From across the table, Atticus’s patience had wornout. “Are you two done yet? We’re in the middle of a game.”
Sayer shot him a glare. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“Don’t make me wait,” Atticus returned.
I squeezed Sayer’s shoulders, hoping to regain hisattention. “It’s important.”
“I’ve been looking for you,” Frankie said from behindme. “Where have you been today?”
Glancing at her, I wondered what to say to her. Wouldthe FBI relocate her too? Or would she be a casualty in the war.
I couldn’t do that to my friend. I would find a way totake her with us.
“Are we playing or what?” Gus asked. “’Cause I gotshit to do if this is turning into a girl’s night.”
Frankie smacked the back of his head. “You would be solucky. When’s the last time you hung out with a girl? Consensually?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t like whatyou’re implying. All of the girls I hang out with are there consensually. Whichis why there are so few of them.”
Sayer and Frankie laughed, but I felt urgency tug atmy gut. “Sayer, seriously can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”
His eyes moved back to mine, finally seeing the worry inmy expression. His brow drew down, making a crease over his eyes. “Sure. Yeah.Is everything okay?”
“No,” I whispered, my voice breaking with the weightof what I needed to tell him. For the first time it hit me that the feds weregoing to take him. Take Sayer. They were planning to arrest him. Mason hadwarned me not to run, but how could I not?
I couldn’t let them take him. Not even for a shortamount of time. And what if he didn’t want to cooperate with them? Then what?
My insides started to crumble. They were a buildingthat had just been demolished. A wrecking ball straight through my heart andnow the foundation surrounding it was disintegrating, dissolving into ruin.
That wasn’t an option. He would cooperate. When I laidout the whole picture, when I explained the entire plan, he would see my pointof view and listen.
He stood up, his hands staying on my waist. “Okay,Six. Let’s talk.”
“Maybe we could go for a drive?” I suggested. Andnever come back. Just get in the car and leave.
He was just about to respond when someone came running from the back,the casual atmosphere exploding into frenzied hysteria. “Feds!” the Sixhollered over the din of conversation. “They’re outside!”
The room exploded into action. Some of the guys ran tothe back, scurrying to hide drugs and cash and other paraphernalia the fedswould love to find. Girls came out of the woodwork, pulling articles of clotheson and clasping their bras as they ran for the back exits. Roman walked from aside room toward the manager’s office all calm and collected, a man totallyconfident that not one of their charges would stick to him.
Sayer pulled me against him, wrapping his armsprotectively around me. Frankie moved behind the table with Atticus and Gus.And there we waited.
There was no point in running. There was no point infreaking out. The feds were here. We just had to wait and hope that they didn’thave anything on us.
Only I knew differently. We would all get arrested. Wewould all sit in bare, isolated rooms with two-way mirrors and armed guards. Wewould all be questioned. We’d done this enough times before that us veteransknew we had nothing to worry about.
It just wasn’t true this time. We had to worry.
Especially me.
Especially Sayer.
The feds came in their usual manner, busting downdoors and shouting orders. They filled the room like a swarming hive of blackwasps, guns pointed, vests strapped to their chests, helmets and visors on.
Sayer stepped back from me, raising his hands in theair, docile, compliant. I had a harder time letting go of him. Don’t, I wantedto scream. Don’t let them take you. But I couldn’t. The second I gave away evena hint that I knew about this beforehand, I would be a traitor.
I would be Fat Jack.
I would be dead.
