Page 5 of Slick Trip

Just kill me now.

“What if I say no?” I asked, though the fight was already leaving me. After all, it was Cooper we were talking about. The second Jack told me about the trip, I’d lost.

My friend shrugged.

“If you say no, Mom will make Cooper cancel the whole trip. It sucks, but I can’t blame her. Things have escalated fast. It’s wild out there with all those brainless fanatics. Did you hear about the latest attack?”

I nodded, my expression grim. Cooper hadn’t shown any signs of presenting, but he looked like . . . well, he had Omega written all over him. In addition to looking like trouble wrapped up in pretty, he was so damn reckless it drove me mad. We hadn’t talked in months, but I was still keeping an eye on him. Just because he hated me now didn’t mean I was going to stop watching.

Guys like him got noticed. Creeps noticed. Predators noticed. Men who mistook pretty for easy and a bright smile for an invitation.

I knew how to protect Cooper from people like that.

What I didn’t know was how to protect him from me. I’d shown him my true colors, and he’d run.

“I guess he’ll just have to deal with the disappointment,” Jack continued, giving me a sly look. The bastard. If the choice was between letting Cooper’s dreams get crushed or being the sole target of his fury . . . I’d take the fury. Every time. Because it was Cooper.

The one person I’d walk through fire for.

“Fine,” I said, already regretting it.

Jack’s shoulders loosened. He was clearly oblivious to my inner turmoil.

“Thanks, man. I knew we could count on you.”

“I’ll do it,” I added, my jaw tight. “But I’m not the one telling him.” I might be a masochist when it came to that brat, but I wasn’t suicidal.

* * *

JON, age 18, four years before the trip

I should’ve known Dan and the other group home kids would hang around the old warehouse. I’d spent enough afternoons there, killing time with cheap thrills. Logan had fallen from that fire escape once and broken his ankle. Dan had spray painted his name on every possible wall. I never bothered, but I understood why the idea appealed to him—the world would easily forget the likes of us if we didn’t remind it of our existence.

They had cornered some kid reckless enough to walk past the abandoned building alone. At first, I just watched, figuring out what the hell I was stepping into. The kid was running his mouth like he had a death wish. A pair of headphones hung around his slender neck, and blond curls sat on his head in stubborn chaos.

When Dan reached out to touch him, he snarled.

“What the fuck is going on?”

Every head turned. Dan’s smug expression was quickly replaced by a more apprehensive one, but he didn’t immediately step back. He’d gotten bolder since we’d stopped living under the same roof.

“Relax, Jon.”

I didn’t relax. I studied the kid. He looked younger than he probably was. Smaller too. But even backed against a wall, he looked like he’d rather die than give these assholes the satisfaction of seeing him fold.

“You’re harassing a kid.”

The others moved farther away, giving me space to handle Dan.

“I’m fifteen,” the kid said, making a face. I threw him a look that usually made kids his size shut the fuck up, but not this one. Lips parting, he sized me up—and yep, he was foolish enough to like what he saw.

He called Dan a jerk before trying to leave, and when Dan grabbed his wrist, I could see the surprised flash of pain on his face. I stepped forward and punched Dan. He staggered back, swearing, his hands flying to his nose. I was sick of his shit. Maybe this would make him think twice before juvie did. I’d been in juvie, and it wasn’t anything to write home about.

“Leave.”

They scrambled, dragging Dan with them. Then I turned to the kid. He was still pressed against the wall, but he looked alarmingly thrilled.

“You hurt?” I asked.