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“Shots. Ares is buying.”
“Nah,” I grunt, tipping back my beer and finishing the rest of it off. I wipe my mouth on a forearm, setting the bottle back down. “I’m actually gonna get outta here. Got an early meeting with my beta tomorrow.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Avery offers a little too quickly. She slides off her barstool, picking up her vodka cranberry and tossing it back. Then she slides the glass back on the table, licking her lips as she turns toward me. “You ready?”
I nod, easing to my feet and tossing up a two-finger wave to the others. Sloane’s giving me a look that I can’t quite read, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d almost swear it’s disappointment.
Maybe because I’m not willing to stick around for whatever game she’s trying to play with me.
I resist turning back to try to figure out what that look’s about as Avery and I head out, exiting the bar and crossing the parking lot to the road that leads into town. The packhouse is only a few blocks away, and this is a walk we’ve done many times- usually a whole lot tipsier than either of us are now.
“So, are you gonna make me ask?” Avery pipes up as we walk, and honestly, I’m surprised it took her this long to bring it up. She’s probably been dying to know since I sat down next to her at the bar.
“That depends,” I grumble, kicking a loose rock in the road and sending it skittering across the pavement. “You gonna force me to tell you by pulling trump again?”
She heaves a sigh. “Are you really still pissed about that? I know you don’t like it, but we both know bringing her in is the right thing to do.”
“You should’ve talked to me about it first,” I mutter.
“Honestly, it was a last-minute thing. We were training on the VR, time got away from us, and when I realized it was time for the meeting, I just sorta asked her if she was coming.”
I swing my gaze to my sister, arching a brow. “And I’m sure you didn’t encourage her to come along, huh?”
Avery presses her lips into a tight line. “Well yeah. Of course I did.”
I roll my eyes, shoving my hands in my pockets, my sweats slipping lower on my hips.
“I meant what I said, Madd,” Avery sighs, knocking her shoulder into mine as we walk. “She’s part of this too.”
“She hasn’t been part of this for a long time,” I grit out.
“But she’s back now. So how long are you gonna punish her for leaving?”
I shoot her a hard glare, shaking my head. “You know it’s not just about her leaving.”
“Okay, fine,” she groans. “How long are you gonna punish her for ducking your phone calls?”
“And text messages.” I grind to a halt, turning toward my sister. “And how about when I drove all the way the fuck out there and she wouldn’t even tell them to let me past the gate?”
Avery shakes her head, stopping across from me and folding her arms over her chest. “Look, I’m not saying what she did was right. But you don’t know her side of things either. Maybe she just wanted a clean break, ya know?”
“Well she could’ve fuckingtoldme,” I grumble.
“You’re right. She could’ve. She should’ve. But she didn’t. And now it’s been so long that it seems like a waste of energy to keep dwelling on it. Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Of what?”
Avery throws her hands up. “Being so angry all the time, carrying all this shit around with you.”
“I wasn’t like this before she came back,” I scowl.
She stares at me dubiously, arching a brow.
“Okay, maybe a little,” I admit. “But still. Without her here, at least I was able to not think about her for five fucking seconds.”
Avery gives me a sad look as we both start walking again. And as we make our way closer to the packhouse, she gives me a full minute of blissful silence before she throws her two cents in once more.
“I think you two should just sit down and hash things out,” she mumbles.
