Lark pinched her fingers together, then zipped them across her lips.That was probably for the best.
“I thought this shit was all over,” Brinks muttered.
“Obviously not,” Nickel said.
Kingston glanced around the shop.“I guess the one good thing is that there aren’t any cameras in here,” he pointed out.“If this had happened at the clubhouse, we would have been screwed.”
“Silver lining,” Ender chuckled under his breath.
It felt like a weird thing to joke about, but then again… this whole thing was weird.
Wrecker didn’t waste time.“Clean this shit up,” he said, looking at Junior.
Junior nodded like this was just another chore on a list.“I’ll need a few hands.”
“I’ll get Gold and Wink here,” Wrecker said, already pulling his phone out.Then his eyes landed on me.“You’re gonna have to be closed for the rest of the night.”
I lifted both hands in surrender.“Fine by me.”
There was no way in hell I was serving milkshakes with a dead body ten feet away.That was likely a health violation.
Nickel pointed at Jude.“You handle your girl.”
My stomach flipped at that.
Then he pointed at Oliver.“You handle Chatty Kathy.”
Lark immediately pointed at herself.“Me?My name is Lark.”
“My God,” Nickel muttered, shaking his head.
“I got her,” Oliver said, already moving toward her.
Things started moving fast after that.
Junior stepped forward, taking the gun from Jude’s hand like it was routine.
Like this wasn’t insane.
Oliver gently but firmly steered Lark toward the back, her voice already starting up again as she processed out loud.
And then it was Jude and me.
He walked toward me slowly.Every step was deliberate and his face was hard.Not angry, but not relaxed either.
“Hi,” I said softly.
He stopped right in front of me.“Ever.”
I swallowed.“Yes.”
“Don’t ever do something like that again.”
I nodded immediately.“Yes.”Then paused.“I mean—no.I won’t do that again.”Another pause.“But it worked.”
His jaw tightened for a second, then he shook his head, something in his expression cracking just a little.
And then he pulled me into him.
