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I’d just finished pulling on jeans, a sweater, and some boots when Charlie came running into the suite, Magnum following him only a few steps in.
“Did you have a good time?” It was obvious Charlie had from how wide the smile on his face was.
“Yes. Can I play again after dinner? We’re going to have a tournament.”
“I have to make sure it’s okay,” I said. The guys were being good sports, but there had to be a limit to how much they’d want a kid around.
“It’s good. We invited him and already made teams,” Magnum said, hovering by the door as if he wasn’t sure what to do. “Want me to walk you to dinner?”
I thought to the first time I’d walked into Groza’s pack, trailing in the back, walking next to Buddie as if I were with him. There were so many layers of how that day now haunted me, and I wouldn’t knowingly make any of those mistakes again.
“No. We’re good, but thank you. I need another minute or so.” I’d walk in on my own, not leaning on anyone for support.
He gave me rough instructions on where to go. I went and made a thing out of brushing my hair again before leaving, just in case Charlie felt the need to share what I had to do. After a respectable enough time had passed, I headed out.
Kicks was sitting in the middle of a long table in the boutique hotel’s dining room. There were twenty or so more faces at the table. As I scanned them now, some of them seemed slightlyfamiliar. I realized I’d seen flashes of them here and there at Groza’s pack.
As opposed to the greeting I’d gotten at Groza’s, though, I didn’t feel the same underlying hostility. Perhaps I was giving them too much credit because I was walking in here as a guide. Groza’s pack had changed their tune too as soon as they saw me as a benefit.
Charlie was next to me, bouncing. To him, we were walking into a group of future playmates.
Kicks motioned to the two open seats to his left.
“How late can I stay up?” Charlie asked, nearly skipping beside me on the way to our seats.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask our hosts. I don’t want you to keep them up all night.” I tried to calm down his expectations, although I wasn’t sure if that was possible.
“Can I stay up as long as they do? Please, please, please!”
“Within reason,” I said while I took my seat, trying to take in this new pack.
“What’s considered reason?” Charlie asked, truly confused.
“Eat first, and then we’ll figure it out.” I loved him, and I was glad he was so happy to be here. But right now, I wished he had an off button, or at least a speed setting.
Kicks started introductions around the table, which was already laden with food.I nodded, knowing I wouldn’t be able to remember most of the names.
“This looks amazing.” I hadn’t seen a spread like this since before Death Day.
“Thanks,” said a pink-haired woman named Evangeline.
“Evangeline was a chef before the end,” Kicks said.
“I’m still a chef.” Her slight shrug said it all. “I just have fewer people to cook for and typically more archaic instruments with which to do it.” The tattoo of two knives crossing each other on her cleavage seemed much less intimidating now.
“So you coming over to the dark side?” the guy on the other side of Charlie asked me. “That’s what the other packs call us. The dark side.” He let out a laugh.
His name was Crackers, and there was no forgetting him. He had a mohawk, a row of tragus piercings, and tattoos that covered every inch of visible flesh except for his face.
I glanced at Charlie, worried he’d have overheard about our moving and would be looking at me in panic. He was too busy eyeing up a dessert spread on a table nearby, and probably plotting how to get there before he ate.
“We’re just visiting,” I said to Crackers.
“Yeah. We just came to play games,” Charlie said.
So much for not paying attention. The kid listened to everything.
“We’re pretty fun here, unlike some packs. Of course, I’m not talking aboutyourpack,” Crackers said with a wink over Charlie’s head.
