“I knew you had a boner for her.” Goldie clapped his hand on Muerto’s shoulder. “Have you fucked her yet?”
Shrugging off his hand, anger seethed in Muerto like a vat of boiling wax. “Watch your goddamn mouth. And it’s none of you assholes’ business what the hell I do. Raven and I are just friends.”
Everyone but Diablo guffawed. “Raven’s her name?” Chains said.
“Oh, excuse us, dude. We didn’t realize you andRavenwere justfriends,” Goldie said as he calmed down from laughing.
“With benefits,” Paco added, which started another round of hearty laughs.
The shattering of glass against the wall tore through the conversation, laughs, and voices on the TV. All eyes fixed on Muerto, whose arm was poised to throw another bottle. Steel walked in just as it crashed against the wall. Muerto let go of the beer in his hand when the president’s gaze bored into him.
“What the fuck’s going on?” Steel asked.
“I dunno. I was just watching TV when this beer bottle zipped over my head and hit the wall,” Brutus said as Cue Ball and Eagle nodded.
“Muerto?” Steel started walking toward him.
“Ask these fuckers,” he fumed.
“What’s going on, Diablo?” Steel asked.
The big man shrugged. “I just asked Muerto how his woman was. Maybe he didn’t like me asking.”
Steel turned to Muerto. “You got a woman?” The brothers who’d been ribbing him burst out laughing again.
“Fuck it!” Muerto threw his beer bottle, narrowly missing Cue Ball’s head, kicked over a chair, and marched out. Before he went through the doors, he heard Steel say, “I guess he does. I’ll be damned.”
Dashing over to his Harley, he cursed when his phone rang. It was Laura.Fuck. I was supposed to get a place for Ma’s birthday party.He let the call go to voice mail and then tapped in his friend Raul’s number. He and Raul had been friends since high school, and he owned a hall that he rented out for weddings,quinceañeras, proms, and a bunch of other life events.
“Hey, Muerto, what’s shaking? It’s been too long, bro.”
“Yeah. Been busy. I need to rent your place for my mom’s birthday party. I fucked up so this is kinda last minute. I’m hoping you can help me or Laura’s gonna ride my ass about this for the next twenty years.”
Raul chuckled. “When’s the party?”
“In a couple of weeks on a Saturday night.”
“You’re making this hard for me. I’m booked every Saturday ’til the end of September.”
“Fuck.” Muerto leaned back on the seat of his Harley. “What the hell can I do? I gotta get something.”
“You can’t have it in your mom’s backyard?”
“No way. Laura’s invited a hundred or more people.”
“That many?”
“It’s crazy, I know. This all started out as a party with just us, a few aunts and uncles, and my mother’s closest friends. I shoulda taken over.”
“You should’ve. You know your sister. Let me think about it. Does it have to be in Alina? I may be able to secure you a place in Firestone. It’s about a thirty-minute drive but—”
“That won’t work. Laura would have my head. It’s gotta be in town. I guess if nothing works out, I can have it at the clubhouse.”
Raul laughed deeply. “And how do you think Laura will feel about that?”
“Pissed.” His phone clicked.Laura’s calling me again. Damnit!“Can you get back to me real soon?”
“Yeah. Wait, there’s also another possibility. I can get you a tent and set it up in the back of the hall. It’s beautiful back there with a waterfall, trees, flowers, and all that.”
