not fucking, man. I
