“You know that you’ll have me to help you with this, no matter what,” Lacey sat beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. I grinned.
“I know.”
Friends like Lacey weren’t easy to come by, and I knew that I was lucky to have her in my life. I could always count on her.
Butch
When I was a kid, and my mom brought an endless string of her boyfriends into our lives, I got a good look at what an unhealthy relationship was. There were several examples, actually. It had stuck with me. I didn’t want that. I’d seen the kind of misery that could come from being with someone that was toxic.
I always thought that picking the right person could prevent that unhappiness, that things would work out if you chose someone that you had a real connection with. It turned out that I was wrong. Sometimes the circumstances just got in the way, fucking everything up.
I missed Sabrina.
God, I was being such a pansy about this. I forcefully told myself to stop thinking about it. I was reminded of her because I was helping Snake move into our apartment complex, along with the annoyingly happy couple, Trainer and Eve. They had a connection that reminded me so strongly of my feelings for Sabrina that it was bumming me out.
But I’d promised to help. Most of the Outlaw Souls already lived in this building, but Snake had been one of the few that didn’t, until now. He was moving into one of the penthouse apartments, which were the most expensive in the building. I wasn’t sure where he got that kind of money; as far as I knew, he didn’t work.
But Snake was a closed book. He didn’t share details about his life and asking got me nowhere. He was a good guy to hang out with, and he’d be there for any of us in a pinch, but he kept everything personal to himself.
By the time we made it to the top floor, I was cursing the fact that this building didn’t have an elevator. Trainer and Eve were already in the apartment, having carried up Snake’s television and a couple of boxes, and when we opened the door, we were greeted with the sight of them locking lips next to the window, which had a hell of a view of La Playa.
“Cut it out and help us,” I snapped, earning a glare from Trainer, but they came over and helped us move the couch the last twenty feet into the apartment.
We set it down, and I took the opportunity to plop down on the thing to catch my breath and look around the apartment. This place was twice the size of mine, not that I needed much space. Since it was the penthouse, there were skylights in the ceiling, letting in natural light, and the open floor plan was definitely designed for entertaining, which was a shame because Snake wasn’t the type to throw parties. I was willing to bet that he’d never have this many people in the apartment again.
“Okay, take a load off, princess,” Trainer said, cracking his knuckles. “Snake and I will tackle the bed.”
Eve’s phone rang and she stepped into the kitchen to answer it. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but as the other men left to go get the bedframe, I couldn’t help overhearing a snippet of the conversation.
“Again? Is she okay?” Eve sounded concerned.
“Oh, good. No problem. I can be there.”
“You’re welcome.”
She hung up and came back over to me, taking a seat.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, it was just the guy that runs the soup kitchen. Did you know I’ve been volunteering there since the poker run?”
“No, I didn’t.” And hearing it mentioned wasn’t helping me to stop thinking of Sabrina.
“Well, they need me to cover a shift tonight for another volunteer.”
There was something about the way that she broke eye contact when she said that which let me know who she was talking about.
“It’s Sabrina, isn’t it?”
She bit her lip but smiled. “Is that weird to tell you? Trainer said you guys broke up.”
I hadn’t told Trainer a damn thing about it, but I guessed that my moping and drinking had given him and everyone a clue.
“No.” I smiled. “It’s fine. Is everything okay with her?”
“Sean says that she’s just moving into a new place.”
That was a shock. Why in the hell would she move out of her parents’ nice house where she didn’t have to worry about a thing? Unless she moved in with Hunter…
