“Jesus. This guy must have a death wish. He should be thankful Hannibal isn’t here anymore. He’d have disemboweled him and strung his intestines up like a string of Christmas lights.”
“That was wildly descriptive, thanks for that.” He grimaces.
“You know what I think? I think we should get Amity down there. Guys like this always think they’re God’s gift. They can never take a hint that a woman might be better than them, and I’ll always put my money on Amity. Did you see the shit she didin her last movie? How G doesn’t have a head of white hair is beyond me.”
“It’s probably why he’s started shaving it,” he agrees with a laugh. “I’ll mention it to Legs. If anyone can convince Midas, it will be her.”
We clink our cans together in a toast to the woman.
“You should have had the club name ‘Devious.’ Can’t believe you got to keep ‘Ambros.’”
I snort. “Too many people know my name. They tried a half dozen in the beginning, and none of them stuck. Everyone just called me Ambros, so in the end, they gave up. Why mess with perfection?”
“Should have named you ‘Humble,’” he mutters. “So how are things at the gym now?”
“Better. I’ve taken on two new people, and another starts at the end of the month. Citi still helps out, but I give her flex-hours, what with everything she has going on with Star, therapy, and studying for her GED.”
“I gotta admit, I didn’t expect her to work at the gym, of all places. Not with how she is with men.”
“I’m there,” I tell him, and I’m not being cocky about it. “I never schedule her on if I’m not on too. Plus, I’ve threatened everyone to within an inch of their lives.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Of course you did.”
“It’s good for her confidence. To us it’s just grunt work, but to Citi it’s a level of independence she’s never had before, and with me there as a safety net just in case.”
“Good for her. I got tagged in for the last class with Havoc. She’s doing much better, but I was a nervous fucking wreck. I don’t know how you do it.”
I shrug. “I don’t treat her like she’s broken, and I trust her enough to tell me if something is too much. If she does get triggered, I wait it out and don’t make her feel like crap aboutit. There’s no magic cure for this shit. What she went through will always be there in the back of her head. There will always be something that sneaks up on her and knocks her down—like the incident with the raincoat.”
“That was fucked-up,” he grumbles.
“My point is, she might be fragile, but so are bombs. I know what she survived. The worst thing anyone can do is underestimate her. But treating her like she’s going to break at any minute won’t help her heal.”
Before he can say anything else, his phone chimes again. I grin, assuming it’s Hoops, but when mine chimes, a sense of foreboding has me looking at Dice. His expression must mirror my own.
I pull out my phone and read Havoc’s text.Emergency church ASAP.
“The results are in.” Dice murmurs, having likely received the exact text as me.
I nod grimly in agreement. “Shit.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
CITI
“Thanks, Con.”
“No problem. You want me to wait for you?” He asks me every time he drops me off, even though he knows the answer.
“No, but thank you. Ambros is coming to pick me up.”
“Alright, then I’m going to drop your bags off at your place, then head to the clubhouse so I can steal Star from Capone.”
I laugh as I climb out of the truck and turn to face him. “You know you could always come over to the house and play with Star whenever you want. I’ll even feed you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Star loves you.”
