Chapter 4 #3
“You’re too much of an oddball for vanilla or chocolate: this is red velvet, like the cake.
” Scarlett slams a fountain glass down in front of me.
The drink is bright red with a mountain of whipped cream and a small square slice of actual red velvet cake perched on the edge.
The straw is striped. The entire thing is ridiculous and overblown and beautiful.
Scarlett pats me on the head before standing up straight and taking control. A hot shiver strikes me at the temples and ricochets all the way down to my fingertips and toes. Hot. So fucking hot.
A woman that’s safe to like. Safe to love.
“Can’t leave you lot alone for ten seconds.” Scarlett plucks the bit of cake from my shake and bites into it, studying Hype with curious eyes. “Before Alexei, who was the chief?”
“Chet Archer.” Hype shrugs, drawing a Pocky stick from her own milkshake and biting the end off it.
Alexei cringes and turns away briefly, pinching his nose and closing his eyes.
The girl chews noisily, smiling through his discomfort.
“Couldn’t handle Archer Realty being a subsidiary of Borisov Group, I imagine.
He’s also the one currently in control of Pavel’s personal accounts. ”
Alexei freezes, a statue of a man. Widow shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, eying Alexei with more of that strange sympathy. He still thinks the blow job incident is some stain on our souls. I’ve already forgotten about it.
“Can you get it all back?” Scarlett asks, surreptitiously watching me from the corner of her eye as I slide the shake closer and take a sip of it. Chocolate-y. How does a person even go about making a red velvet milkshake?
“For a nominal fee.” Hype doesn’t appear intimidated by the five of us. She starts on the second Pocky stick. “Ten percent.”
“Or I could torture you until you do it for free?” Bohnes returns saucily. Scarlett tsks her tongue at him.
“Stop that.” Scarlett puts one palm flat on the table, leaning in toward Hype.
Bastian uses the opportunity to steal a bite of the cake from her fingers.
Jealousy flares in me. Widow, too, based on the way he shifts toward the pair of them.
Basti notices and throws a wink at us both.
I remind myself with enthusiasm that he’s gay.
“How about this, Hype: instead of a one-time payout, why don’t you join my crew?
” Scarlett asks, drawing Nisha’s attention. They have a silent staredown.
“Join your crew?” Hype replies, cheeks turning pink. “Why the fuck would I want to join your crew? Ten percent. Not a single penny less.”
Scarlett clamps a hand on Bohnes’ shoulder to stop him from saying whatever threat was resting on his lips.
“Don’t be ridiculous. A one-time payout when you could earn big for life? You’re not a stupid girl, Hype. Come on now.” Scarlett makes a face, batting her lashes. A little flirtatious. Shameless. “It’ll be easier for you and Nisha to pursue a long-term relationship if you run in the same circles.”
“Queen, don’t even start.” Nisha taps her nails on the table as Basti grins.
“Who’s got who pussy-whipped in this equation?” He points at Nisha and Hype, sending both himself and Scarlett into hysterics.
Hype’s blush is deeper now.
“Fine!” she blurts suddenly, shoving her empty milkshake aside. “I’ll join your fucking crew. But I want the tat.”
Hype whips out a laptop, flicks the lid open and flashes me a million stickers plastered on top of one another. Her finger hovers over a single button, like she’s going to do the transfer right this very second.
“Wait.” Alexei steps forward on my right, using a gloved hand to push the laptop lid down, stopping Hype for the moment. He peers down his nose at her. “Not yet. The timing is critical.”
“Here.” Bohnes pushes a folded piece of paper across the table. “Not a second earlier, Hype. Or I’ll have your head.”
“Piss off you undead freak.” She snaps her laptop closed and gives me a look. “What about you, Kelly? Jonas took all the money out of Aspen’s and Ash’s accounts, too. Want that money back?”
“Do whatever you want with it.” I take the milkshake and wrap my arms around it, parking my lips near the straw. “But wherever you transfer it: they’ll sniff it out. If I were you, I’d exercise an abundance of caution.”
“An abundance of caution,” Hype repeats with a laugh, mimicking my accent. She shoves her computer and most of the claw machine prizes into her backpack. “Aish.” She takes off and Nisha goes after her—but only once Scarlett’s given her a nod to go ahead.
“Clearly Hype ain’t from Prescott. Doesn’t she know you always get the money upfront?” Scarlett chuckles, pressing her fingertips against her lips.
“Good deal, Queen.” Bastian throws his legs over the edge of the bench, standing up and pressing a kiss to Scarlett’s cheek. I look over at Widow and we exchange what I’d dare to call a companionable look. “We stopping by the school before our appointment at Treasure’s?”
“Gotta drop some shit off for the librarians.” Scarlett grabs onto Widow’s bicep, their eyes meeting. “Besides, this one’s underage. We should wait until his birthday before we drop out.”
“Scandalous,” Basti says with another grin, saluting the rest of us. “Well then, guess we’re all reconvening in hell.” He follows the girls into the gloom. I take another long sip of the shake, closing my eyes on the strange taste.
“Well?” Scarlett asks, hand on her hip, leaning over to look at me. “Is it your flavor, baby?”
I consider that and then push the shake aside, so the other boys can try it if they want. Bohnes takes a sip, even when Alexei looks at him like he’s wildly disgusted by the act of us using the same straw.
“I…well…yeah, I loved it.” I frown slightly, studying the inked design on my ring finger.
Belonging. I belong somewhere. I belong to someone.
Someone belongs to me. I look up to realize that all four of them are staring at me.
“Thank you for the shake. I’ve never…nobody has ever done anything like that for me.
Until I’ve tried better, red velvet is my official favorite flavor. ”
“God, Ash,” Scarlett says with a slight softening around the eyes. She licks the edge of her mouth and cracks her knuckles. “You make me want to spoil you when you talk like that. Alright, let me try this again.”
She struts over to another claw machine with me trailing behind, swipes her card, and takes hold of the controls. Bohnes does the same on another game, like he’s scented a challenge. Widow and Alexei are tucked close together near a space-themed machine with alien dolls, deep in conversation.
Much to Scarlett’s chagrin, Bohnes doesn’t have any trouble winning. He conquers the first game he tries, retrieves a plastic bubble from the prize chamber, and pops it open. Out comes a gimmicky black skull ring that he quickly slips on Scarlett’s finger when she’s between rounds.
Without a word, he saunters off with smug confidence that turns Scarlett into a competitive beast.
Forty bucks later, I’m gifted a sword key chain. It’s even sheathed, with a hilt that reminds me of my katana.
I absolutely love it.
“Fucking jank-ass, rigged-ass motherfucking machine,” Scarlett curses, pressing the key chain into my palm before tossing her hair. I’m shaking now, holding the item like it’s the most precious gift I’ve ever received. Because it is. It really is.
On our way out of the building, my eyes catch on the frog plushie again and Bohnes comes to a sudden stop.
I nearly run into his back. With a sigh, he turns around, digs a wallet from his pocket, and steps up to the machine.
He swipes another prepaid debit card and hunkers down over the controls as Scarlett folds her arms to watch.
“Good luck with—” Scarlett starts, mouth dropping open as the corrupt claw (it doesn’t close properly or with any sort of force) catches on the frog’s tag, lifting it up and dropping it into the prize slot. Bohnes opens the door, drags the item out, and turns.
A storm plays across his features before he sighs, shoving the plushie into my arms.
He doesn’t say a word, turning and heading for the exit as I stand there in complete and utter shock. I turn toward Scarlett, offering the frog out to her. She shakes her head at me, smoothing her expression of shock into a private little smile.
“Nope. He gave it to you,” she says, lifting her brows and sauntering past me with the smell of cherries and chocolate. Alexei is right behind her, but Widow lingers. Still holding onto the frog, I look over at him.
We’ve come a long way since that night he stumbled on me and Scarlett, kissing while my twin’s body cooled in the trunk of Bohnes’ car.
“I’m glad you’re not traumatized,” he says, gruff and edgy. Widow puts his fingers through his hair and then curses when it gets tangled. “I mean, not traumatized over—” He stops suddenly, and I feel the corners of my lips lifting. I smile at him, and it feels awkward.
This isn’t Aspen’s hideous fake smile. It’s something brand-new. A flavor I’ve never tried. Like using a sword. Like cooking. Like cleaning. Like existing amongst people who aren’t always dreaming up ways to torture those around them. Like being head-over-heels in love with Scarlett Force.
“Thank you, Adrian,” I say, with all of the honesty that goes along with it. I am a liability. Scarlett, Widow, Bohnes, and Alexei would be safer if I weren’t around. Jonas might cut his losses with the mob and move on. Not if I’m here though. Especially not if I care whether they live or die.
“Yeah. Whatever. You’re welcome.” He turns away to follow the others. I tuck the sword keychain into my pocket and hold the frog under my other arm, strolling along behind him.
I notice he doesn’t ask me to call him Widow.