"Why not?"She tilted her head, studying me."Ghost wouldn't approve?"
I barked out a laugh that contained zero humor."Ghost would fucking murder him.Then probably me, too."
"Ah."Honey nodded slowly."Another club?"
My silence answered for me.Honey was relatively new to this life, but being a quick learner helped.I couldn't bring myself to say the word "Copperheads" out loud.
Honey's eyes widened slightly as understanding dawned."Fuck, Wren.Please tell me you didn't."
"I didn't know," I said quietly, staring at the bottle in my hands."Not until… after."
"Shit."She drained half her beer in one go, then set the bottle down with more force than necessary."Upstairs.Now."
"What?"I blinked at her.
"We are not having this conversation here."She stood, pulling me up by my wrist."Your apartment.Right fucking now."
"It's not that big a deal," I protested weakly, but allowed her to drag me toward the stairs.
"Not that big a deal," she muttered, shaking her head."Jesus Christ, girl.You have no idea."
I caught Ghost watching us from across the room, his silver eyes tracking our movement with that quiet intensity that missed nothing.He raised an eyebrow in silent question.I forced a casual smile and shrugged, like Honey was just being Honey, dragging me off for girl talk.Nothing to see here.
He didn't look convinced, but he turned back to his conversation with Jack, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.The last thing I needed was Ghost getting involved in this mess.And if Ghost got involved, Bloody Jack would be right behind him.
Honey tugged me up the metal stairs to the second floor, her grip never loosening.My apartment door loomed ahead of us.I was so fucked.
Honey slammed my apartment door behind us as we entered and twisted the deadbolt with a decisive click.I tossed my keys onto the cluttered coffee table and paced across the worn carpet.My space wasn't much—living room connected to a tiny kitchen, bedroom off to the side, bathroom barely big enough to turn around in, but it was mine.Ghost had helped me fix it up when I moved in, the two of us painting the walls midnight blue, hanging shelves for my growing collection of bike manuals and horror novels.Now it felt like those walls were closing in as Honey crossed her arms over her chest and fixed me with that no-bullshit stare.
"Spill it," she demanded."Everything.Now."
I grabbed a throw pillow from my couch as I sat and hugged it to my chest like a shield."There's nothing to spill."
"Bullshit."Honey planted herself on the coffee table in front of me."You've been walking around like a zombie for two days, checking your phone constantly, and I just watched you practically have a stroke when Ghost looked your way.So cut the crap and tell me what the fuck happened."
I suddenly felt so exhausted I wasn’t sure I could hold this conversation in any meaningful way that didn’t include the complete and honest truth.Honey knew me better than I knew myself.Always had.
Where to even begin?The way Rocky had watched me across the bar?The electricity when our hands touched?The fact that I couldn't stop replaying every moment of our night together?I sighed heavily."His name is Rocky," I finally said, my voice quieter than I intended."We met at the Valentine's Ball.He was...different."
"Different how?"Honey's voice softened slightly as she leaned forward, bracing her forearms on her knees.She took one of my hands on both of hers as she watched my face with careful concentration.The woman was studying me so she caught everything she could glean from my nonverbal expressions.
I shrugged, struggling to put it into words."Not like the usual guys.Not trying too hard or acting like he had something to prove.Just...there.Confident but not too cocky."I paused, remembering."We played pool.Had some drinks.Then we went back to his place."
"And?"Honey prompted when I fell silent.
"And we fucked."I tried to sound casual, like it hadn't rearranged something inside me."It was good.Reallygood."My cheeks heated despite my attempt at nonchalance.
Honey's eyebrows rose."Good enough to have you walking around in a daze two days later?"
"Yeah."I stood again, unable to sit still."But that's not the point.The next morning, I was getting ready to leave, and I accidentally kicked over his backpack."The words rushed out now."Some stuff spilled out, and when I was putting it back, I saw something in the front pocket."
Honey went very still."What did you see?"
"A patch."I swallowed hard, my voice soft.Guilty."A Copperheads patch."
"Fuck."The word exploded from Honey.She rose to her feet, grabbing my shoulders, her fingers digging in."Are you fucking kidding me?A Copperhead?”She hissed the words in an angry whisper.“Do you have any idea what Jack would do if he found out one of them approached you?What Ghost would do?"Her face had drained of all color."Hell, those guys tried to kill me not that long ago."
I pulled away from her grip."I know, I know.But he wasn't wearing colors at the Valentine's Ball.And the patch was just loose in his bag, not sewn onto anything."
