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Skylar was telling the truth.
I find Vance in the gym, powering through a set of two-hundred kilo deadlifts.
There’s no fucking reason for him to be deadlifting. He’s a soccer player—this isn’t part of his training regime. It’s just purely ego. There’s probably going to be a post about this in the group chat later.
And maybe I’m just alittlebit salty that he’s surpassed my record of 180 kilos.
I approach him in between reps. He’s dressed in a pair of gym shorts and sneakers. Sweat is pouring off him. His whole head is damp with it, and the muscles on his arms and chest glisten in the fluorescent lights.
There are only two other people in the gym, on the other side sparring in the boxing ring.
“Hey man, did you fucking see that?” Vance asks with a grin. “You’re gonna have to get back to training if you wanna be stronger than me, now.”
I laugh, folding my arms. “Enjoy your victory while it lasts,” I say. “You’re lucky I’m so fucking busy else I would have you beat by tommorow.”
Vance guffaws, walking over to his gym bag to pull out a gargantuan bottle of water. He chugs the last bit of it before tossing it to the floor beside his stuff.
“So, what’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
Vance's eyes snap to my face. “Yeah?”
“I’m gonna be out of town for a day or two, and I need you to look after Alize,” I say. “Like, look out for her. Make sure nothing happens to her while I’m gone.” Then I add, “I’m gonna ask Ezra too, but I might not get to see him before I leave.”
“Of course, man,” Vance says with an enthusiastic nod. “When do you leave?”
“At the ass crack of dawn.”
Though I can’t share details of the meeting with Vance, I’m certain he knows what it’s about. Only the Kingmaker Society could get me to drop everything on such short notice.
“Alright.” He pushes his wet hair off his temples. “Any special instructions?” The sides of his mouth lift in a mischievous smile.
“She might be on a hunger strike.”
Vance’s mouth falls open. “What the fuck?”
“It’s complicated,” I tell him. “She’s stubborn as fuck, though. I don’t know how long she plans to keep this up, but it would be good if you could make sure she eats.” I pause, then shake my head. “She isn’t allowed to leave the room until she does.” Even though there’s a chance she might have already caved, I’m preparing him for any eventuality.
“You’re kidding, right?”
I shake my head. “No, I’ve got guards at the door and everything.”
“You’ve really got to stop being such a hard ass,” he says. “You can always get more done if you’re a little gentle.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” I roll my eyes. “You know I don’t believe in sweet talking my way out of shit like that.”
Vance chuckles. “Yes, it’s obvious. Your fiancée is on a hunger strike.”
I knead my forehead with two fingers. “That’s an entirely separate issue,” I say. “Since we’re on the topic of sweet talking. I metSkylar.” I spit her name.
Vance’s body grows tense. He turns his back to me and begins packing up his gym bag.
We’ve been friends long enough for me to know when Vance is hiding something. He likes to bury things beneath his jovial personality, but I know when he’s bullshitting me—I’m not one of the bitches he can confuse with his little platitudes and sweet nothings.
“She was in your room, by the way,” I say to him.
He still doesn’t answer.
