Page 116 of Silent Damage

“Thank you.” He lights one for me, and Gabe rests his hand on my leg, settling my racing heart.

Felix, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around us, dives right in. “Alright! Spill it. I want to know everything!”

I chuckle under my breath, knowing how freaking weird and complicated our story is. Then I turn to Gabe and see sadness in his face, and it hits me that our story is kind of sad.

But it doesn’t have to be anymore.

“Gabe’s been my best friend for my whole life,” I say. “We had a falling out a couple of years back, but that’s behind us now.” I wrap my arm around Gabe’s shoulder and add, “He’s the only person in the world I trust.”

I look at Gabe, and the mix of shock and deep emotion in his eyes makes something unfurl inside me.

“Oh, my God,” Felix gasps. “Are you two gonna kiss?”

I crack up while Torren pinches the bridge of his nose. “They might have if you hadn’t ruined the moment, babe,” Torren says to Felix.

“No! Please! You have to kiss. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Felix chants while clapping his hands.

I pull Gabe closer and kiss his temple. “There. That’s all you're getting.”

Felix boos, and then the three of us crack up. From there, the conversation flows. We banter and keep things light. Torren’s still intimidating as fuck, but he’s very sweet with Felix, and it would be hard not to be. Felix is equal parts engaging and freaking hysterical.

And I think Gabe picked up his sass-game from Felix.

Throughout it all, Gabe says nothing. He smiles and gives a thumbs-up here and there, but he’s silent the entire time.

Eventually, someone comes over to chat with Torren and Felix—a HellCat in the money-laundering vertical, and Torren introduces me.

“Jason,” I say, rising to shake his hand.

The guy nods and says, “That was a damn good fight the other night.”

Another guy, one that’s been looking at me like he wants to dump my dead body in a dumpster, walks over and asks Torren, “This your friend, boss man?”

“He is,” Torren replies. “This is Jason.”

The guy looks me up and down, his sneer slowly easing into neutrality. “How do you know Torren Kay?” he asks me.

“His buddy is my best friend.”

“And stepbrother,” Felix chimes in with a smirk.

Oh, Jesus. “And stepbrother,” I add.

“He’s like family,” Torren adds in a tone that would make a statue flinch.

The guy nods slowly. “Welcome to the HellCats.” He shakes my hand, and it feels like it’s the signal for other HellCats to lighten up.

A few more guys walk over and introduce themselves, each one cold at first, but warming up as soon as Torren introduces me as a “good friend” or “like family.”

They start fucking around, laughing and taking shots—boasting about people they fucked or their most dangerous jobs. Some deal drugs, while others work in extortion.

I haven’t met anyone in theft, but I’m hoping the goodwill I’m building now will trickle over to those guys too.

Things start to get rowdier as folks get a little more tuned up, and I catch Gabe at the table, alone. So, I excuse myself from the guys and check on him.

“Can I do anything for you?” I ask.

“No, why?” he asks.