“Ew!”
“Like you didn’t already have that figured out.” She strokes the car again.
“You want to go for a quick joyride?”
The yearning expression on her face says yes, but she shakes her head. “I’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes. I’m already pushed for time to catch the bus.”
“Then grab your bag and I’ll give you a lift.”
The radiant smile is worth it. “Oh, sure. Sweet talk me into it, why don’t you?”
We take a minute to grab our bags and lock the house, then go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
ZANE
Wilder got a pass yesterday,but on Tuesday lunchtime, Maddox and I herald him into the clubroom for a serious chat.
“It’s nothing,” he says, looking vaguely cheated that Dahlia is also sitting in the room, as though their breakup should have removed her completely from our orbit.
“A nothing that cost you four hours in the emergency room, got you three prescriptions for pain medication, and turned you into a complete dick, yesterday morning.”
He snarls at my assessment, folding his arms and trying his best to appear blasé. “I got into a fight, that’s all.”
“And you attacked me because…?” Dahlia asks.
“I didn’t. I gave you an accurate summary of our relationship.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t take the bait. “Just tell us what’s going on so we can either help you or tell you to fuck off, once and for all.”
His lip curl turns to a glower but there’s an edge of fright there. A fear I understand since a month ago I was the one whothought everyone was on the verge of abandoning me. “Who did you fight with?”
His jaw immediately juts out. “No one you’d know.”
“That wasn’t the question he asked,” Maddox says, staying far calmer than I feel.
“It was…” He shrugs and runs his fingers through his hair, wincing as he encounters a lump on his skull. “It was a fight for money, we weren’t exactly introduced.” He waits a few beats while we exchange concerned glances. “I lost.”
“No shit,” Dahlia says with an appalled laugh. “When was the last time you had an actual fight?”
“I box at the gym.”
“With a bag,” she says, leaning forward to touch his knee. “Have you ever fought a person?”
“Apart from playground stuff,” I add.
I’ve always been happy to lay into people with my fists, but Dahlia’s right. Wilder never went that route. His easy charm usually carries him through any awkward interactions.
The charm that’s now gone walkabout.
“I told you I lost. You don’t need to rub it in.”
“How much money?” Maddox asks, cutting to the point.
“Ten grand for the purse.” He rubs the back of his neck, glancing around with a shamefaced expression. “There were three rounds, and I didn’t make it past the first.”
“Why do you need ten grand?”
