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I turned to find Adrian swimming up on me. His hair looked like onyx right now, gleaming in the moonlight. He slicked it back from his face with two well-tattooed hands.
“We need to talk.”
For a second or two I actually wondered what it would be about. Whether it would be bad or good or—
Then I saw his face… and I knew.
“The Paynes. Right?”
We stopped making our way back to shore for a minute. Still up to his neck in the water, he nodded firmly.
“I think we’re on the same page,” I grunted.
I saw a fleeting smirk pass Adrian’s lips, similar to the ones I’d seen as a teenager. In the past they’d preceded something devilish but innocent, like the time we’d glitter-bombed the wrestling team in the auxiliary gym. Or even more sinister, the time he listed our asshole chemistry teacher’s house for sale on Craigslist. He’d priced it about three-quarters market value, and scheduled an open house on the same date and time as the final exam.
The poor guy had to fight his way through about a dozen cars that morning, just to get out of his driveway.
“You want to go after them, don’t you?” I asked.
“Of course.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“Look, all this time we’ve been passive,” said Adrian. “Doing nothing. Sitting by.”
“Tell it to Luke,” I replied. “He’s the voice of reason here. If it were up to me—”
“Also,” Adrian cut in, “we’re not guaranteed this whole thing ends by simply changing spaces. We could move to a whole new garage andstillhave the same problems we do right now.”
I scowled angrily. I hadn’t considered that. I just figured packing it in and moving further away might mitigate the competition issue. But if they still saw us as competitors…
“I think you’re as tired of sitting around as I am,” Adrian finally spat. “Maybe it’s time we sendthema message.”
Now the smirk was on my face. He was finally speaking my language.
“I know you tried something in the past,” he went on. “And that they have a restraining order.”
“That restraining order doesn’t mean shit if I don’t get caught.”
He nodded with grim approval. If that were a test, I’d just passed with flying colors.
“Alright then,” he said finally. After glancing back to make sure no one was on the cabin’s back deck, he lowered his voice confidentially. “Here’s what I’m thinking we do…”
Adrian talked. I listened. His plan was risky, even potentially dangerous, but if we pulled it off it might turn things around. There was always a chance the Paynes wouldn’t fold, and that they’d come back at us ten times harder than before. But there was even more of a chance that we’d scare them into submission. That they’d reach a point where backing off from us was the better option.
And of course, there was also the chance we’d both end up in jail.
“You still in?” he asked, arching one bushy eyebrow.
“All the fucking way,” I nodded.
We sealed the deal with an ominous nod, then swam back to shore. Getting out of the water was tough. The air seemed suddenly freezing, as we grabbed for the towels Luke had put out for us.
It went without saying that everything we’d discussed stayed between us alone. Still, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Luke was my partner and my best friend, and the new relationship we’d forged was even stronger than the first one. It especially didn’t feel right keeping it from Kayla, either.
Still…
Finally dry except for our boxers, Adrian slid the back door open and we made our way to the fire. God, he had somanytattoos! One day I’d even have to ask about some of them.
