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“Would you say I’m on the roster?”

She threw her hands in the air with exasperation, huffing. “I don’t have a fucking roster! Danny is just being a?—”

“Sure you don’t,” they interrupted again, gleefully. “Because I totally didn’t see you kissing a tattooed hottie outside your apartment less than two hours ago. A tattooed hottie who bought us tickets to go see the Nightwalkers?—”

“Enough, Danny.” Vi slid out from the ring to grab her own bag, which I promptly lifted from her hands and threw the strap over my shoulder to join my own.

I barely concealed my laugh at their antics, nudging Vi with my hip.

“So you didn’t just say that stuff about Ren to get under my skin, huh?”

“No.” Vi ran her hands down her face in frustration. “I hate both of you, for the record.”

“Danny Knox!” Riley shouted, finally losing her patience.

“Oh my god, keep your hair on!” they returned, waving as they turned their back on us. “Enjoy your ride home, Vi! Gotta go make some money, you know?”

The gesture Vi gave her was rude, even by modern standards, though it was a little funny.

“Nice seeing you, Dana!” Danny shouted, barking a laugh as they disappeared through the machines toward the front of the gym.

“Are you going to let me take you home?” I asked, nudging Vi again as she stared stormily after her sibling.

“Yeah…” she muttered, shaking off her bad mood to look up at me with a soft smile. “If you don’t mind. I live a couple blocks away from the club, same building as the Drip.”

“Got it, your carriage awaits.”

We cut through the side door at the back of the gym. It was marked with a bigEmergency Use Onlysign but the thing hadn’t been hooked up to an alarm since I’d been coming here nearly ten years ago.

At the parking lot out back, I led Vi to my jeep, unlocking it with my fob as we approached and opening the passenger side door for her to climb in.

“I’m not sure why, but I just assumed you’d drive a smaller car,” she said conversationally, her body brushing against mine in a way that had to be purposeful as she climbed into the vehicle.

I shook my head. “If I could, I’m pretty sure I’d drive a monster truck. It’s just a little impractical in the city.”

The door snapped shut with a soft thud, and I crossed the front to the driver’s side, tossing our bags in the back before getting in. I threw my phone into the cupholder and turned my keys in the ignition, music blaring to life as the engine rolled over.

“A monster truck?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah. I used to be really into the rallies in the late nineties. Always thought it would be cool to have one.”

She laughed. “Rallies?”

“Yeah, like events where everyone would bring their monster trucks and they’d run over normal cars and race and stuff,” I explained with a shrug. “It was cool.”

“Cool,” she echoed with another laugh. “That sounds like something Kaylee would be into.”

“That’s because Babydoll hastaste, Vi.”

She rolled her eyes, turning down the music as I leaned back in my seat to check the mirrors, backing out of our parking space.

“You know, if we’re going to the same gym, we should just plan to meet up instead of it being a surprise.”

I grinned over at her, showing off my long, pointed fangs, and she returned it, relaxing in her seat.

It felt… strangely normal, having Vi in my car. Like Elsie or Juniper. The enclosed space didn’t make me feel nervous with her; it just made me want to get closer.

“Yeah, maybe we should,” I said softly, offering my hand over the console.