Page 68 of Property of Kevlar

What did they just call her? Had Carrie started a life with these bikers Kelsey knew nothing about? New friends. How out of the loop had she gotten over the last few weeks?

Carrie stopped in her tracks and turned toward the voice.

Cheeks? What was that about?

“Machete!” Carrie shouted, let go of Kelsey, and flung herself at a man Kelsey had never seen before.

He had scraggly shoulder-length brown hair that looked as though it hadn’t been washed in ages. The smell coming off him hinted at the same. He was shirtless, except for the vest which proclaimed his nickname and the title Sgt at Arms.

Whatever that meant.

Kelsey had no desire to learn. Her discomfort increased with each passing second. She was supposed to be optimistic. This was for Carrie. She owed Mike and his friends a chance. Not that she hadn’t given them a bunch already.

Though to be fair, they weren’t Pete. That guy could just be the rotten apple in the bunch. Right?

Taking a deep breath, she sought to cleanse her energy. If she went into this thinking something bad would happen, her outlook would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. She had to try, but nothing about this place felt right. How could her best friend be so comfortable and Kelsey not be?

Pete. Obviously.

Her experience with these bikers was vastly different. Clearly, they were nicer to Carrie than Pete had ever been to Kelsey. She couldn’t fault the others for Pete being a jackass.

They deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Didn’t they?

Kelsey scanned the people milling about, drinking beers and puffing on one-hitters. The man she hoped to avoid wasn’t around. At least she had yet to see him. This was his club, though. Then again, Carrie said he wouldn’t be there. Kelsey could relax. Her friend promised.

Returning her attention to Carrie in time for the guy to grab a handful of Carrie’s ass, Kelsey couldn’t help but frown. For people who were supposed to be celebrating her in some way, these guys were far too handsy with Carrie.

Not to mention, Kelsey thought Carrie was dating Mike—exclusively. At least that was how Carrie had explained it. These men sure as shit weren’t acting like it.

“Stop.” Carrie giggled, tucking hair behind her ear and stepping away.

While she had a smile on her face and laughed, Kelsey could see a hint of hesitation in Carrie’s eyes. She wasn’t comfortable with how the men took liberties. Kelsey wasn’t either.

Could she use that as leverage to skedaddle?

“Machete,” Carrie said as she reached for Kelsey’s hand. “Have you met my friend Kelsey?”

Nope. Another introduction to someone Kelsey didn’t want to have the misfortune of knowing. They had to stick it out a little longer.

Briefly, he flicked his gaze toward her. Thankfully, he wasn’t like the bouncer. He didn’t eyeball her like a slab of beef. She’d never been more thrilled to have a guy not be interested in her than she was in that moment.

“Nah.” He shook his head and returned his attention to Carrie.

No greeting. No pleasantries. Just confirming he hadn’t been familiar with her and apparently had no interest in getting acquainted with her. The feeling was mutual.

The man smirked as he dug in his pocket. “I’ve got something for you.”

Carrie brought her hands together and hopped from one foot to the other.

Kelsey stood back with her arms around herself, doing her best to settle the jitters crawling all over her skin. This was a party. She’d been to plenty of them before. A bunch of people getting together to have a good time shouldn’t make her this nervous. She was twenty-seven years old, hardly the oldest person in the room, yet she was out of place.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She came for Carrie. This was a big day for her—apparently. She had neglected to share whatever was planned with Kelsey. If tonight was so important, why hadn’t Carrie told her?

From his pocket, Machete, the handsy man, pulled a small baggie containing colorful pills. Almost like Skittles, but definitely not. Kelsey was no stranger to party drugs and assumed them to be ecstasy.

She bit her lips together to hide her frown. She hadn’t indulged since college.