“You’re doing it for your people,” Keith said. He smiled down at Brandon as he nodded.
“I’d do anything for her,” Brandon said. He got this faraway, dazed look in his eye, and I figured I shouldn’t have given him another beer.
“Yeah, we had that discussion,” I reminded him. I rubbed at my chin a bit more, and it was pretty achy.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Keith grumbled as he looked between Brandon and me. “What’s next? He going to join in the ceremony?”
“Hell, no,” I replied.
“He’s going to be there,” Brandon said.
“I am?” I responded. I was definitely going to need more beer. I wondered if the peyote would be in a little bowl next to the chips and dip.
Brandon shrugged.
“You’re with Tria,” he said simply. “You should be there with her.”
“Until she comes to her senses,” Keith said. “Now that she’s back home, she’ll remember where her place is!”
“Tria has a home,” I said as I narrowed my eyes at him. “With me.”
“Come on, Keith,” Brandon moaned. “This shit is hard enough as it is. Can you just lay off for tonight?”
“I can’t believe you are taking his side over—”
The front door opened then, and Keith halted his little rant as Tria came outside. She had changed her clothes and wore a fitted shirt and long skirt that looked like it was made of soft, tan leather. There were green beads down the arms and sides, creating a line all the way to the bottom of the skirt.
Tria looked at Keith and then quickly looked over to me. I could see her checking out the side of my face, and I wondered how much of a mark there might be.
“You’re fighting already?” She glared at me.
“I’m just taking the hits here, baby,” I said with a smile. “No blood, no foul.”
Tria looked at Brandon then, who nodded and confirmed my story.
“It’s true,” he said. “I hit him, and we’re all good.”
“You’re what?” Tria’s eyes darted between us in disbelief, and I would have been lying if I said it didn’t amuse the hell out of me.
“It’s all good, babe?
??really.” I raised up my bottle, and Brandon did the same before draining the rest of it.
“Babe?” she repeated with an eye roll. “Seriously?”
“You prefer sugar? Pumpkin? Muffin?”
Tria groaned.
“I told you to stay away from him,” Keith said. His voice was dark as he pointed a finger at her.
Tria didn’t look at him or respond. Instead, she turned to Brandon.
“We’re set for tonight,” she said. “Nikki wasn’t sure who was driving us up there. We can’t take everyone in that car.”
“Well,” Brandon answered as he glanced from me to the douchebag, “Keith said before that he would take me and the guys—Luke, Devin, and Conner. Sue was going to pick you and Nikki up. Um…Liam could ride with us…?”
His voice trailed off, and he looked over at Keith as he spoke the half-question. Keith rolled his eyes and looked away. I considered punching him just for being rude, but Tria turned sideways right at the same time, and I got a good look at boob profile. Reminded of my goal, I took a long breath to calm down.