“It is,” Juice confirms. “Unless you have plans for that.”
“I do. He dies.”
“Then why didn’t he die while you were off on your killing spree, Baby Wildes?” Hot Rod shoots back. “To say we don’t have a lot of faith in you is an understatement.”
“Does this role come with an ounce of respect?” I grind out. “Because I didn’t ask for it.”
“Not really,” Juice replies. “You’re not one of us.”
“No shit.” I point at Bay. “So, why didn’t you call out one of these two dickheads?”
No one speaks, letting me know there’s something I’m not privy to.
Cool.
More secrets.
“You’ll need to stay in South Shore,” Bay replies, still looking down at the cracked concrete of the street. She hasn’t looked at me once since Ramsey left. “If the boys need you?—”
“I’ll stay with you, then.”
Her blue eyes slice up to me. “You won’t. No man, besides my father, lived with me and my sisters.”
“So Wallace didn’t—” Her eyes clench hard, and I shut the hell up about the subject matter. “Alright, Wildfire. I’m under your command. I’m just the lap boy.”
Bay averts her gaze from me and back to the concrete. “You won’t see these men unmasked. You won’t ask for their names. If they give you one, fine. But you’re not sitting down to have brunch with them. They will protect you, but that’s it.”
“So no boys’ night?”
“If you wanna have a beer,” Juice says, “and shoot the shit about how many times we’ve almost killed you, then sure.”
Ha, ha.
“Do you have a place for him to stay?” Bay asks either one of the boys, ignoring our testosterone-filled back and forth. “I want him deep in South Shore.”
“We’ll find a spot,” Juice says. “I’ll?—”
“I’m staying with Ozzy,” I cut in. “That’ll be fine.”
The boys look over at me, each with their own brand of stare. Juice is curious, and Hot Rod is annoyed.
“He lives withyou,” Hot Rod drones. “That’s not South Shore.”
“I have a place,” Ozzy deadpans, and that has the boys shifting their weight uncomfortably.
“Where?”
I can’t tell who’s worse, Wallace or Hot Rod. They’re like twin flames or some shit. They both act like assholes and get a stick up their ass when they don’t know something.
It’s clear they didn’t know Ozzy was roaming around in South Shore. The shit is actually hilarious.
“Leave him alone,” Bay orders softly. “We work together on this.Bothof them are protected at all times.”
Juice gives her a tiny shake. “Whatever you want, Bay. We’ll take care of it.”
She pulls out of his hold and rounds his body, appearing as though she’s about to take off when I cut into her departure with, “A word, Wildfire.”
Bay freezes on a dime but doesn’t continue walking like I would expect.
