“That doesn’t mean you should do anything stupid,” I say, following her out the door. “Or anything brave.”
“Brave? Me?” She flashes me a sharp smile over one shoulder. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
10
Zane
“Ilove Irish bars,” I say truthfully, pouncing when Maya orders three shots and three beers. I down mine to both Nik and Maya’s evident shock. “What? I’m stressed. And this is going to be—well, I think we all know how this is going to be.”
Maya eyes me suspiciously. “You’re acting weird.”
“Am not.” I dive into my beer.
“Oh, my God,” Maya says, and my face begins to burn. “Oh, my fucking God.”
“What?” Nik asks, a spark of concern in his voice.
“You totally fucked one of them,” Maya says, and I choke on my beer. “I totally forgot. Way back in the day, right before you started college. Fitz’s friend. What’s his name? Tray? Troy?”
“Troy,” I manage, sucking down more beer in a pathetic attempt to cool my face. I absolutely can’t bear to look at Nik, but I feel his eyes searing into me. “Yeah. It wasn’t, I mean, we weren’t—”
“You were,” Maya says, deviously satisfied. “He was so obsessed with you. Ooh, Nik, watch out. Your wife has an old flame for you to contend with.”
“I’m notcontendingwith anyone,” Nik growls. He’s playing at being unflappable, but he takes his shot, clearly ruffled. “Besides, this isn’t a fucking social call. Get it together. Both of you. We need manpower, not dates to a wedding.”
“Did someone say wedding?”
Against everything in me, I brighten. Fitz, who has strolled in from the street looking handsome and windblown, has always struck a soft spot with me. He’s vibrant, funny, and only lethal when necessary.
Him and Maya dating back in the day was a huge point of contention in the family, but I always thought it was sweet. ARomeo and Julietkind of thing, where the two of them saw even the wars of our fathers as rosy and something that could be, with enough will, overcome.
“No one said wedding, fuckwad,” Maya bites back, but her eyes glitter. Fitz, tall, red-haired, freckled, and deliciously built, takes her around the waist and pulls her in for a hug. She pushes him away after a moment, her cheeks pink. “Shot? Don’t mind if I do.”
“Maya—” Nik begins, but she’s already talking to the bartender. He turns cold green eyes on Fitz. “Hey. Thanks for seeing us.”
“Us? Come on, man. You know I’m not here to see you.” A mean smile twists Fitz’s lips, but then he sees me. He warms considerably and pulls me into a hug. “Well, well. Now this is a face I didn’t think I’d be seeing around the scene any time soon.”
“You look great.” I grin at him. It’s then I realize a few of his guys have come with him, and are hanging back at a distance. Troy, fair-haired and eyed, tattooed to hell, and looking cruelly good, gives me a dark, enticing smile. “Oh. Troy’s here.”
“Bathroom’s that-a-way, if you’re feeling frisky.” Fitz grins when Nik takes a threatening step toward him. “Easy, man. It’s not like she’s your—oh, wait. Ididhear something about a wedding, didn’t I? You two got hitched, right? I heard it was at gun and knifepoint. Romantic, but a little edgy, don’t you think?”
Nik’s eyes are torches. His fists are clenched so tight I’m concerned he’s going to crack a knuckle. I quickly step between them, urging Nik back a step, my arm around his waist and one hand on his chest. I’m shocked at how fast his heart beats against my palm.
“OK, OK, I see it now,” Fitz concedes, smirking. “Poor Troy didn’t have a chance, did he?”
“Fitz,” I say, pinning him with a look. “Easy.”
“Come on. Old friends talk about this kind of shit, don’t they?”
“Old friends?” Maya reappears with a fresh round of drinks, sliding a neat whiskey into Fitz’s hands. “Jesus, what did you do to Nik? He looks like he’s going to have a fucking aneurysm.”
“Just exchanging niceties,” says Fitz brightly.
“Why don’t you two step out back and have a smoke, hm?” Maya asks me and Nik. “Give us old friends a sec to catch up.”
Nik bristles. “I’m fine right here. In fact—”
“Actually, I could use a smoke.” I take Nik by the arm and drag him into the dim back hall of the bar. There’s a beer delivery going on out back, so I unthinkingly pull him after me into the women’s bathroom. I close and lock the door behind us. “Dude. Seriously. Are youtryingto get them to hate us? We need their help.”
