Frisco

33. Kali

33

KALI

W e were leaving the room when another Harley pulled into the lot, coming to park on the end by Corvette’s bike. It was the guy who’d come to our room back at the barn, and as he got off his bike and came over to greet Shane, I noticed that they were close.

I hadn’t paid much attention back at the apartment. I went into the bathroom to try to do some damage control on my hair. But now was different. So different.

First off, this guy was gorgeous. Beautiful long, dark hair that hung free, past his shoulders. High forehead and cheekbones that were kinda set low, but rounded out his face. His jawline was strong, prominent, and those eyes were dark, intense. He was tall, maybe an inch shorter than Shane, and wiry.

He went straight to Shane and the two hugged. Not a manly hug, just a full-on hug.

The guy was smiling when he stepped back, and that transformed his face, making him a little blinding to look at.

Corvette was good-looking in a rough and gruff manner. Roadie had a pretty boy feel to him, mixed with a flirty and sly vibe, but this guy was almost on Shane’s level. Almost .

He stepped back, taking me in, and his eyes warmed. “Your woman is checking me out, Ghost.”

Shane snorted and stepped over, sweeping an arm around my waist. He pulled me to his side. “Kali, this is Boise.”

“Hi.” I felt shy. Gah . This was not me. Then again, this whole experience wasn’t me either.

He stepped toward me, his hand out. He watched me intently as we shook hands. “Kali. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave Shane a nod. “This one here hasn’t said a word about you, makes me even more intrigued.”

Yeah. My tongue was tied. No clue what was going on with me.

“Guys are good?” Shane asked over my head.

Boise straightened, his face growing serious. “All settled in. We’ve got the night.”

“Good.” Shane’s hand spread out over the small of my back as he stepped away. “Time to go then.” He nodded at Boise. “Cut off for the night.”

Boise went into our room, and a moment later came back out cut-less and wearing a black long sleeve Henley shirt. It hugged his frame.

Oh boy. I was rolling with the definitions of bad boy hotness. If Aly hadn’t beaued up with this new guy, she would’ve gone crazy. Same for Harper. They knew Shane from high school, but as far as I knew, they hadn’t seen him since, or any of these guys.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, nerves, as I got behind Shane, wrapped my arms around him, and hugged him the whole ride to Manny’s. The fluttering only intensified as we parked at the end of the lot and walked toward the building. It was busy. There was a different bouncer at the side door this time, and he didn’t give the guys a second look.

He was the only one, though.

The rest of the people, those standing in the parking lot and hanging out on the outside decks, were all about watching our group. The guys. Most were fixated on Shane, but the rest of the guys got their fair share of looks.

I understood. I had tuned into them myself. It was in the way they walked, the way they held themselves. Their jeans were well-worn. All the guys had on long sleeves—maybe to hide their tattoos? It was all classic. Nothing these guys wore were trendy. They were the real deal.

I knew they were carrying, but I didn’t know where. I didn’t want to know where. But it was clear these guys weren’t to be messed with. They were dangerous, like camouflaged wolves coming in from a recent hunt.

I sent a text.

Me: Here. Are you guys?

Aly: Yes! We’re in the back bar section. Is Shane with you?

The bouncer stepped aside, letting us in, and I paused, tilting my head up to Shane.

He bent down.

“They’re in the back bar section.”

He nodded, his hand still on my back.

Boise had been leading the way, but he paused, looking back.

Shane gestured the direction we needed to go, and Boise continued forward.

Manny’s was packed inside too, but not as bad as the other day. Today, at least there was space to breathe. I looked over the bar and spotted the guy from the last time I was here. I guessed that was Brandon. He was taking care of a customer, but as if feeling my eyes, he looked up and spotted me.

Recognition flared, and his head jerked up, but then his eyes narrowed as he took in Shane behind me. His mouth pressed into a firm line, but he didn’t do anything, just watched us move down the hallway past the bathrooms. Right before we moved out of his eyesight, he reached to pour a beer.

If anyone was going to raise an alarm, it would be him, so we’d have to see what happened.

I took a deep breath.

Aly and Harper.

I was walking into some drama, and they were going to see Shane.

I wasn’t ready.

But we’d entered the back section, and it was happening anyway.

It was go time.

“KALISTA CALLIOPE MICHAELS!” I heard a beat later.

That was Harper, and he rushed toward me as Aly let loose with a full squeal.

My besties were coming.

I braced myself, and their bodies hit mine a second later.

“Oh my God.” Aly was behind me, her voice muffled into my neck. I could feel her boobs pressing into me. “I have missed you!”

Harper’s head was buried into my shoulder. His arms held me, just underneath Aly’s. “Not more than me.”

When they let me go, I could only stare at them.

It’d only been what? Three days? But I’d missed them right back.

Aly brushed her hand over her eye. Harper just smiled, brightly and widely, still holding my shoulders. Then, as if remembering, he straightened and jerked his head to the side. His eyes got big and he sucked in his breath. “Is that—who are they ?!”

Shane and the guys had gone to a table in the corner, not far from where Aly and Harper had come from. Shane was watching, and when I looked over, he gave me a nod. He was giving me space.

I nodded back, letting him know I was good.

Harper and Aly both had big eyes when I turned back to them.

“Holy shit, woman.” Harper grabbed my arm, leading me to their table. It was a high-top in the corner.

There were other people in the back section with us, but they were on the other side of the room. In the middle was a plethora of pool tables, an air hockey table, and other games. The bar was in the corner with a door to the outside next to it. People were coming in and out, and you could catch a glimpse of a couple picnic tables outside.

Again, I was impressed. This place had it going on.

Both Harper and Aly had drinks already, and an appetizer sat in the middle of the table.

“So that’s him?” Harper looked over at Shane, studying him like Shane was about to come over and rob us.

Shane noted the attention, giving me another look.

I shook my head. I needed to catch up with my friends before he came over.

“He’s not who I remember from high school,” Harper said.

I couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.

Aly had been watching me, not Shane, with a knowing look on her face.

“What?” I asked.

She shook her head slowly, a grin appearing. “You look good, that’s all. Like, real good.”

Harper’s attention turned to me. He nodded, but sounded miffed. “You both are getting some. What am I doing here?”

Aly’s smile fell. “Self-pity, much? Your man flew to California for you. Not me. Not Kali. You.”

“He shouldn’t have come! I left him—”

“You’ve been miserable since he left.”

“I have not. We were doing SNL dance routines just the other week.”

“Yeah,” she shot back. “We do those when you need to be distracted from your misery .”

Her voice rose, and we were now getting attention from more than just Shane’s table. Corvette and Roadie seemed to be enjoying the show. Roadie was grinning. Corvette gave me a smile and lifted his beer in a salute.

“Okay. Enough,” I told my friends.

They stopped bickering and flushed, giving me a guilty look.

“Sorry. It’s been a few days, you know?” Aly’s words were to me; her dark look was to Harper.

He raised his chin, pointedly ignoring her. Then he turned to me and softened. “It’s really good to see you. All the drama here—we were worried about you. What happened?”

“I…” I flinched. “I can’t tell you guys except to say there was a guy in the area. Shane was worried about me, and I had to stay where they were for a few days.” I held my hands out, seeing their instant concern. “It’s all good. The bad guy left, and it ended up helping in a way because I saw Claudia.”

“Oh.” Harper’s mouth turned down.

Aly’s face went blank.

“She’s definitely not coming back with us, so there’s that.” I remembered that was the main reason I’d come out here. “Ruby just will have to go without her favorite daughter for a while.”

I’d also come out here to escape Foley. Or the memories of Foley. Or… I wasn’t really sure anymore. I just remembered feeling a mountain of pain sitting on my chest, and over the last few days, that mountain had gone.

I felt lighter. Freer.

Thinking of Foley didn’t send me into a blind rage of suffocating pain.

Weird, right?

Or maybe not.

I looked over at Shane.

Yeah. Maybe not weird at all.

The waitress came to their table with another round of beer for them. She lingered, giving Shane a smile. I noticed. He didn’t because he was watching me.

He responded to something she’d said, not taking his eyes off me.

My body warmed, but I wasn’t surprised. It was the Shane effect. I’d named it.

“Holy fuck.”

I tuned back in. Aly and Harper’s gazes were stuck on me.

“What?”

“Nuh-uh.” Harper shook a finger in the air. “You can’t play that card. We saw that whole exchange. You… You got it bad for him.”

I rolled my eyes and looked at Aly. She was biting her bottom lip. “What?”

“You love him.”

I felt like a frozen fish came out of nowhere and hit me in the face. “What?”

“You do.” She nodded. “You fell in love with him. What are you doing?” She leaned across the table, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, but that head—she was giving me an owl impersonation right now. “Hon, you were shattered when we came out here. I thought distraction . Sexual fling. Hot and intense, but short. Emphasis on the short. You’ve not even talked to us about Foley, and you’ve moved on to a new guy? And that kind of guy? Do you even know anything about him?”

Oh. Whoa.

I leaned all the way back in my chair, because this was not my friend.

“I don’t know, Aly. I mean, I knew him in high school. He’s remained good friends with my brother. I’ve spent the last few days in his world, and I mean, fully in his world. But you’re right. I’m thinking you might know more about my man than I do.” I held a hand out. “By all means, educate me on the person I’ve been with the last few days.”

Her face went blank, making it even harder to read.

“Guys…” Harper attempted to cut in.

I don’t think Aly knew he’d spoken. She raised her eyebrows. “Fine. I do have things to educate you on. Do you know your boyfriend and his club have murdered people? They work with the cartel? They helped make an entire family disappear, just like that.” She snapped her fingers, looking so cold. “Just like that, Kali.” She inched forward. “You’re my friend. I love you, and I am worried. The stories I’ve heard—”

“Stories.”

She stopped, frowning slightly.

“You’ve heard. Stories that you have heard.” I did not need a guess where these stories had come from. “Your new man, who I don’t know anything about either, must’ve been filling you in with all these stories.”

I had nothing to say on that matter. It was beyond my control. Her new man, whether she loved him or not, had an opinion, and he had shared it.

“What’s funny is that I never thought I’d get this, not from you,” I told her. “Maybe Harper in a drunken night when he’s feeling dramatic.”

“Hey.”

I ignored him. “But you? Aly? You don’t judge. You never have. You’re the one who’s been judged. I thought…” I shook my head. “Never mind what I thought, but it’s definitely not what this turned out to be.”

I pushed back to slide off my chair.

“Hey! Whoa.” Harper had his hands in the air, between us. “Time out, okay? Kali, you do not move from that stool. You hear me? And Aly, lay off the judgment. Kali’s right, but not about the drunken dramatic thing. Don’t get too big of a head over there.”

I had to smile at that, a knot loosening inside of me. Just a little, and not enough. No matter what else was said, damage had been done. Aly had slammed the door before I’d even gotten a foot inside.

We both quieted.

“Okay, now what the fuck?” Harper said. “Honestly? What the ever living fuck? I’ve not heard about any of these things Aly just said, so she’s not been talking behind your back or anything. And you know she’s just concerned, really concerned based on the absolutely horrible delivery, but you know what I mean.” His tone softened. “She loves you, and you came in knowing about her situation. You were prepared. None of us were prepared for your situation. It’s a lot for anyone to digest, much less family.”

A younger me might’ve asked them to be happy for me. But that wasn’t me now, not anymore. We were beyond that stage in our lives.

I shook my head, because there was another elephant in the room. “Where is Justin?”

Harper’s mouth dropped.

Aly started laughing.

That eased a bit more of my knot. But again, not enough.

“I can’t even,” Harper sputtered, flinging his hands in the air. “Fine. You two battle it out.” He picked up his drink and slid off his stool. “Unlike Aly, I’m going to actually go over and get to know your man, because I want to know who his buddies are. See ya, bitches. Harper’s out.”

Aly seemed stricken.

I didn’t care why. A pounding had started behind my forehead, and it was building fast. “You’re the steady one,” I murmured. “The kind one. Warm. Humble. Loving. I don’t know who this new Aly is, and I’m not saying she’s wrong, but man, she was quick to speak in a way the Aly I know wouldn’t have. I do know that much.”

I was done. I’d said enough. But I ached. She’d punched a little hole in my chest.

“Brandon knows the club,” she said after a moment.

“The club. Not Shane.” Because there was a distinction.

“True,” she agreed. “He doesn’t know Shane, but in these clubs, it doesn’t matter. You know one, you know all.”

Bullshit . I was already shaking my head.

“Yes, Kali.” She raised her tone, but not in a bad way. An assertive way. “His brother-in-law has had run-ins with Shane’s club. He told me about them, and he’s terrified of them. Terrified. He’s worried about you. He’s worried about me—”

She wasn’t looking at me now. She was staring off into the distance, her concern clouding everything again. “He said if you stay with Shane, he doesn’t know where he and I will stand.”

“That’s a lot of power you’re giving him.”

Her eyes found mine, and I saw a tear forming in there. She blinked it away. “It’s not like that. We’re older. We know. We don’t have time to waste anymore, not if we know what we want.” Her eyes glistened, and she lifted a shoulder, looking helpless. “I’ve loved you all my life, but you can’t give me babies.”

Damn. Harper was right. She was there, all the way there.

“Harper said you were there, but I was kinda hoping he was exaggerating.” I gave her a sad smile. “I wanted to be here when you fell in love. I wanted to talk to you before your first date, get the 411 after—or the next morning.”

She laughed softly.

“I wanted to help with the guessing game of what is he thinking , reassure you that he was into you as you freaked out that he might not be, even though it’s so obvious he is. And the cyberstalking. I was prepared to go overboard too. We’re talking PI stalking, that sort of thing.”

She fought back tears, blinking rapidly.

“I missed it.”

She closed her eyes, a serene sadness coming over her. “I thought Shane was your rebound guy—a badass after dealing with a serious asshole. I’m so scared of losing you. I spoke too quickly. I judged, but I’m not wrong about his club. They’re dangerous.”

I nodded, feeling her sadness tunnel inside of me. “I know, Aly. You didn’t tell me anything I don’t know.”

Her eyes widened a fraction. “But, what?”

“Shane and I talk. Not about that stuff, but about the things I need to know. That stuff.”

Harper was over there, laughing, sitting at the end of the table. He was flirting with Roadie, who was lapping up the attention. Corvette rolled his eyes, laughing and shaking his head. Boise was doing nothing. He was staring, and Shane? He was watching me.

From the look in his eyes, it seemed he knew what was happening over here.

“Brandon has a whole family here,” Aly said, pulling my attention back to her. “I mean, not blood. He’s got his sister and her family, but from the way he talks, there’s a group of friends. His sister is tight with them, and he’s on the outskirts. He’s always welcome, but he’s got freedom to do his own thing. I can’t tell if he likes that or not, or if he’s hurt about being on the edge. His sister has kids, and Brandon adores them. Their older brother is in Florida. Married. Got some sales job or something. Their dad is there too. His older brother kinda takes care of the dad—like, he checks in on him. Their mom is gone. He’s not talked about her that much, but it’s like he doesn’t think about her, so it’s not a big deal, whatever happened.”

She was sharing. Okay. We were at that part now.

I kind of had whiplash, but I wanted her to keep sharing. I nodded, trying to smile.

“He knows about my grandma. He knows about my ex. He knows about all the guys I’ve dated and wasted my time with. He knows about you, about Harper. He loves Justin.”

Oh, man. That was a point for him.

“He likes Harper. He said you seemed cool that night you were here. He told me you guys talked a little.” She stopped, her eyes changing, getting hard again.

I prepared myself.

“The run-in with Shane’s club was serious and real. It’s very, very serious. I—”

“Stop.” There was no heat to my tone, just tiredness. I waved a hand in the air. “Just please. Stop. I don’t want to hear all the things I know and I’m scared about too.” I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t tell her things I was scared to admit to myself.

“I don’t know what to do now.”

I nodded. “Do you even want to meet him?”

“I already know him.”

That was a no then. She’d made up her mind.

Alright.

I needed a break. Sliding off my stool, I said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Aly reached for her drink.

I moved toward the door, indicating to Shane where I was going.

He lifted his chin in response, but didn’t move to follow.

I took my time in the bathroom before washing and heading back out. When I did, Shane was there. It was déjà vu from the hotel. He put his hand on my stomach and ushered me back into the bathroom, grabbing a Closed for Cleaning poster and sticking it to the outside of the door.

Back inside, I stepped away, not liking how he was looking at me. “Don’t.”

“What’d she say to you?”

“Can’t you guess?” Going to the mirror, I washed my hands. Again. I needed to do something. My stomach rolled, and Shane could see inside of me. It was uncomfortable. “She’s with the bartender, whose sister owns the place.”

“I know that already, but what’d she say to you?”

I jerked up a shoulder. “Nothing you haven’t said yourself or that I didn’t already pick up, but the gist was that if I stay with you, I lose her.” I stopped fiddling with my hair, meeting his gaze in the mirror.

His eyes were dark. He wasn’t letting me read him.

“You’ve known her all your life.”

I nodded, my throat swelling up.

There was no leeway here. It was what it was. It was harsh, but it was smack dab in front of my face. No way around it. How could I make a choice like that? So soon?

He took the pain away.

She didn’t know that.

“Okay then.” He turned to leave.

“Hey!” I was across the room, my hand on his arm. “What are you doing?”

“I’m letting you have some space. She’s family to you, and she gave you that. Seems like you’d need some time to sort your thoughts.”

Good grief . I wanted to shake him and kiss him at the same time. “You followed me in here. Why don’t you stay and hold me?”

His eyes never changed. They were still so dark, but he put his arms around me and pulled me to him. We weren’t teenagers. I wasn’t going to get worked up about it. Aly could be handled. It might take time, some delicate maneuvering, but as Shane held me and I savored it, I knew I wasn’t going to lose Aly.

I also knew I wasn’t going to give Shane up. Before tonight, I hadn’t known I’d made that decision.

I knew now.

“Kali,” he murmured.

“Hmm?” I tipped my head up.

He was looking down, so intently. “It gets to a time where you gotta make a decision between me and your girl, let me in on it.”

“Sure, but it’s not going to come to that. We’re too old for that.”

“Just let me in on it, no matter the decision.”

I could tell this was important to him and I frowned slightly. “Okay. Yeah.”

“I have a thing about masks. I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to wear one with me. I could tell you wore one in high school. Broke my heart even back then. I don’t want you to do that, not with me, not where we are. You get me?”

I nodded, my mouth dry again. I got him.

No masks.