Chapter 10
Silver
I’m all too conscious of the twins all through my shift, my skin prickling all night with awareness. I can feel their eyes on me as though it were a physical touch, watching my every move while I attempt to relax and provide a sound show that would make the ears of my peers pregnant.
By the time the set ends and I’m covered in a light sheen of sweat, my back pockets stuffed with a shit load of tips that will absolutely be buying pizza tonight, and an ache in my feet from standing, jumping, and dancing for hours, I’m ready to eat and crash so bad that I can’t even muster the energy to be annoyed with the twins for stalking me.
Because there’s no doubt that’s what happened here. I wonder who told them where I worked, because I’m sure I didn’t tell a soul other than Alek and… Juno. That bitch.
Retrieving my cell from my back pocket while I remove the mask, placing it in a small case and stashing it under Tanner’s desk in his office, I call Juno.
“It’s past midnight, Pixie. Tell me this is an emergency. Did you kill someone? Are we hiding a body? I think we have shovels and tarp,” Juno greets with a slur, quick to help out a sister in need despite clearly having just woken up.
My gooey feelings for my bestie will have to wait, because I have a bone to pick with her. Keeping my voice low, I hiss, “Who have you been blabbing to about me working at Raverz?”
“Oh, shit,” she blurts, confirming it was that little she-devil that dobbed me in it. She’s completely awake all of a sudden, rushing to say, “In my defense, I told Lowie and Leylan in confidence. I didn’t know Lowie was going to turn into a fucking love guru and start helping the Halsey Hellions.”
I frown, pausing my movements. “Helping who? What? Why?
“There’s also ‘how’ and ‘when,’ if you want to throw those in there, too,” Juno snickers, and she shushes a manly groaner from the other end of the phone. “You got me in trouble, you asshole. Shut up.”
“Put me on speaker,” I demand, narrowing my eyes at the wall I’m glaring at, wishing it was Lowie.
Juno sighs with a small snicker, but she does as I request. “Go ahead, Pixie. Tear into him.”
“What the—?” Lowie starts and finishes, because I’m interrupting him before he can get more than two words out.
“Oh, you’re so dead to me, Lowie Ledger. So dead, you hear me? You watch your back, my guy, because you’re on my shit list. I watch and listen to enough true crime that I could kill you and dispose of your body without ever being caught,” I rush out, only kind of joking. I do watch enough that I believe I’m fully equipped with the ability to commit and get away with murder. Who better than to test that theory on than the guy who stuck his nose in and revealed the only damned secret I have in the world to the first person he spoke to.
Lowie sounds all too amused when he says, “I’m sure you could, but let’s be real, you’re not gonna.”
“Don’t sound so sure,” I declare, rolling my eyes at his chuckle. He’s lucky my best friend loves him and bonded with him, otherwise I might actually consider committing my first murder.
“Look, just hear them out, okay? I’m not getting involved any more than I have, but they called me earlier and needed help patching things over with you. All I did was give them a leg up. Have you spoken to them yet?” Lowie wonders, sounding all too curious.
“No,” I answer, tucking my cell between my shoulder and cheek. “My set just finished, I’m sweating like a sinner at a confessional, and I’m trying to figure out why they’re here in the first place. I never pegged you for a meddler, Ledger.”
“I never used to be, Gage, but, apparently, people change,” he quips. “Anyway, we’re going back to sleep. I say this with love, but I was having a really good dream that was worth more of my time than your dramatic ass. Talk to them. Laters, Pixie Dust.”
And then the bastard ends the call, cutting off Juno’s laughter like a rude, little shit.
Shaking my head with twitching lips, once again happy for my bestie for the love and family she’s found and for bringing me into the fold enough that there’s a comfort between me and her guys, I finish packing my things up before pulling in a deep breath. I suppose, since the creeps followed me here, I can give them a minute, maybe two if I’m feeling generous.
Tucking everything away for Tanner to keep safe for me, I head out of the office and into the main club area where it now stands empty. The club has already been closed down for the night, save for Tanner standing behind the bar eyeing the twins as they sit intimidatingly on the barstools with a beer each, so I don’t bother trying to hide my identity as I walk over. Claiming a seat beside Haze, I grin at Tan and ask, “Good night?”
“So fucking good, Dusty Girl. We had a flood of people come in within thirty minutes of you playing. Apparently, word got out and they all swarmed here to listen to you play,” Tanner announces with a hint of pride, grinning at me with warmth and appreciation.
I shrug, playing it off like it’s not a big deal, and tell him, “Happy to help. Cleared my head enough that I don’t feel homicidal anymore, so I guess it was a win-win for us both.”
Tanner laughs before he drops a bottle of Coke in front of me, cold enough that condensation drips down the glass. “Here. Get that down you and then get lost. I’m going to finish up in the office and then I’m going to crawl into my bed and sleep for as long as my insomnia will allow.”
With that, he rounds the bar, kisses my cheek, and disappears. It takes me a moment to realize there’s a strange rumble in the room with me, and I peer over to the twins to check if they’re hearing it, too. Only, the moment I do, I realize the sound is actually coming from Rage. His chest vibrates with a low growl, one that sounds almost animalistic in nature, and I gawk at the guy in shock.
“Dude. Cool it,” Haze whispers, but not quietly enough that I don’t hear it.
Sure enough, the rumble in Rage’s chest cuts short, and his dark, stormy eyes snap to mine with a small wince that I wouldn’t have noticed had I not been staring at him so intently.
“The fuck was that?” I blurt, wiping my cheek free of the gloss Tanner has left behind.
“He kissed you,” Rage answers, as though that’s all there is to it.
Giving him a ‘duh’ look, I say, “Yeah, and? On the cheek as a farewell. What’s the deal? Am I not allowed kisses now, even platonic, goodbye ones? Jesus, what is with you? First, me being wealthy is a problem for you. And now, I can’t receive a kiss to the cheek from my friend?”
He doesn’t answer for a long moment, and there appears to be a war going on in those ocean eyes of his before he says, “It’s inappropriate. He’s your boss.”
“Yeah, since I was sixteen. After five years in his employ, he’s like a fruity, gay uncle to me at this point,” I tell him, honestly clueless why the hell he would fucking growl at the guy.
As though my words were air keeping him puffed up and ready to start swinging, Rage visibly deflates with a relieved sigh, turning to his brother with a roll of his eyes. At the same time, the two of them say, “He’s gay? ”
Eyebrows raised on my forehead, I blurt, “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing, never mind,” Rage concludes, and he takes a heavy slug of his beer while his shoulders drop further.
I’m about to push for answers when Haze turns in his seat to face me, a small smile on his ruggedly handsome face, and asks, “So, a secret DJ, huh? That’s your job?”
I shrug, narrowing my eyes on him while I wait for some kind of jab or barb, but when nothing more comes, I confirm, “Yeah. I’ve been here for five years already. Meemaw insisted I didn’t need a job, because she and my grandfathers would cover everything, but it didn’t sit right with me. So, the day after I moved in with them, I went looking for a job. Tanner had a slot available for a DJ. I slung some things together, wasn’t that great, but he hired me anyway. Said he saw potential in me and kept me on. It worked out more when I started attending North Five, since Meemaw lives further away than where the school is from here.”
“That’s cool,” the nicer twin of the two comments, appearing genuine and relaxed. It’s weird, because it’s the most attention I’ve gotten from him ever, and I don’t know how to take it. Am I being set up for something? Is there an ulterior motive? Is he just being nice because I gave him a place to stay? I don’t know, and I’m finding it hard to believe that they’re here just to make conversation after Rage gave me shit earlier for having a lot of money.
“Sure,” I say, eyeing the two of them closely before I demand, “Why are you guys here? Is this your way of having a blessed day? Stalk me at my place of employment?”
Rage snorts, though his face makes no outward appearance that he found my words funny, and Haze’s smile simply grows as he watches me like he’s trying to figure me out. I mean, it wouldn’t be hard if they actually bothered to try, but I digress.
“You wouldn’t let Rage apologize, so we did the next best thing,” Haze answers by not answering at all.
I raise my eyebrow and wait.
It doesn’t take long before his smile turns into a grin and he finally admits, “Look, we all started off on the wrong foot. We all have our hang ups, and Rage… he gets funny when it comes to people with money. Ask Juno’s twins. Before we befriended them, Rage kept giving them shit about their wealth, too, before Lowie knocked him down a few pegs.”
“So, that’s what I have to do to go through my day without being made to feel guilty over my monetary status? Knock your brother down a few pegs?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on him. “Is there a reason why I should have to put that level of effort, that much energy into ensuring someone isn’t a dick to me?”
Haze’s smile drops when he realizes what he said and how it sounds, like it’s my job to make sure I’m not guilt-tripped by the idiot, and he shakes his head quickly while his brother looks anywhere but at me.
“That’s not what I meant,” Haze quickly assures, holding his hands out like they’re the equivalent of a white flag of surrender. “I mean, it’s not a ‘you’ thing, it’s a ‘Rage’ thing. He shouldn’t have spoken to you the way he did, and he’s sorry. We wanted to come here and make sure you knew that he genuinely feels bad.”
Rage is nodding sagely, staring at his beer bottle like it’s the most interesting thing in the world, face stoic and unbothered. It’s only the tightening of his hands around the bottle that shows how bothered he actually is.
I swallow down some of my Coke, licking my lower lip while I eye the two closely. It was sneaky, apologizing on behalf of his brother, because I can’t very well get pissy over Rage not listening if his brother is apologizing for him.
It’s actually kind of funny, the little loophole they found and the lengths they’ve gone to make sure I receive an apology. I mean, they’ve been sitting here for the past five hours while I worked, neither one complaining, waiting patiently until I finished work before speaking to me. Maybe my standards are low or something, but it’s the most genuine apology I’ve received from anyone.
With that, I opt to give them a chance. It seems only fair, if they were willing to wait five hours to apologize. Plus, I’m really not good at this whole ignoring shit. I wasn’t built for it. If forgiving them means there’s a small bit of peace in the house, then I’ll take it. So, decision made, I roll my eyes at the two of them before shrugging, “Whatever. You’re forgiven. But I swear, if I hear one more snide comment about money—”
“You won’t,” Rage cuts me off sternly, and he finally looks at me with those stormy eyes and a genuine expression that truly allows me to relax.
“Then we’re good,” I deduce, subsequently offering him a smile he doesn’t deserve.
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t smile back, simply nods to himself and finishes his drink before standing. “It’s late and we all have school tomorrow. We should leave.”
He’s right, and I groan when I stand, aching everywhere. I finish my drink quickly, wincing with a brain freeze, and as soon as the glass is empty I ask, “Did you guys drive?”
I eye the two beer bottles before looking them over, and Haze shakes. “Uber.”
“Alright. I guess I’m driving. I didn’t have a drop of alcohol, so you’ll be safe with me,” I snicker, leading them both to the employee parking lot at the back of the club.
I’m groaning again in pain when I sit in the driver’s seat of my car, dropping my head against the headrest for a moment, waiting for the twins to climb in. Based on scent alone, I know Haze takes the front without even looking, Rage sliding over to the middle of the seat in the back. Our gazes connect in the windscreen mirror, and his lips do that little twitch again, like he wants to smile but won’t allow it. Clearly I’m tired, because it makes me smile again, and with a shake of my head, I start the car and pull out.
The ride is quiet for a little while, my head resting against my knuckles when we come to a red light.
“You okay?” Haze asks gently, ocean eyes warming with concern as he eyes me closely.
“Tired, hungry, aching, but I’ll be fine after pizza and rest,” I answer, warming slightly toward him and feeling stupid about it. I mean, where are my standards of decency from a male? Because damn , the standard isn’t just low , it’s buried under the floor if I’m getting all gooey on the inside over a common question.
Smiling over at him in an attempt to alleviate his concern, I pull off as soon as the light turns green, driving us toward a pizza place I know stays open at all hours. The twins don’t say anything about our little detour, filling the car with a mingle of their wild mint and rhubarb scents, and it’s enough to have me close to turning into an exhausted puddle in my seat.
By the time we pull up outside the small pizza place, Antonio’s scrawled over the front of the building with a fancy white script, I have to fight with myself to get out of the car and order the actual pizza.
“What toppings do you want?” Rage asks, already opening the backseat door, ready to slide out.
Tired but grateful that I’m not going to have to leave the car, I slap around for my purse and retrieve my wallet, slinging it to the backseat and hearing Rage catch the small leather item that has seen better days. Offering him eye contact in the rearview mirror, almost pleading that he doesn’t protest me paying for dinner, I answer, “Double pepperoni on a barbeque base, please and thank you. Use my card, and get something for you and Haze, too. We’ll midnight-snack it up before I fall into a food coma and cease to exist for a while.”
Thankfully, Rage does that funny little lip twitch, his stormy-blue eyes almost softening before he nods and exits the car. Haze opens his, ready to follow, before he pauses and asks, “Drinks?”
My eyes shutter closed and I simply nod, offering him a thumbs up and smiling when he chuckles and exits the car. I must doze during the time they’re ordering pizza, because I’m startled awake sometime later when the doors open and two bodies reclaim their seats, bringing their delicious scents, along with the mouthwatering waft of pizza.
Moaning, I rub the heels of my hands into my face and mutter, “Smells so good.”
“Us or the pizza?” Haze teases.
I momentarily forget my filter before embarrassingly blurting, “Both.”
Silence answers me, and I’m confident the scents of the two alphas grow. Either that, or I’m tired enough that I’ve grown delusional. If that’s the case, I really shouldn’t be driving.
Doing my best to shake off the exhaustion, I roll my head side to side and roll down my window until the cool night air washes over my face. Inhaling deeply, already missing the scents that have dimmed, I smack my cheek twice before deeming myself fit for driving.
With no further conversation, the remainder of the car ride goes in peaceful silence. By the time I’m parking in the garage beside the house, I’m ready to expire. I’m already clambering out of the car and zombie walking my tired ass straight to the living room before Rage and Haze can say anything, following behind with the pizza and drinks.
I’m just about to fall into the cushioned couch when there’s a collection of footsteps that seem to hurry toward us.
I’m already rolling my eyes through a painful yawn when Pace, Aero, and Munro appear. Aero flashes me a wide grin, actually looking pleased to see me, right before his gaze wanders over my outfit. Those pale eyes of his darken briefly, and the scent of frosted plums thickens around us, and my lips twitch with a knowing smile I refuse to release. Seems Aero likes what he sees. That prospect has those butterflies fluttering up a storm in my belly once more, but I’m yawning again before I can appreciate it or decide to smother them.
The lecture I’d been anticipating happens the moment my ass meets the surface of the cushion, only it comes from the person I least expected, shocking me more than if a purple elephant appeared in the middle of my living room.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Munro snaps, glaring at me as though he has the right.
I look around, checking it is me he’s aiming that fierce scowl at, finding Rage and Haze far enough away that it can’t be them they’re looking at. Eyebrows pinched and my slow brain working overtime, my answer comes out as more of a question. “Uh, work?”
“And you didn’t think to let anyone know? How fucking irresponsible are you?” he damn near snarls, and I must be deep in a nightmare or something, because there’s no way I’m being lectured about my comings and goings.
I eye the others, catching Aero hiding his smile with a wipe of his hand over his mouth, while Pace stands back and watches with his arms crossed and his usually serious expression present on his structurally stunning face. What the hell was in the water where they’re from, because they have to be the most beautiful men I have ever seen? It’s simply not fair.
“Lay off, Ro. Haze and I were with her,” Rage answers for me, sending his pack mate an unimpressed look, as though the beta’s bad attitude is just as annoying to him as it is to me right now.
“Which leads me to asking you the same question. You couldn’t spare a second to let us know where the fuck you were? What the hell, guys? You go chasing after the princess and forget that you have family worried about where you are and if you’re hurt,” Munro seethes, and it takes me a moment to realize he’s actually being serious. He’s not annoyed because I left for work without telling him, Pace, or Aero. He’s blaming me for his pack not briefing him on their whereabouts. I’m at fault for worrying him over his family and their wellbeing, because they were with me. They came looking for me .
This is absolute madness.
Pace frowns as he watches me, likely seeing the flash of hurt that I can’t seem to hide in my already drained state. “Cool it, Ro. You’re not their keeper. If they want to go out, they don’t owe us anything.”
Munro sends him a disbelieving look before those dark, inky eyes land on me once more, anger swimming in their depths. Anger toward me for something I didn’t do or have control over. The only other person to ever look at me that way gave birth to me and look where we are now.
This fucking sucks.
Here I sit, after five hours of working, tired to the bone and desperate for food and sleep, and I’m getting my ass chewed out over a protective beta that was worried about the alphas in his family. Like he’s annoyed that I had some influence over the twins going AWOL, as though that could possibly be my fault. Since before he moved in, he’s been an asshole to me, but this takes the cake.
So, with a stunned expression and a hammering heart, I simply sit there like the doormat Alek claimed me to be and wait for the beta to get all his frustrations out before I finally pull myself together.