Always Crew

I gave her a side-eye now. “How many times have you fought?”

“I have a black belt, but I’ll be honest, it’s usually only drunk douchebags. And I normally just go for their junk, then try to scratch their eyeballs out. By then, they take off running from me.”

She left, and I stood there, not knowing how to comprehend anything that just happened.

I drank. I figured how this night was starting, it’d be my one and only.

Then I shot Cross a text before I left the bathroom.

Me: Girls are going somewhere weird. Remember my GPS tracker is on. Call me every thirty minutes.

He buzzed back as I was in the hallway, seeing the girls at the exit door, waiting for me. I noted as I passed that both rooms were quiet. Seriously. These girls were fast.

I checked my phone.

Cross: Want us to stay close, no matter what?

I was going with my gut, knowing that Blaise had been worried enough to ask me to be here.

Me: Yes.

Cross: On it. We’ll leave in twenty. Zellman’s in the bathroom.

Me: I didn’t need to know that.

Cross: We’re a crew.

I had no response, so I put my phone away and drank my drink in front of the girls.

Jade smiled. “Nice! You want a refill?”

I glanced at Veronica, and she gave me a slight head shake.

“I’m good till we get where we’re going.”

“Okey-dokey.”

And off we went.

Yeah. Blaise was going to be pissed.

I was pissed.

Cross and Jordan and Zellman would all be pissed.

We were at a fraternity party, and it wasn’t a typical frat party. Even though it was fully dark by now, I could see where we were, and we were not at their house. We were also the only ones here so far, at least there were no other cars around.

It was Zeke’s fraternity, and I knew this because Harper was here. I’d been to one or two of his house parties, and the numbers were lower here. We were in the woods, a full forty-minute drive from Cain. The farther we got, the uneasier I got.

“Why are we here?”

We’d just left Jade’s SUV, and the girls were starting forward. Jade had reassured me multiple times that she hadn’t drank at all, but wasn’t planning on it, so I could drink all I wanted.

None of this felt right.

I looked at Aspen. “What are you doing?”

She seemed startled, blinking and her head moved back. “What do you mean?”

Jesus. She truly looked clueless.

“Do you know that guy?”

I gestured to Harper, who had now spotted us, and I was not liking the look coming over his face. A gleam was starting, and he stopped talking to his buds, watching us openly. I noted how his hand was nicely encased in a sling.

But he was still coming, and he still had that gleam in his eyes.

I kept an eye on him as I reached for my phone.

His eyes darted, seeing where I was reaching, and he started for me.

He knew I was going for my phone. I keyed in my code and hit the dial, knowing I already had Cross pulled up, and I hit the speaker. Harper picked up his pace, but I kept my phone in my pocket. Pulling my hand out, he slowed back, but he was still heading our way.

“Hey.” A hand tugged on my shirt.

Aspen was trying to get my attention. “What are you talking about?

“Your boyfriend has had beef with that guy.”

She looked. “Who?”

Jade was looking, too, and seeing Harper, she gasped. She moved back a step.

Veronica looked, her eyes narrowing, and she moved the opposite way, moving so she was almost guarding our entire group.

Angeline was next to Jade, gripping her hand.

I did a double take, noting that she was also glaring at Harper, who was closer to our group and had five other guys with him.

“Who the fuck picked this party?” I growled to the girls.

Aspen’s mouth fell open, but she hurried out, “We all did. We thought it was a barn dance, that’s all. Who are these guys?”

I smothered another growl because I was betting they were the only ones who got the invite, and fuck Blaise for not being honest with his girl about his enemies. I glanced down, making sure my phone was still turned on and that Cross was hearing this. I tried to pull it out, so it wasn’t too smothered against my jeans.

Aspen’s phone started ringing, but Harper was on us.

“Monroe. I don’t believe you were on the guest list.”

The girls all went still.

Veronica was measuring the guys behind Harper, and yeah…it wasn’t looking good.

They were all built thick, looking like they ate bricks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then maybe snacked on little boulders for a late-night snack.

I stepped around and positioned myself slightly in front of Veronica. “What was the play here? What were you going to do?”