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I grunted, giving a nod.
“I’ll do a lap,” Corvus offered, he and Ava Jade stepping up behind me. “Grab a table and wait.”
“No, I’ll go,” I said, stopping him. “I need to stop by the kitchen and grab something to eat.”
He looked like he might argue, but upon studying my face, stepped back to allow me to go. I must’ve looked as shit as I felt.
They found their way to an empty booth near the pool tables, Corvus slipping into the booth seat opposite Ava Jade.
“Hey, man!” Axel shouted over the music, clapping me on the back as I made my way through the crowd. His blue eyes hooded and glazed with intoxication. “Where’s your pops at? I wanted to—”
“Don’t know, Ax. He should be here soon,” I interrupted, leaving no room for more conversation, but that didn’t stop him.
“Hey! Hey, Grey, man I just wanted to let you know it’s all set up like he asked. I didn’t start drinking until it was done, you know. They’re ready for him in the back.”
What is?I wanted to ask the question but didn’t. Then he’d know I had no fucking idea what he was talking about.
“Where?” I asked instead. “I need to check on them.”
His face screwed up in confusion, and I worried I said the wrong thing but I stood my ground, waiting. “Well?” I pushed. “Where are they?”
“Kitchen,” he said as another Saint began tugging on his arm for a reply to a question. “Bottom shelf of the cooler. I did it exactly how he asked, man. Just like always.”
Like always?
Fuck.
“I’m sure you did, man. Thanks.”
I left Axel to his friends and hurried through the back end of the bar, pushing into the kitchen. At this hour, it was closed and every stainless-steel surface gleamed. Satisfied it was empty, I crossed to the walk-in cooler and yanked it open, a blast of chilled air wafting into my face as I stepped inside.
Down low on the shelf to my left were two chalices made of heavy silver, the Saint emblem of a fleur-de-lis with a dagger protruding from the bottom embossed into the sides of each cup. Inside of each, a golden liquid reflected the horror on my face.
I swiped a palm over my face and began to pace the narrow slice of concrete floor, going over the limited options to prevent what was about to happen.
“I told you,”I groaned as Corvus pushed the pool cue into my hand. “I don’t know how to play.”
“It’s easy,” he told me, snatching a cue from the rack for himself. “It’s all angles and calculating force. Grey tells me you’re ahead of him in your math class. You’ll pick it up quickly.”
I fumed quietly by the edge of the pool table Corvus just cleared of players with a single look. My teeth ground together as he gathered up all the colored balls on the table and put them into a triangular frame, plucking some out to move them around to the right spots.
I hated that I could still barely look at him after the other morning. There were only a handful of people who’d ever seen me like that, well, maybehandfulwasn’t the right word. My dad was the only other person who’d ever seen me cry. And now there was Corvus.
It’d done something between us, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. He was beingnice. Cautious. Like he was afraid if he said the wrong thing, I’d shatter again. It was driving me fucking mental.
I cried. So fucking what. He needed to get over it.Ineeded to get over it.
If he kept treating me like I was made of porcelain, I would show him just how sharp my broken edges could be.
Grey appeared behind me at the pool table, lightly brushing my elbow with something cold and wet. I whirled on him with a snarl to find him holding out an iced drink with a slim black straw. It smelled like dark soda with a bite of...rum, maybe?
“Here,” he said, pushing it toward me. “I got you a drink.”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
His face fell, lips parting as though I’d just refused a fucking proposal of marriage instead of a damned drink.
“Jesus,” I said on a laugh. “It’s not like I kicked your dog. I just want to keep a clear head.”
