Craving Trix (The Aces' Sons 1)

Casper looked like he was ready to explode.

“Go on home and keep an eye on things. Quickest way for shit to go south is fuckin’ loose women, so from here on out, no bitches inside the gates except old ladies,” Dragon ordered, making the crowd groan and grumble.

“And no callin’ some gash yer old lady to get her in here. I’ll toss her out on her arse,” Poet warned, pissed at the complaining going on.

As people filtered out of the club, I moved to a stool and took a seat. I didn’t have an old lady, and at the moment, I didn’t even have a house. I slept at the clubhouse most nights, or at my parents’ house. The shit hole I’d been renting got fucking condemned and they’d booted my ass out.

“Hey, boy,” Casper said quietly, thumping me on the back as he sidled up to the bar.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Hate when shit like this happens, but it happens. Just have to deal.” He reached over the bar top and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of Jack, pouring us each a couple of fingers.

“You already talk to Ma?”

“Yep. Her and Rose got things covered, keepin’ an eye on the girls and a hand on their guns. Farrah’s a crazy bitch when she’s protectin’ her own, not worried about that.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I joked, remembering back to a time when Farrah had stepped between me and armed policemen, screaming about how she’d have their jobs.

Grease and Dragon moved in behind us, so I turned to face them, leaning back against the bar. Poet and Slider had moved to some chairs across the room and were talking quietly, their faces and bodies tense.

“Got a bad feelin’ about this,” Grease said softly, running his hand down his beard.

“Callie and the kids?”

“Sent Will home to his mama. Pissed him off, kid wanted to stay here, but I feel better if he’s there.” Grease shook his head and looked down at the floor. “Pissed that I’m thinkin’ about the panic room I built in the house.”

“You think we should be callin’ everyone in?” Casper asked, tilting his head to the side.

“I’m thinkin’ we don’t know enough. Makin’ the hair on my neck stand up.”

“I’m not feelin’ good about shit, either,” Dragon finally admitted, reaching up to tear the rubber-band out of his hair before scraping it back up into a knot. “Got Leo and Brenna inside the gates, but Trix is still at school.”

My stomach rolled.

Shit between Trix and I was so complicated, it was a joke.

After she’d caught that chick giving me a lap dance when she was a teenager, things had never been the same between us. At first I’d been pissed, but eventually, it had just become our new normal.

She didn’t want to be around me, and as long as I knew she was okay, I let her do her thing.

I still didn’t understand why she’d cut me off like she had. We’d gone from talking a few times a week to complete radio silence in the matter of a few hours. It was bullshit. But fuck, I wasn’t going to beg her.

“You gonna bring her home?” I asked, trying to act as if I wasn’t crawling out of my skin.

I couldn’t imagine anything happening to Trix. I didn’t want to imagine it.

“She’s got graduation comin’ up. Can ask her to stay nights at our place, but since we’re not goin’ on lockdown, she’s gonna bitch.”

“So, let her bitch,” I said darkly.

“Unless I fuckin’ kidnap my own kid, not a lot I can do if she says she ain’t comin’ home,” Dragon shot back. “I throw my weight around, she’s gonna do the opposite of whatever I tell her.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I blurted without thinking.

“What’s that?” Grease asked in amusement.

I glanced at Casper to find his lips twitching. “Fuck off,” I growled, making him laugh.

“You don’t have a place—” Dragon mumbled.

“I’ll stay at hers.”

“Want your throat slit in your sleep?” Dragon asked incredulously.

“Fuck, she wouldn’t wait ’til he was sleepin’,” Grease chimed in.

“Yeah, it’s real funny,” I growled, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket so I could flip one over my fingers.

“We’re not laughin’ at you—” Casper said, trying to stem his chuckles.

“Nah, man. We are,” Grease cut him off, nodding his head.

“I hate every single one of ya,” I said, accidentally snapping my cigarette between my fingers.

“If ya think ya can handle her, have at it,” Dragon mumbled through his smile. “Been a while since that happened.”

“I get to do it my way,” I warned, meeting his eyes.

Years ago, when she was younger, I’d been careful. Out of respect for Dragon and Brenna, I’d played by the rules and kept my hands off what had belonged to me since we were kids. But Trix was no longer a child. Our age difference no longer mattered.