Dave frowns and asks, “For what?”
“For not inviting you to my wedding.”
Dave laughs, shake his head. “I’m going assume it must’ve been some spur-of-the-moment deal that didn’t leave much room for invites.”
“Yeah,” I respond, my words low and tired. “You can say that again.”
“Don’t sweat it, man,” he responds easily. “Saved me from having to get gussied up.”
With a final wave, he exits the locker room, leaving me to my own warring thoughts. This isn’t exactly how we planned on announcing our relationship to the masses, but it is what it is now.
Knowing Cassidy will be waiting for me, I stand, moving back to my locker and grabbing a shirt. I’m just about to pull it over my head when a harsh voice cuts through the silence, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” startling me.
Whirling around, I immediately jump to the side, hands raised defensively when I see Warren not even six feet from me. His eyes wide, hand raised over his head, frozen in surprise.
He glances over his shoulder, and I follow his line of sight, seeing nothing in the deep shadows. He turns back to me, his eyes glinting with rage as he takes a step closer, his arm raising enough to reveal a glint of metal gripped in his hand.
I straighten, fully intending to defend myself, but then the voice sounds again, “You wanna die?”
Once again, I look behind Warren, who also turns slightly, but now, a figure materializes in the shadows, slowly coming closer. I squint, annoyed I had Dave cut most of the lights, leaving myself open to all sorts of fuckery in the poor lighting.
But then, as if by magic, Declan Hughes steps into view.
Warren frowns, mutters, “What the fuck?”
Declan stops about ten feet from Warren, his stance relaxed, his expression nonchalant. But I know better. Declan is pissed.
“I’ll be your huckleberry,” Declan drawls, his lip curling slightly. Then he leans to the side so he can meet my gaze as he adds “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
Again, Warren frowns, but he doesn’t stand down as he spits out, “Stay out of this, Hughes.”
Declan gives me a look and I shrug. “You’ve said it yourself a few times, Dec,” I pause waiting for someone to ask me what I mean and when they don’t I add, “You can’t fix stupid.”
Declan chuckles, but Warren turns his glare back to me. “You’re in no position to make jokes, Rafferty.”
I don’t even bother to pretend to be worried. I yank my shirt over my head and then lean back against the locker, my arms crossing over my chest. “Say whatever you want, Warren, but I’m enjoying my current odds.”
“What can this fucker even do?” He asks, using his knife hand to gesture toward Declan. “He’s so fucking famous it won’t be hard to prove he was here if something happens to me.”
Declan snorts, rolls his eyes. “No body, no crime.”
Warren’s eyes widen. “Are you threatening me?”
“Oh, I don’t know bucko,” Declan retorts, all humor leaving him. “Are you threatening Ren with that fucking blade in your hand?”
Warren’s gaze shifts to his knife hand and he blinks as if he forgot he was even holding it. He lowers his arm, but he doesn’t drop the knife; just hangs it loosely by his side. “I wasn’t going to kill him. Just scare him a bit.”
“One thing my elders taught me is to always know everything you possibly can about your enemies,” Declan explains calmly, walking closer, slowly. “And I sure know a lot about you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think you know all the times in your life where being a good ole white boy saved your ass from the punishment you clearly deserved.”
Warren swallows, his eyes like big saucers as he watches Declan watching him. When he doesn’t say anything, Declan continues, “You’re gonna get the fuck out of here, and you’re never gonna bother Ren again. Do you understand?”
Warren nods, and Declan goes on in that same calm yet frigid tone, “And know that this is your only warning. If you ever step outta line again, you better sleep with one eye open for the rest of your short, miserable life.”
Warren nods again, even though Declan hasn’t asked him to agree with anything. Declan closes the distance between them, and Warren steps back as if there’s a way for him to escape.
