Meetings, schedules, reports, social functions that were really just business meetings in disguise. All the more reason to dodge any added responsibility…like a girlfriend or wife.
But the literacy gala had brought them together today, and it was good to see Maverick. He was the only one to stay in Austin after graduation, and Avery had hoped for more time to catch up with him, but they’d already split into teams when he’d dragged in at the last minute.
Dane had reserved a large table in the corner of the nineteenth hole, the clubhouse bar. As the group filed inside, Avery’s phone vibrated, and he stopped to read the incoming texts from his mom.
Mom: Melody told me you’re bringing a date tonight.
“Not a date,” he muttered as he thumbed his response. When would she get it that he didn’t date?
He smiled. He fake dated…or he would tonight.
Avery: I’m bringing a guest, yes.
Mom: Dad and I are excited to meet her.
I’m sure Dad couldn’t care less.
Mom: Do I know her family?
If he didn’t know his mother as well as he did, he’d think she was worried he was bringing an “undesirable” just toembarrass her. That would be Bryce’s politic-driven mother. No one was good enough for her son. But Avery’s mom wasn’t like that. Probably just curious because Legs was his first plus-one in the history of plus-one possibilities since high school.
Avery: No
Down the hall, Dane exited the men’s room. Before his mom could continue her interrogation, he fired off another text and lied just a little.
Avery: On the course. Gotta go.
“You coming?” Dane asked, regarding him with dark eyes that Avery swore saw right through him sometimes.
“Yep.”
Pocketing his phone, Avery followed Dane through the bar. Nick was wary of Avery’s association with Francesco Cavaletti’s son. No one knew where the family’s fortune originated. Some thought it came from blood diamonds. Others speculated Mafia connections. But Avery didn’t care.
Dane’s wealth and the allure of danger weren’t the only reasons people gravitated to him. It was the man himself. Confidence oozed from his Italian pores, along with a brooding presence that intimidated the largest of men—a few linebackers Avery wouldn’t name. He made no explanations or apologies for his actions. He was in control, aware of his surroundings, and always sat facing the door, as if he expected war to walk through it.
And when said war came along, he was the kind of man who had a friend’s back. He'd proven that from the moment he’dtaken Avery and Bryce under his wing as pledges. Yeah, they’d both sensed the darker side to the Cavaletti world and were content to flirt with the edges. Fucking blurred edges—girls, booze, the occasional recreational drugs. It was a miracle he’d gotten through freshman year.
Probably another reason for Nick’s disapproval.
Everyone was already seated when Avery and Dane got to the table. Except Gage, who might as well have been lying on it. He was slumped over, head resting on his folded arms.
Dane took a seat, facing the door as always, between Linc and Gage while Avery sank into a chair between Blaze and Maverick. Of all the Sigmas, Maverick was the lone wolf. If Avery and Bryce had skated the edge of Dane’s inner sanctum, Maverick remained worlds apart. He’d been one of them but spent most of his time with his study-group friends.
A round of boilermakers arrived. Ah, whiskey shots and beer chasers—best way to get rid of a hangover.
Gage groaned but sat up, his face contorting as if he might not agree. He rubbed both hands over his face. “Fuck.”
Dane lifted his shot glass in a toast, waited for the rest to follow suit, then said, “Sigmas.”
“Sigmas,” everyone uttered in unison as their glasses came together in the center of the table with a soft clink.
Avery tossed back the shot, appreciating the smoky notes and the burn as it rolled over his tongue and the back of his throat. Not as smooth as the Macallan but good. He slammed the glass to the table in rapid succession with the others. Gage winced, and everyone laughed.
Lifting the cold mug of Shiner to his lips, Avery sipped as he turned to Maverick. “I was sorry to hear about your dad. A triple bypass sounds rough. How’s he doing?”
Maverick nodded. “Thanks. He’s weak but recovering. Mom’s got her hands full, though, which is why I’m here this weekend. She’s a huge supporter of the literacy campaign.”
Blaze leaned around Avery. “You need some eye candy? I can hook you up.”
