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I took a few hits from my blunt even though I was already high out of my fucking mind. Once I felt like I had pulled myself together, I followed her, leaving my room and closing the door. Just as I turned to go back to the party, I almost ran into Crow. He stood there, his thick, tatted arms crossed like he was about to have words with me.
“What’s up, man?” I asked, copying his stance.
“Why’d you lie?”
What the fuck was he talking about?
“What do you mean?” I was confused.
“I saw you leave here with the Walsh girl,” he stated.
He didn’t have to clarify who he was talking about. I had seen it in his eyes earlier in the garage; he knew I was lying. I supposed I wasn’t as careful as I thought.
“And?” I asked, playing as if I had not done anything wrong.
I had. Joker would shit fifteen concrete bricks if he knew what I had done with Tori. I couldn’t tell him.
“And you’re going to let a piece of pussy come between you and Joke?”
“Nothing happened,” I lied.
He shook his head, his black eyes blazing. “You lie for shit.”
“Fuck you, Crow. I got this, okay?”
The side of his mouth lifted in a sardonic grin. “She better be worth it.”
Then he stepped around me and went to his room.
It wasn’t like it mattered. I had no plans to see Tori again. As long as Crow kept his mouth shut, and I knew he would, it would be fine.
But as I returned to the party, I couldn’t help but think about what Crow had said.
She better be worth it.
Despite the sickness swirling in my stomach and the memories Tori represented, I knew she was.
14
Tori
Graciewasstillsleepingwhen I got home. She had talked to Sadie the night before and found out I went home with a guy, so she teased me about that, but thankfully, she wasn’t pissed I didn’t come home.
I showered, feeling dirty and ashamed of what I had allowed, and when I was done, I sulked around the house until it was time for work. I was so wrapped in my thoughts and hating myself for what I had done that I didn’t realize until three days later that I was missing my mother’s wedding band.
I wore it on my right hand. My father had given it to me before he was sent to prison, and I never took it off. However, I had lost a few pounds over the past few weeks, and apparently, it had slipped from my finger without me knowing it.
I searched at work and my apartment for two days until I finally accepted that I had lost my ring in Koah’s bedroom. He hadn’t tried to reach out to me to let me know he had it, but maybe he didn’t know it was in his room. Or perhaps he had it and was being an asshole and holding it hostage. Either way, I needed to get it back, and I wanted to do that without seeing or speaking to Koah.
Work was busy, and I knew the best time to go to his place to get my ring was Friday night. The place would be busy, and everyone would be drinking. They wouldn’t care about little ole me dropping in to get my belonging and leaving as soon as I found it. So when Friday came around, I worked my shift, knowing that as soon as I clocked out, I would go to Koah’s house, sneak through the party and into his bedroom, and retrieve my mother’s ring.
I had been to their house a couple of times. Once for the party that Sadie insisted I go to with her. That night had ended badly when Joker kicked me out. The second time, Saint had taken me home. I was drunk. He could have left me at The Strip with Sadie, but he hadn’t. I wasn’t sure why he took me back to his place, but I did know it wasn’t so he could have sex with me.
What we had done had been a fluke, and after thinking about it, I could admit it had been my fault. If I hadn’t dropped to my knees and blown him, he probably would have jerked off without touching me and passed out. I tried not to overthink it because guilt tore my insides apart when I did.
Staying away from Koah was my new plan. I could only blame myself for even being near him in the first place. Once he told me to stay away from The Strip, I found it even more appealing to be there. He might as well have asked me to come. I would have done anything to get back at him for everything he had taken away from me, even if it meant being near him when it was the last thing I wanted to do.
It wasn’t my fault that I began to enjoy being at The Strip. I started to long for the adrenaline rush of watching the bikers battle each other and do heart-stopping stunts. And it wasn’t my fault that he hated my presence as much as I hated his.
