Page 23

Lucas glances over. “Everything good?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Just work.” And probably just Dante sending me his address along with a date and time. Fucking hell, what have I gotten myself into with that man…

Amani smirks. “Look at you. Seems like business is booming.”

“Hopefully the cash is booming as well,” Lucas states, throwing an arm around my shoulder, and I recoil instantly. “Tell me when I can retire from my office job and live off your salary.”

“As if,” I reply with a smirk as I slide out of his embrace.

Shadows shift along the walls as evening settles in. For a while, nothing presses at me.

This is fine.

I don’t think about Dante and his dog.

I don’t think about the gym invitation.

I don’t think about how easily I said yes this morning.

I stay where I am, chalk dust on my hands and muscles pleasantly tight, letting the moment hold.

We drift toward the far side of the gym where the walls get meaner. The holds thin out, colors tighter, routes marked with warning placards instead of encouragement.

Lucas squints up at one of the overhangs.

“Ah yes,” he says, voice carrying just enough, “the ‘humble you immediately’ section.”

We stop near a route marked with a small black triangle. Lucas exhales, rolling his shoulders. “You know what really fucking sucks?” he says. “The hourly rates. I swear this place used to be affordable.”

“It was,” Amani chimes in with a sigh. “Back when no one thought climbing was a personality trait.”

“Exactly,” he nods. “We found it before it became cool.”

She smiles faintly, then it fades, fidgeting with the tips of her curls. “Xavier loved it here.”

And there it is.

The name drops between us, heavy like a slab of hot iron onto ice.

“He was terrible,” she adds quietly with a somber grin, eyes dropping to the floor. “Could barely get halfway up most routes.” Lucas snorts, then stops himself. His mouth twists into a smile but fades in an instant. “Yeah. But he kept coming back. Every week. Like he thought one day the wall would just… let him, you know.”

“He said it made his head quiet,” Amani adds.

“Guess it did.” I finally add, jaw tightening. The air has shifted, but I’m not about to let it settle. I tighten the straps on my shoes and step toward the wall, shifting the harness in place. I don’t wait for more as I start climbing.

Higher and higher.

Hands find the holds automatically. Feet placing where they should without searching. Below me, the conversation turns to static and bodies into a blur.

From up here, I don’t have to listen to their sad sobs and whining about a guy that should’ve known better. Xavier’s dead because he was involved with things he shouldn’t have been. It’s his own fault. Well... missing from everyone else’s perspective.

I got the fucking short end of the stick.

When I drop back to the mat, Lucas is grinning, and Amani’s eyes are bright again.

Good.

That’s enough.