“Why? What’s the big deal?” Piston asks.
Sandra’s a tough, sexy woman and I think we all took notice, but he’s the one that’s spent the most time with her, and I’ve got the feeling he wouldn’t mind spending more.
“Her story is her own. If you want it, you get it from her,” Quickshot says seriously. “But the short version is that Sandra was fourteen when their parents died. Nat got custody and did her best, but they’ve been through more than their share of shit,and right now things are pretty good. We’d like to keep it that way.”
“And you think we’d fuck that up?” Piston looks insulted. “I’ve only known her for a couple days but it’s pretty obvious she’s not some delicate fucking flower, and youknowus. We’ve ridden together, fought together, and partied together. We know how to treat a woman.”
Quickshot rolls the bottom of his bottle in circles on the counter. “Relax, I know. At the end of the day Sandra can take care of herself. It’s my old lady I’m looking out for. I’m asking you, man to man, to leave well enough alone if you just want to get your dicks wet. Last I heard she’ll be going back to college in the fall anyway.”
Zero nods. “Message received.”
Kissass. I take a sip of beer to hide my laugh.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Piston assures him. “We didn’t know who she was when we met her, and it was just some harmless flirting. I even asked her if she wanted to come party at the club and she turned me down. But I’m not a fucking child. If we run into her again and she’s changed her mind, well…” He shrugs.
“Wait, am I talking to you, Piston? Or all three of you?” Quickshot asks.
Piston looks our way. He doesn’t look jealous, just curious.
It’s amusing that Quickshot even has to ask, but not sharing your girl is starting to be the exception rather than the norm around here. Somehow it seems to work, though. Sharing isn’t something I’ve done before outside of a casual fuck, and I don’teven know if Sandra’s interested, but I’m not against the idea. I shrug, but give a small nod. Zero does the same.
I turn to Quickshot. “We’ve all heard you. Tread carefully. Got it.”
“I’m starting to understand how Eagle-eye feels,” he grumbles. “Good, remember that. She’s family. We keep her safe, clear?”
“Clear.”
8
SANDRA
“You’ll be fine.You’re going to love this. You’re going to kick ass,” Jerry chants quietly beside me.
“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” I ask.
“Yes. Darren is going to owe me big time for having to work late today.”
The gym is loud and way more packed than it was when we came in during the day. Taking that first step through the massive open garage door feels like throwing myself into a terrifying abyss. I draw a deep breath in through my nose and let it out slowly. I’m not generally a nervous person, which is probably what gets me in trouble half the time, but this is a bit out of my wheelhouse. If it wasn’t for Jerry, I probably would’ve chickened out.
I put my hand on his arm. “You know, it really is a shame he couldn’t make it. Maybe we should just come back another night when?—”
“Oh hey!” Brick steps outside with a huge smile on his face. “You guys made it! That’s awesome!” He sounds like I’m an old friendhe hasn’t seen in ages, not someone who wandered in and filled out a clipboard by accident.
Apparently we’re doing this. “I promised I would, right?”
“You’d be surprised how many people get cold feet at the last minute. Come on in, we’re just getting set up. I’ll show you guys where the loaner equipment is and get you fitted. You’ve never boxed before, right? Don’t worry, there’s no sparring in the beginner classes, but it’s a good idea to get used to how the gear feels.”
The class is actually fun. Brick led Jerry away and left me with a woman named Dana who’s probably five-three at most, but has the most amazing arms I’ve ever seen. She could probably throw me across the room and I wouldn’t even mind. She leads me and five others through a light cardio warmup and then an hour of basic punches, guards, and footwork. By the time we’re done, I’m sweating and aching in the way that feels good now but will haunt me in the morning. Surprisingly, I think I want to come back.
When we’re done, I clean up in the locker room and go to find Jerry. I spot him in a small crowd watching a match in the center ring. From the sound of the spectators, there’s a serious fight going on, but I’m more focused on getting to my friend. When I finally get to him, I have to nudge him to get his attention. “Hey. How was your class?”
"What? Oh, it was great, but not as great as this." He pulls my shoulder so I face the ring, forcing me to look.
Wait, what? Isn't that…?
My eyes go wide as I grip the rope barrier that surrounds the boxing ring. Beast and Piston are in the middle of it, looking likethey want to kill each other. Beast swings a gloved fist the size of a Christmas ham in the direction of Piston's head, which Piston barely dodges.
What are they doing here? Though I suppose it makes sense that they found Junkyard nearby if this is where they work out.
