A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 1)

Tray snorted, rolling his eyes. “I know more than you think about that world.”

He knows people that I know. I remembered Jace’s warning. A shiver went through me, but I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back against the wall. Tray was becoming my only ally here. I didn’t want to lose him. “He’s not a drug lord.”

“No, he’s a drug dealer. That’s a lot more prestigious.”

I rolled my eyes, hearing his sarcasm. “Jace is—”

“Jace is someone you should stay away from. He might care about you, but he’s not going to change. One day he’s going to end up in prison or dead.”

That was enough. “And how do you know so much?” The guy was insufferable.

“I know. Trust me.”

“But how?”

“My dad,” he remarked. “He used to be the chief of police here, and my older brother’s with the DEA. I know both sides, trust me. My family is messed up, but I know where to step and where not to step.” Tray sat on a roll of wrestling mats against the wall. Bracing his elbows on his knees, he said further, “That’s how I know Lanser.”

“Jace said you knew people he knew.” This was important, whatever Tray was going to tell me might not be brought up again. I had this one shot. We were in a back room, tucked away from the world. Right now, it was only him and me. “What did he mean by that?”

Pain flashed in the depths of his eyes. The sight of it surprised me. There was more than pain, though. There was anger and grief too. He was haunted.

Then he said, “My dad was a dirty cop.”

“Oh.”

He laughed, and the sound sent chills down my spine. “Jace is a dealer for Sal Galverson, a drug lord from South America. They tried to recruit my dad to help with the distribution in Rawley.”

“Did he?”

He nodded. “Yeah, for the longest time. Bad stuff happened. My brother got involved. He came back home. We thought he was home to recuperate from an injury, but he was really undercover. My dad was so dumb. My brother told us he had been shot, and his leg was broken, so my dad didn’t think he could follow him.”

“What happened?”

“My brother was faking. He got a ton of evidence on my dad. Some of it was turned over, but Galverson’s lawyer found a loophole. My dad was the only one that would’ve gone to prison.”

“Would’ve gone? He’s not?”

“No, he’s in South America with Galverson. He still helps him because of his contacts with the cops here. My dad kept the other evidence. If anything happens to me, it goes to DEA. I guess it’s the stuff about their current suppliers. Galverson’s not scared about prison. He doesn’t want his distribution and suppliers messed with so everyone’s at a standstill.” He grimaced. “My dad is with him as an act of good faith; it’s not just to hide from the government.”

I blinked, not believing what I just heard. “Does anyone else know about this?”

He shook his head. “No. I never said a word to my friends and all the stuff that went down was swept under the rug. A lot of the Rawley cops are dirty. My brother went back to the DEA. I haven't talked to him since it all happened.”

“When?”

“Last year.”

I sighed and moved to sit in front of him. Tray pulled me back against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I laid my head on his chest. “I’m so sorry, Tray. I had no idea.”

“It’s not a normal thing people go through or tell anyone about.” He tipped my head up and peered down at me. His eyes were fierce. “I’m only telling you because I know Jace Lanser. He showed up at our house when they thought my dad was going to flip on them. I know what he’s capable of.”

So did I. A wave of sadness crashed down on me. “Jace has never said he was a good guy. I know he’s dangerous.”

“You’ll stay away from him?”

I nodded. I felt that he was asking more with that question. It wasn’t only about Jace and me; it was about Tray and me. He was claiming me again with this request. Jace had been family, but I couldn’t go back to there. He didn’t even want me back there anyway. I whispered, “I’ll stay away from him.”

He chuckled. “They’re expecting me to put you in your place.” One of his hands began caressing my leg.