“Yeah, bro. I do.”
Bane points a finger at me. “There ya’ go!”
Bash’s lips curl up as he shakes his head. “There he goes, what? He still doesn’t know what to do.”
I don’t. But I’ll figure it out. I have to.
“I—” the words die on my lips as Brooklyn hurries past our table, clearly trying to slip by unnoticed.
“Brooklyn.”
She stiffens mid-step, then turns, her expression already shuttered. “Hey, guys,” she says cheerfully, forcing a smile.
“How is she?” I ask, hopeful for anything she’ll tell me.
Brooklyn darts her green eyes toward Gator before snapping her gaze back to me.
“You’re putting me in a tough position. June is one of my best friends. I can’t betray her trust.”
“No loyalty to the Kings who employ you?” Bash asks, eyes assessing.
Brooklyn plants her hands on her hips and lifts her chin in challenge. “That’s a low blow.”
Licking his lips, Gator leans forward on his elbows, his gaze dragging slowly over Brooklyn with unhurried appreciation. “Come on, menace. Throw my boy a bone here.”
Brooklyn holds Gator’s stare for a long beat before she exhales through her nose and turns back to me.
“She’s hurting and scared. You need to give her time.”
My hands tighten around my glass. “I almost lost her today, Brooklyn. Twice. I can’t just sit here and?—”
“Then don’t sit here.” Brooklyn’s voice softens, just a fraction. “But don’t show up at my door tonight either. She cried herself to sleep an hour ago, and Maverick finally stopped asking why ‘Auntie June has boo-boos.’” She swallows, and for a moment, the tough-girl armor slips enough for me to see the worry underneath. “She’s my girl, Journey. I’m going to protect her the same way you would, but you gotta let her come to you on this one.”
With a squeeze to my shoulder, she turns and walks away, leaving me wondering how the hell I’m going to stay away.
“Go home, brother. Get some sleep. Things will look different in the morning,” Bane says before draining his drink and sliding out of the booth.
“Yeah.” I nod.
Gator and Bash head out next, leaving me alone at the table with an almost-empty bottle and the wreckage of my thoughts.
When I finally sober up and make it out to the parking lot, I’m the only one left at Kitties. As I settle onto my bike, I pull out my phone and open the text thread with June. I smile at the last message from her. She sent it before everything went to shit. It’s a picture of her in my bathroom in one of my t-shirts. She’s smiling big and bright, and the caption is a single pink heart emoji. She’s beautiful. I should have told her that.
Shaking my head at how much of a fucking idiot I am, I start typing.
Me: I love you. I’m sorry. I’ll wait as long as you need, and I’m not going anywhere. You’re mine, June Calloway, and I’m yours. I’m not giving up on us.
My thumb hovers over the send button as I read it back.
Fuck.
Sighing heavily, I delete the whole thing.
Time. She said she needed time.
Pocketing my phone, I start my bike and ride home through the empty streets of Odin, alone.
I wake up to pounding on my door. Fuck. Rolling over, I squint at the alarm clock.
