“No sweat.” Shady says something to that guy, and we’re waved through again. Either Shady or Ace have some pull here, but either way, I’m not asking any questions.
“Ace got us table service,” Shady says as we follow the hostess halfway around the pool to a table surrounded on one side by fake palms. Two seconds later, we’re settled on a leather-and-velvet banquette positioned around a small table boasting bottles of Belvedere, Patron, Jack Daniels, and an assortment of mixers.
Maybe Ace wasn’t as pissed as I imagined, although he was the one guy who wouldn’t be fooled by any bullshit. He knew me better than I knew myself, and that was a scary fuckin’ fact. He was the one guy who could take me down physically if he wanted to—a point he proved a few times when we were kids, but he was too much of a loose cannon to be a leader, and he knew it.
Of course, I didn’t prove to be such a great leader either, but he never even wanted the job. He was perfectly happy letting me call the shots, with him hanging tight as my right hand, making sure it all got done. He was solid and always had my back, which made my fuck-up even worse in my eyes.
I had to get out of my head and concentrate on the here and now.
“Not too fuckin shabby.” Speed uncaps the Belvedere and splashes it into three glasses.
I crane my neck and take it all in. “Not bad.”
Speed and Shady raise their glasses. “Here’s to the comeback of the Kings.”
I nod, then take a deep drink, letting the smooth, clear liquid convince me Ace must be doing all right. Maybe he’s doing sogood, he’s not blaming me for every shit thing that’s happened to him in the last five years.
I take in the high-end crowd. Classy women dressed to impress, along with plenty of guys desperate to make a score and get lucky. Typical club scene, but for me, it feels like an eternity, and I can’t help keeping my head on swivel.
“You guys come here a lot?” I spread my arms over the back of the cushions just like the old days. Hanging out in clubs, kicking back, and finally a feeling of being home.
“Never.” Speed and Shady exchange a glance.
“What’s that look mean?” I ask.
“It means you really don’t get it.” Speed gulps down a shot of vodka. “After you got sent up, everything fell to shit, and because of that, none of us wanted to be around each other.”
“Too fuckin’ painful,” Shady adds. “None of us wanted to reminisce about what we lost or all the shit that went bad.”
“But that’s all history now.” Speed pours a generous amount of Patron into each of our glasses. “Here’s to better days.”
Typical Speed, keeping the peace.
We all raise our glasses, and I down mine in one. Life is so fuckin’ strange. Forty-eight hours ago, I was sitting in my cell at Monmouth Correctional counting the hours till I got sprung. Now, I’m sitting in a glitzy nightclub, decked out to look like a tropical island, complete with cabanas, multi-level pool, and women in all stages of undress.
“I see what you mean about the women here.” I grin at Shady, then I pour myself another shot of tequila and soak it all in. “Where’s Ace? Knowing him, I thought he’d be here already showing us all around.”
Speed shrugs. “Must be busy.”
“Place is fuckin’ packed, but I don’t get it. Huge pool and nobody goes in the water.”
“No swimming allowed,” Shady says. “Nighttime club rules. Only swimming at the Day Club.”
“Pool party without the pool. Seems fuckin’ dumb.” The tables are strategically placed around the pool and amongst the palm trees and tropical foliage, but everybody steers clear of the actual water. When I look closer, they actually have the stairs leading into the pool roped off.
I stretch my arms over the banquette and finally start to relax with the help of the vodka and tequila.
“I can’t believe my fuckin’ eyes.” I don’t need to turn to know Ace’s voice. “Who the hell let you in?”
I push off the velvet cushion, gearing up for his shit talk. When I turn toward his voice, a fist lands squarely between my cheekbone and my jaw.
Chapter Five
DEUCE
“What the?—”
Ace’s other fist sinks into my gut, and before I can get it together, he uppercuts me, snapping my head back. My brain rattles against my skull, but I stay on my feet and charge him. Spinning around with Ace in my clutches, I land a solid shot to his jaw, knocking him into the table. Bottles crash to the floor, and women scream as Speed and Shady keep everybody back and let us work out our shit.
