"How much? You said three times the amount. I don't know what it was or how much he owed."

The big guy grins wide. "Ask him. Oh, and try to be smarter than your brother and come unarmed." He holds up Drake's gun, grinning, and then tucks it back into his waistband. "Thanks for the piece." He laughs and disappears around the corner.

"f.u.c.k, Drake!" I pull my shirt off and put it under his head. "What the f.u.c.k have you gotten us into now?"

It took me an hour to get Drake cleaned up enough to a.s.sess the damage those guys did. Figured dragging him through the casino and lobby of Caesars like a slab of raw meat wouldn't be the best idea, so I brought him home to my place.

He's banged up, probably could use a few st.i.tches, and I'm pretty sure he has a broken rib, but he refuses to let me take him to the hospital. A few ace bandages around his torso and b.u.t.terfly Band-Aids on his eye will have to do.

"He's good. I loaded him up on pain meds, and he's sound asleep on my couch." I watch my brother's chest rise and fall, making sure he's not dead and that I'm not lying to Jayden.

"He didn't even tell us he was going; f.u.c.ker just disappeared. We should've been there. Had his back. I can't believe this s.h.i.t!"

"Pack your s.h.i.t and get some f.u.c.king sleep. You guys are gone tomorrow, understand?"

"Mason-"

"Just f.u.c.king tell me you understand!"

A few beats of silence are followed by Jayden's long exhale. "Yeah, man. We'll be gone first thing."

"Good. Pick Drake up on your way out of town. I'll text you the address."

I don't wait to hear him confirm and press "end" before setting the alarm on my phone to go off every few hours.

This is going to be a long f.u.c.kin' night.

I drop down into an overstuffed club chair and drop my head back, rubbing my forehead.

I knew their coming to town would end up biting me in the a.s.s. I go from volunteer work at the Youth Community Center to drug dealer in less than a couple days.

My head spins, and I try to force myself to think clearly. Between Drake and his dad's connections, they should be able to get what's needed by the time I need to deliver it in a week. After that, I'm cutting ties with all this: my brother, his lifestyle, all of it. I've lived too many years of my life, saving Drake from himself, but now I have way too much to lose, and he's going to have to start making healthier choices.

Or better yet, have his dad bail his a.s.s out of trouble from now on.

After all, he's the one who got him into this bulls.h.i.t in the first place.

Seven.

Mason "There's no way Tom Curren is a better surfer than Kelly Slater." Wade tosses his cards into the center of the table. "Fold."

"He is, bro. Google that s.h.i.t." I scan my fanned-out cards and pull two, flipping them face down and pushing them to Rex. "I'll take two."

After my brother dragged a.s.s back to Santa Cruz with a bruised body and a shattered ego, my life picked up right where it left off, starting with poker night at Rex's. Drake swears his dad will take care of everything from here on out and that I'll have exactly what I need to deliver in less than a week. He better be right, but history proves I shouldn't be too optimistic.

"I wouldn't f.u.c.k with Baywatch, man." Rex slides my cards toward him. "He lifeguarded with Ha.s.selhoff; he would know-"

"Real f.u.c.kin' funny." I throw a chip at Rex's head, and he dodges it easily.

"I can't find my keys," Gia calls from across the room as she makes her way to us. Her flowing orange hair falls just past her shoulders in loose curls.

Rex's eyes dart from her to his cards. "Must've lost them."

"Right." She moves in behind Rex and runs a hand over his messy hair before bending over to kiss his head. "Hand 'em over."

He feigns innocence and pulls her hand from his shoulder to place a kiss on the underside of her wrist. "No clue what you're talkin' about, babe."

"I'm not taking the bike. I just need my house key." She rolls her eyes and acts as if this isn't the first time her man has put her motorcycle on lockdown.

"Oh, in that case, they're in the freezer." He slaps down two cards and pa.s.ses them to me with a slanted grin.

"You're annoyingly sweet when you're protective." Gia ruffles his hair again and moves to snag her keys. "So, who's winning?"

Lane, Rex's guitar player, organizes his chips. "Like you have to ask?" He motions to his stacks with a big dramatic sweep of his hand.

Rex grabs Gia as she pa.s.ses and pulls her down to his lap, his finger moving to play with the single diamond she has hanging from her neck. "Where are you girls going tonight?"

"Dinner, but I probably won't be home until late. We always get to talking and lose track of time."

"You having a girls' night out?" Wade perks up in interest. "Is it with that dirty little blond waitress from The Blackout?"

"Dude, whatever happened to the girl you brought to Blake's wedding? That was, like . . . a week ago." I put my cards face down and take a long pull from my beer.

"She's a sweet girl." He grins.

The doorbell rings and Gia jumps. "Oh, that's her." She scurries off to the front door, and Lane lays down three of a kind.

"Nice, but . . ." I fan my royal flush and lay it down. "Bam!"

Rex and Lane groan, and before I pull all the chips to me, a voice tickles my ear. So familiar, I can almost taste the lips that it came from.

My entire body ignites, blood thunders through my veins, and my skin p.r.i.c.kles with antic.i.p.ation. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since that kiss . . . f.u.c.k, that kiss.

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h." I mumble the words, and before I can even turn to look, Gia is at the table.

"Guys, this is my friend Trix."

No s.h.i.t.

I turn to look up at her and my breath catches. Dammit, she's pretty.

She's in baggy jeans that hang off the flare of her hips, ripped and rolled up to her calves. Her top is fairly conservative, a loose-fitting charcoal gray tank that has the words "Life Starts at Midnight" scrolled across the front. She's wearing her hair more natural, aside from the purple, than I've ever seen it: long and wavy like she's been hanging out at the beach all day. And f.u.c.k me: the girl's wearing flip-flops, her toes tipped in pink nail polish.

"These are two of the guys Rex fights with, Wade and Mason." Gia saying my name pulls my attention back to Trix's eyes.

Her expression registers shock for a second before she wipes the look clean. She shifts uncomfortably on her rubber sandals and stares between us. "Nice to meet you."

That d.a.m.n voice makes my skin hot, and everything below my waist come to life, including my legs' urge to run the h.e.l.l out of here.

I don't know how to act around this woman. I mean, she's a stripper for s.h.i.t's sake. She has seduction down to an art and uses it freely as a way to earn a living. That's all this is. My feelings, her face invading my thoughts, it's what she's trained to do, what she gets paid for. And I'm just the shmuck to fall for it.

"And I know you know, Lane," Gia says in a knowing way that makes my fists clench and my gut burn.

Lane grabs Trix's arm and pulls her into his lap. "Mm, baby . . . I've missed you." He buries his face in her neck, and I'm so stuck on the visual I can't move.

Dammit to s.h.i.t.

Trix's eyes dart to mine a split second before she pushes Lane's head back and moves to try and stand. "f.u.c.k off, Lane."

"Oh, come on, baby . . ." Lane pouts but releases her. "Don't act like you don't miss me."

She straightens her shirt and shakes her head. "You're a d.i.c.k."

I can't see her face through the thick waves of her hair, so I can't tell if she's okay, and not knowing fills me with unease.

"No, I got a d.i.c.k." He pushes his chair back, legs open. "It's ready if you're willing, baby."

"Lane." The word rumbles through my clenched teeth, and it's taking every ounce of my strength to keep my a.s.s in my seat. "Enough."

The room goes silent except for the sound of Alkaline Trio playing on the stereo. Lane's eyebrows pinch together, in confusion more than aggression, and the air around me is charged with tension.

Rex clears his throat. "Where are you girls off to?"

Gia's wide eyes swing between Lane and me, and then she blinks and focuses on Rex. "Oh, um . . . we're going to check out I Love Burgers."

Rex nods toward the door, a silent maybe you should get the h.e.l.l out of here to his girl.

She gets the message and grabs Trix. "Bye, guys."

"Yeah, nice meeting you, Wade," Trix says from behind me.

A surge of jealousy rages inside me. "Yo, Trix." I c.o.c.k my head to see her, my muscles tense.

The room is still quiet, and all eyes move between the mauve-eyed beauty and me.

"Yeah?"

"How's your a.s.s after our last run in? Better?" I immediately regret being such an a.s.s as m.u.f.fled laughter sounds throughout the room. f.u.c.k if the high of being a jerk isn't short-lived.

A small grin tilts her lips, and she straightens her shoulders. "Yeah, Mason. Why wouldn't it be?" Her eyes slide slowly down to my crotch and back to my eyes, defiance shining behind them. "I barely felt it."

The room erupts in a series of awww s.h.i.ts and she told yous, but I ignore them.

I lock eyes with Trix as she stares at me, antic.i.p.ating something. Our gazes tangle, and I can't help but get lost in the violet depths. Seconds pa.s.s before her expression falls. Her eyes dart among the guys, now painfully obvious about avoiding mine. s.h.i.t, why am I such a mess around this girl?

"Later." She waves with a flick of her perfect hand and moves through the room to the door, Gia following behind her.

Way to go, genius.

Couldn't have f.u.c.ked that up any better.

Trix "G.o.d, I feel like I might explode." I lean back in my seat, hoping it'll stretch out my belly enough to give the food I just ate somewhere to settle. "That was so good."

Gia makes a pained face. "So d.a.m.n good."

We moan and groan for a second, and I consider how grateful I am for good friends. If this were a date, I'd have stopped at half a burger and pa.s.sed on the fries, but with Gia, I can stuff my face until my heart explodes.

"Phew . . ." I take a swig of my beer. "I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight."

She tilts her head with tiny tilt to her lips. "You sound like an old man."

"Sometimes I feel like an old man." I rub my stomach and fake burp.

We laugh, and when it dies, she leans in with her elbows propped on the table. "How are you doing?" All that bright hair and those lightly freckled cheeks give her an innocent appearance that contradicts a painful past that shines through her thoughtful steel-colored stare.

I swallow and play stupid. "Whoa . . . call the party foul police." I motion to her with my beer bottle hand. "Holy serious face, batman."

She simply lifts one eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. "Gia . . . I already told you-"

"I know what you told me, but I don't believe you."

"Hatch and I hooked up." I shrug and force myself to look casual. "Nothing more."

"I think you miss him."

My thumb rolls back the soggy label from my beer bottle. "I don't." I just need him.

She worries her bottom lip for a second. "You seem, I don't know, different. Preoccupied maybe?"

"No." I shake my head and shrug. After Mason's blow off at Zeus's and then again tonight at Gia's house, I'm starting to think the guy despises me, but I just can't figure out why.

"c.r.a.p. If it's not Hatch, then . . . is it Mason?"

My eyes bulge out of my head. "What? Why . . . why would you? No!" I pull my hair back and twist it behind my head, thinking. How do I explain without outing myself? "Yes, I mean . . ." A long exhale falls from my lips, and defeat weighs heavy as I consider how to lie to my friend.

Would it be so terrible to let her in just a little? She could help me find the answers I'm searching for. After all, she lived with Hatch for longer than I've ever spent time with him. Neither she nor Rex talks about it openly, and she's never divulged anything more than the basics of her time there. But maybe if she knew, if she understood the reasons for my searching, she'd offer something helpful.

"Gia?" I keep my gaze down, but feel her staring at me. "Do you know what it's like to need someone you hate?" I peek up at her, and her expression is blank. "You almost have to become someone else to get close, and when you do, you realize you'd do anything, give up anything, just to get closer, even though you can't stand the person?"

She recoils at my words, and I instantly feel like s.h.i.t. After Gia took off and ended up living with Hatch at the Wild Outlaw MC compound, she was so messed up and dependent on him she could've died.