“Or,” I interrupted their argument, “we just say fuck all and remember we’re Devils, not fucking idiots.”
Jett snorted, and Ash grinned.
“Seriously, you both know better. How the fuck can you both be letting pussy distract you so much?” I asked them, the scorn heavy in my tone.
“Aww, we’ll find you someone, cousin. We’ll get a little psycho you can call your own, who will match your little psycho soul.” Ash reached over and patted my shoulder in a consoling manner as my brother gave me a tight smile, a smile that didn’t meet his eyes, I noted. Turning my attention back to the road, I ignored them both.
When we got to the bar, I parked the car around the back, out of sight, and as one, we entered the bar. I saw her before I was even fully through the door. She was laughing at something Ava was saying, and Ava was doing wild hand actions as she told her story. How Quinn could hear her was beyond me; the music was so loud, I could feel my ribs vibrating from the speakers.
Jett’s hand on my arm surprised me, and as I looked at him in question, I saw the softness in his eyes as he watched them both. “Look at them,” he said to me softly.
Turning my head, I saw what he did. Quinn’s guard was lowered, her laugh was genuine, and her smile was wide. She looked . . . she looked like she used to. Before all the shit. Before the Devils fucked her life up.
Ava was laughing so hard; one hand was on her side, and the other was on Quinn’s arm. They looked so relaxed together that I took a step back. “We shouldn’t have come.”
“We don’t need to go over,” Jett told me as he grabbed Ash’s arm and shook his head. Ash looked over at the girls, and then I saw him scan the room for the redhead. When he saw her coming back from the bathrooms, alone, he nodded.
We stayed at the back of the bar, and not one of them turned tocheck out their surroundings. They were enjoying the music and, more importantly, each other’s company. Far too many guys for my liking, for any of our liking, approached them, and they were all sent away with a smile but a firm no.
The band broke for a break, and that’s when Jett stood from his stool. As one, he and I moved through the crowd, and then, like he had all those weeks ago, his arm encircled Ava, pulling her back into his chest as his head dipped and he whispered in her ear. Her cry of delight alerted Quinn and the redhead, and I watched as Quinn’s easy manner vanished and the mask dropped back in place.
“Hey,” I greeted them as Jett greeted Ava a whole different way.
“What brings you here?” Quinn asked us casually, and both Ash and I looked at Jett. Despite herself, she smiled as she shook her head in despair, her eyes rolling as she looked away with a grin. “Obviously.”
“Did you just get here?” the redhead asked as she watched us all. I saw her hesitance, and I paid more attention to her. Her body seemed to angle toward Ash, but I noticed she kept her attention on me.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Just passing by.”
“You were passing by last time too,” she reminded me as her eyes ran over me. I could see she liked what she saw at the same time that I saw Quinn notice.
“That a crime?” I asked her as my hand slipped into my back pocket. “What’s your name again?”
“Mia,” Ava said as she pulled away from Jett. “Have you all met? I forget if we’ve done proper introductions.”
“We met the night of the party when ’Bama showed up,” I answered Ava as I watched Mia. “You were friendly with their wide receiver. You know Dust?”
I watched her eyes shift nervously to Ash, and I pocketed that look for later. “Yeah, met him a few times.”
“Hmm.” I smiled at her, and I saw her already pale skin whiten.
“So, we need to convince you that the Saints are who you should cheer for and not the Lions.” Ash’s friendly smile fooled so many fucking people.
“I don’t know much about football.” Mia visibly relaxed as he spoke to her, and I saw Quinn’s face ease as she watched them.
“How can you be friends with Ava and know nothing?” Ash asked in disbelief as Jett chuckled while he buried his head in Ava’s neck.
“It’s a skill,” Mia told him with a light laugh as she smiled at her friend, and I saw the genuine affection they had for each other.
I needed to warn Ash off this one. He fucked with her, and he would fuck us all. We weren’t over the last balls up, never mind adding another one into the mix.
“I need to go to the little gals’ room,” Ava said as she disentangled herself from Jett.
“I need a drink,” I said to my brother. “Coke?” I asked him and Ash, who both nodded.
“Oooh me, please,” Ava said to me as she pulled out her wallet. “If that’s okay?” She looked at me nervously, and I fought the urge to bare my teeth at her. I knew I made her nervous, but I hadn’t made the effort yet to make her comfortable.
I refused her money as I turned to the bar. Did she remember I knew she risked her full scholarship for extra money because she was so hard up? Like I would take money off her. As I rested on the bar counter, I felt the body press into the small space between me and the next customer.
