“Woah, woah, woah,” both Brock and Lane yelled, rushing in to try and break up what was rapidly escalating to a brawl. Axle and I hadn’t hit that point yet, but the words were getting more heated. I would have fucking loved to show him my fist covering his face as it moved into his jaw.
“You telling me what the fuck to do?” Axle growled.
“I’m telling you to treat me with some goddamn respect, and then maybe I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
“Enough!” Lane said, grabbing Axle by the collar. Whatever short relief I felt at seeing Axle get his was replaced moments later when Brock grabbed me and pushed me back.
“Stop acting like a bitch.”
“The fuck you say to me?”
“You heard me,” Brock said. “We don’t have time to be engaging in petty disputes like this. I’m not saying suck that asshole’s cock. But I am saying if he tells you to do something in the middle of a training battle, you fucking do it, OK?”
I was steaming hot. Brock let me go, but I wasn’t fucking done. I looked at Axle and Lane, who by now had separated. Lane was even laughing.
The California pricks had no fucking idea how bad they needed us. They thought they were the almighty saviors, coming from the oasis of California to provide a favor for us. They probably thought we should get down to the ground and say, “We’re not worthy!”
Fuck. That.
“Listen,” Lane said, the two Reaper clubs having gathered on each side by now. “We don’t have to be here. We ca—”
“Yes, you fucking do.”
“Mason!” Brock snarled under his breath.
But I had a point. I was pissed off, yes, but I had a reason for saying what I did. I stepped forward, eying a wide-eyed, infuriated Lane.
“We need you here, absolutely,” I said, admitting the point. “But you need us for what’s in Las Vegas. You know it, we know it. You can pretend that you’re fine in Los Angeles and that you’ve won your war and you don’t have shit to worry about. But you and I both know that’s not fucking true, Lane. You know that while we could use your help here, you will definitelyneedour help whenever King and his men decide to come after you.”
Lane still looked like he wanted to punch me, but that he didn’t spoke as much to how right I was as anything else. If I was wrong, he would’ve called me a fucking idiot and told me to leave.
But he did not.
And though anger remained in his eyes, the fury of a man who wasn’t used to being stood up to or questioned, I could also sense recognition in them. And even a bit of fear.
“You think we need any fucking help?” Lane said.
He added nothing more, though, as if trying to save face.
“All right, this is where we end shit today,” Cole said, coming between us. “Let’s reconvene in a couple days when cooler heads prevail. But guys, we can’t be fucking around like this. Mason, whatever the fuck happened with you and Axle, put it behind you. We’re all here to kill the Bandits. Only when they’re gone can we worry about King and anyone else in Las Vegas.”
God fucking bless Cole Carter, the only person who seemed capable of diffusing the situation accordingly. I took a step back, and so did Lane. I was the first to turn around and head for the SMAR storefront, where my bike was . I walked with my head held high but my gaze away from everyone else. I was taking Cole’s advice literally.
I got all the way to my bike when I heard steps behind me, someone running to catch me. I turned, ready to fight if I had to, but it was just Cole. He slowed down when he saw me.
“What the fuck happened back there?”
He sounded curious, surprised, perhaps, that things had fallen apart so viciously. I shook my head. I was over it. I just wanted…
To be with Rachel?
Why the fuck did that thought come to mind?
“Axle and I had a disagreement on who would cover and who would move,” I said. “It was petulant and fucking stupid. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“So it wasn’t really about cover and move,” Cole said, drawing a deep breath in. “Fuck, I didn’t think I’d have to play camp counselor here, but you were right, you know. You all need them to defeat the Bandits, but they need you to help defeat King. We got complacent after killing Lucius.”
He muttered a swear under his breath. I’ll admit, the feeling was kind of validating, though I wasn’t exactly doing a happy dance.
