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“You’re acting twitchy all of a sudden. Why?”
He rolls his eyes. “I never act twitchy.”
I rest my hip against the front of the SUV. “Then, what’s up with the hesitation?”
He twists to face me. “The guy throwing the party isn’t a fan of mine, and I’m mildly concerned that he might try to not let me in.”
I groan in frustration. “Dude, I so don’t want to kick your ass, but I thought you said you had to come with me or I wouldn’t be able to get in. Did you lie?”
“You won’t be able to get in without me,” he insists. “But Jay might try to make a big deal about letting me in. He’s kind of a drama queen like that.”
I should’ve known better than to trust Alex. “Who the hell is Jay?”
“The guy throwing the party. His dad is my dad’s right-hand man.”
I have no clue what “right-hand” means, but again, the word seems very mobster-ish. “And you didn’t think to mention this before we drove all the way out here?”
He shrugs. “It wouldn’t have done any good if I told you beforehand.”
“That’s bullshit. It could’ve given me time to find someone else who could get me inside this stupid party. Now I’ve wasted an hour. But I’m done wasting time. I’m going in. I don’t give a shit if someone tries to stop me.” I swing around him and stride up the driveway toward the house, making it a whopping five steps before Alex catches the back of my shirt.
“Easy, tough girl.” He tows me back toward him. “I never said I couldn’t get us in. Just that it’s going to be a bit complicated if Jay’s around. He’ll eventually back off, though, after I remind him of who I am. But there could be a lot of drama first, and I fucking hate that shit, so I’m trying to think of a way around it.” He tugs on my shirt, pulling me closer to him.
I spin around and yank my shirt from his grip. “That’s the second time a guy has grabbed my shirt today, and I’m starting to get really tired of it.” I move to crack my knuckles, then wince as pain splinters through my fingers. “Shit, I forgot I hurt my hand.”
“Well, if you need a reminder, just look at my face every time you think about punching someone.” He gives an exaggerated gesture at his swollen jaw.
I crack a smile. “You know what? That’s a fantastic idea.”
He gives me a playful dirty look, and I retort with a grin, but it dissolves as someone shouts Alex’s name.
As we both turn, Alex’s expression plummets at the sight of a guy with shaggy brown hair hiking down the driveway toward us.
His eyes narrow on Alex. “What are you doing here?”
The guy is sporting slacks and a button-down shirt. His outfit seems awfully fancy for a high school party, at least the parties I’ve been to. But maybe this isn’t even a high school party? He does look older than us, and Alex said the son of one of his dad’s employees was throwing this party, but he never specified how old the guy was.
I internally grimace.Dammit, Payton. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?
“I came here to party,” Alex replies easily. “Or is that not obvious?”
The guy stops in front of Alex and crosses his arms. He’s tall, but not taller than Alex—all the Porterson brothers are super tall. He does have about fifty pounds on Alex, but I question if Alex’s lean build has to do with his drug habit. Then again, all the Porterson brothers are leaner and more toned than bulky and super muscular.
“You know you’re not allowed at Jay’s parties anymore,” the guy tells Alex, spitting on the ground. “Not after that shit you pulled last time.”
I toss Alex a questioning glance, curious as to what he did. But his attention remains on the guy.
“Jay may not want me here, but you’re going to let me in,” Alex says with a hint of a smirk. “Because if you don’t, I’ll have to call up my dad and tell him about that little side business your dad is running. And not only will that be time-consuming, but my dad’s going to be super pissed off at your dad.” His boots scuff against the dirt as he inches toward the guy and leans in. “So how about you move out of my way and pretend you didn’t see me.”
The guy scratches the back of his neck “Look, if it was up to me, I’d let you in, but …” He begins to squirm as Alex stares him down hard. “Alex, man, don’t make me do this. Jay will kick my ass if I let you in. He was very specific about it. He said under no circumstances am I to let you onto the property. And that, if I did, I’d be fired. And I really need this job.”
“Of being Jay’s little bitch?” Alex taunts. “You know he sent you out here because he knew I’d threaten to tell my father if you didn’t let me in. I guess he figured better you than him.”
A frown forms on the guy’s face. “I can’t … I don’t know …” He glances back at the house, squirming even more.
Alex rolls his eyes. “Look, if you’re that scared of Jay—which FYI, you shouldn’t be, but whatever—just go back inside and pretend you didn’t see me.”
The guy flits a glance at the house again then warily looks back at Alex. “And what if Jay sees you go inside?”
