Page 40 of Resurrecting the Enemy

“I heard Ashton Childress was in the hospital with numerous injuries,” she replied.

I widened my eyes in mock exaggeration. “No, way?” I winked down at her. “What a shame, no?”

D.J. shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that, R.J.”

I scoffed. “The fuck I didn’t,” I argued. “Besides, if I hadn’t, your dad would be fighting murder charges right now.”

The girl smirked. “Only if he’d gotten caught.”

We really were a deranged bunch.

I reached out, wrapped my arm around her, and pulled her to me. When her arms automatically went around my waist, I kissed her on top of her head. “How are you holding up, kid?”

“I’m good,” she said. “You guys taught me well, R.J.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I automatically replied. “It’s our jobs to look after you, Maggie, and Lennon.”

D.J. snorted. “Lennon’s going to end up so blood thirsty, no one will ever dare mess with that girl.”

I chuckled. “You’re probably right.”

We were quietly holding each other for a bit before D.J. said, “I also heard another rumor.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“I heard you’re in love with a girl who can’t stand you and wants nothing to do with you.”

“Goddamn Chance,” I muttered.

D.J. laughed as she pulled out of my arms. Looking up at me, she said, “Dash is actually the one who ratted you out.”

I was surprised. Dash wasn’t one for gossip. “Really?”

She winced. “Okay, maybe he didn’t rat you out, so much as I might have been eavesdropping a bit.”

I bopped her nose. “Brat.”

D.J. grinned. “I overheard him telling Crew you guys were going to have to retain the best criminal lawyer in the country because you were going off the rails over a girl who wanted nothing to do with you.”

“Worried about me, D.J.?”

“Happy for you, actually,” she corrected. “Well…provided Dash wasn’t exaggerating, and she really doesn’t hate you.”

“She might hate me a little bit,” I told her truthfully.

She snorted. “No doubt you probably deserve it.”

“I do.”

She eyed me before saying, “I have no doubt you’ll find a way to fix it, R.J.”

I didn’t want to talk about how Lake hated me. And I didn’t want to sour the mood because we didn’t get together like this often, with everyone in attendance. So, I threw my arms around D.J.’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go party, kid.”

Chapter 22

Lake~

Dressed in my favorite black hoodie, black jeans, and black sneaker, I felt at peace for the first time in a week. I hadn’t been out to take pictures since the night I met Ramsey, and this was just what I needed to ground me.