Page 20

Dustin

L ucius and I spent the rest of the night driving from bar to fight club, looking for God knows who about God knows what. At each place, I stood off like a bodyguard while he talked with shady person after shady person. All in all, I was pretty clueless the whole time. Honestly, I still am. What I do know, though, is Lucius is on edge and I don’t like it.

“Are you thinking the drugged drink wasn’t random?” Drugged. I still can’t wrap my head around it. Seeing Tina walk out of the bathroom on her own two feet earlier was… well, if I hadn’t already been in bed, I would’ve fallen to my knees and thanked God for answering my prayers. Then she asked if we had sex and even though it was the farthest thing from funny, I couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t fuck women under the influence. I learned the hard way doing so never ends well.

She was at my mercy as I stripped her of her clothes. Completely out of it. It made me sick to think of what would’ve happened if we hadn’t been there.

Sipping his coffee, Lucius shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Crystal fucking clear as usual,” I mutter.

His lips curl where they touch the rim of his cup. We’re still dressed in the clothes we had on last night, but you’d never know it by looking at him. The fucker’s fresh as a daisy. Hair perfectly styled. Clothes still looking pressed. I feel like dog shit and probably don’t smell much better. All the clubs and seedy bars Lucius dragged me into left their marks. I need a shower, clean clothes, and about a gallon of caffeine.

It’s barely dawn, and we’re parked in front of a one-story house, a carbon copy of all the others in the neighborhood. I’m almost afraid to ask. Almost. “What are we doing here?”

“Cashing in some more favors.”

This again . I roll my eyes . How many favors is he owed and what did he do to earn them? Waiting for more details, I stare at his stubborn profile. He checks his phone, thumbing off a response to someone’s text before setting it on the center console. When I realize no more information is forthcoming, I sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if you realize you leave a lot unsaid.”

“You guys needed a place to stay.” He gestures to the house, tossing a set of keys in my lap. “I found you one. Raul is bringing Tina to you.”

“Wait. You’re not staying here?”

“Nah, I got us our own place.” Raul’s name pops up on Lucius’s phone. He answers and muffled rapid-fire Spanish follows on the other end. There’s only one topic Raul gets this angry over and I’m guessing whatever Lucius has planned for Rosa, he’s not a fan. After some back and forth, Lucius hangs up and throws his cell towards the back seat, muttering, “Goddamn stubborn family.”

That’s my cue to exit stage right. I round the back of his car just as the trunk pops open. I’m rolling my suitcase up the walkway when Lucius calls my name. He’s leaning over with the passenger window down. “Take this time to clear up some of your own shit with your girl.”

“She’s not my girl.”

He says something about equally stubborn friends, but I’m already turning the knob on the front door to my temporary home, sweet home.

Forty-five minutes later, I’m shaved and showered when the front door opens and a beanpole full of energy barrels inside. I barely have time to rise from the couch before I get a face full of fluffy curls as Ben wraps his spindly arms around my shoulders. “Oh, thank God you’re safe.” He buries his face in my neck and makes a pleased sound. “And you smell delicious as always.”

At twenty-eight, he still has the body of a teenager just on the cusp of adulthood. Other than his massive amount of curls, he’s like a hairless cat and I’d be surprised if he’s seen a five-o’clock shadow in his mirror ever. My arms circle his middle with room to spare and return the exuberant hug.

A low growl comes from behind Ben. “Babe, tone it down a bit. I don’t want to have to break Chip’s arms before his next fight.”

Ben steps away and winks at me, speaking out of the corner of his mouth. “I love it when he gets all territorial.”

“Great,” I say. “But next time maybe use someone else’s body as bait. I like my arms.”

Ben swats at me playfully, lingering to cop a feel. “Silly. You know he wouldn’t hurt you. He’s limited on friends as it is.”

“Hey,” Raul says, dragging his boyfriend away from me by the scruff of his neck. With little effort, he wrestles him into a headlock.

From Ben’s bent position—with his face level with Raul’s crotch—I catch another wink before he turns up the drama. “Oh, no, not the headlock. How will I ever get out of it?” I see his next move seconds before he makes it. A friend would warn Raul, but I figure he deserves it for threatening me bodily harm.

Raul yelps and jumps away when Ben nips at his dick. I’m still laughing when Tina walks in wearing a pair of snug jeans, rolling her suitcase behind her. Seeing her again smooths the edginess I’ve been struggling with while we were apart. She’s okay.

I don’t notice Rosa until she hugs me. “Anything we need to know?” she asks, studying my face.

I run my hand down her long hair. The silky texture begs a man to linger, but I feel nothing but a sort of brotherly affection. “If there was, he wasn’t in the sharing mood. Sorry, hon.”

She closes her eyes briefly. “When is he ever?”

Raul’s phone rings and he excuses himself to answer, returning within seconds. Raul and I bump fists before he turns to Rosa. “Time to go, sis.”

As quickly as they came, the three of them leave, promising they’ll see us soon. Tina and I stand in the open doorway long after they’ve driven away. It’s almost a game now, to see who’ll make the first move. Because I’m addicted to it, I inhale her citrus and sunshine scent until there’s no more room in my lungs. I study her face while she avoids mine. She looks tired but not sick and I want to pull her into my arms so badly I shove my hands into my pockets.

“I guess I’ll go unpack,” she says, trying not to touch me as she turns back to the house.

I shut the door and engage the lock with a flick of my wrist. I wait for her to reach the hallway before speaking. “I like my socks and underwear in the top drawer, and make sure you leave enough space between my suits in the closet so they don’t wrinkle.”