Bren: Miss you back. And I’m studying for my license test.

Zellman: That’s cool. You’ll be awesome at that. What’s the gossip there?

Bren: There’s too much for a text convo.

Zellman: Really????

Bren: Come back here. Will fill you in.

Zellman: J-dawg is supposed to be in class. Why’s he calling me?

Bren: Answer and find out.

Bren: Zellman?

Bren: Z?

Bren: Zellman?

Channing: Got word something’s happening. DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR DAD OR ANY RED DEMONS! Stay the fuck away from your job, too, just to be safe.

Bren: Brock put me on LOA anyway.

Channing: Why are you on a LOA? What’s a LOA?

Bren: Leave of absence, and he thought I should stay away until the RD stuff settles, too.

Channing: That’s good then.

Channing: Wait. Why did he do that?

Channing: Because you stabbed Dad?

Bren: Yes. I found Dad at Twister Sister and yelled at him, told him to get out of my life.

Channing: Holy fuck…

Channing: I’m going to ignore that you never called to check in with me because I think you’re my new hero, Bren. My sister, my idol.

Bren: Shut up.

Channing: You’re Moose and Linc’s idol, too. Congo’s in a mood, so you’re not his.

Bren: I can die happy.

Channing: Don’t talk like that. Ever.

Bren: It’s a phrase. I don’t mean it.

Channing: Still never say it.

Bren: When are you coming back for a regular visit? No dad drama.

Channing: I’m not sure. Maybe sooner than I thought, but I don’t know what’s happening, just that something is happening. My guys on the streets are not talking. Everyone is bunkering down and even all the way over here in Roussou, that’s not a good sign.

Bren: How do you know it has to do with Dad’s MC?

Channing: Because they’re the only name being talked about lately. Just stick with your crew and college stuff. You should be fine then.

Bren: Will do. Love you.

Channing: Love you. BE SAFE! And if you have to stab Dad again, I want to be there.

Jordan: At Roussou. At Sunday’s. Did not take much convincing. Zellman is coming back.

Bren: Good. You have time to talk to Tab?

Jordan: Yeah. I’ll fill you in later, tho. That’s more complicated.

Bren: Okay.

Bren: Got a call from Drake this morning. There’s something Cross and I need to fill you and Zellman in on later.

Jordan: Something bad?

Bren: Could be. We don’t know.

Jordan: Crew meeting?

Bren: Crew meeting.

Jordan: I’ll tell Zellman. He’s drooling, said he’s been bored changing diapers, being sleep-deprived and not getting ass.

Bren: I didn’t need to know the last part.

Jordan: Neither did I. You’re welcome.

Zellman: What’s happening? I can’t handle the suspense.

Bren: Crew meeting when you get back.

Zellman: We’re coming back tonight then.

Message to Wolf Crew:

Zellman: CREW MEETING!

Jordan: Dude. Not necessary. I’m right next to you.

Cross: In class. I’m bored. What’s going on?

Bren: I told them we have something to fill them in on later.

Zellman: CREW MEETING!

Zellman: I need to get laid. I have not gotten laid the entire time out here. Sunday and I are very firmly never getting back together. Ever. I need sex. My hand hurts.

Bren: We don’t need to know that.

Jordan: Dude.

Cross: Still bored. Text more, Z. What lotion do you use?

Jordan left the group

Bren: You’re just asking to annoy J and me. You’re not even planning on reading his response.

Cross: It’s like you bone me. I mean ‘know’ me.

Bren left the group.

Unknown number: This is your father. Stay away from Twister Sister and your job.

Unknown number: I love you.

Bonbon: I programmed my number in your phone.

Bonbon: If you need backup doing whatever you’re doing, call me. I know a guy that can get a van, the VIN numbers scratched out and dummy license plates. No questions asked. He’ll just charge twenty bucks to clean it out afterwards.

Bonbon: Offer’s always there.

Bonbon: You should change your passcode.

Bren: Hey.

Taz: Nope. I’m enjoying the emails.

Taz: Miss you! Stay safe. Hug my brother for me.

Taz: The one you sleep with, not the other one.

Taz: Just clarifying.

Taz: Going back to emails now.

BREN

Aspen calling.

I was still frowning about my dad’s text when I answered. “Hey.”

“Bren! Hi!”

I eased back. Aspen’s voice hitched at the end, squeaking. She was nervous.

“What’s up?”

“Um. So.” She let out a breath. “I know Blaise asked you to kinda watch over me tomorrow night, but I’m actually calling about something else.”

“Okay?”

She was silent.

I waited.

Another beat.

I had to smile. For how in your face her boyfriend was, I forgot how not in your face his girlfriend was. “Hey, just so you know.”

“Yeah?” She inhaled into the phone.

“I would’ve hung out with you tomorrow night anyway. Your guy didn’t have to ask me to do that.”

“I know.” A sigh. “But it’s nice to hear. But, okay. Here we go. Um, I was thinking that since Blaise doesn’t have a game tonight, and he just texted that Jordan and Zellman both weren’t in class so … would you and Cross be interested in a double date? With us, I mean. Tonight.” She rushed on, not letting me answer, “I mean. You know. It doesn’t have to be anything big or a lengthy time investment. Or, it can be short. We don’t even need to talk. We can do dinner and a movie. Yeah. Maybe a drive-thru so Cross and Blaise don’t have to talk, then a movie.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “I think both will endure a date for us.”

She sighed again. “You don’t know Blaise—” She cut herself off. “Wait! You do. You totally know him, but yeah. Let’s do that angle. If I tell him it’s important to me, he’ll watch himself.”

Which was something I wasn’t surprised about.

Aspen was the giant pinkie finger and Blaise was wrapped around it. Totally and completely.

“We can do dinner and a movie, if you’d like?”

“I would.”

We decided on a venue and a time, and then I delivered the news.

Cross’s response was, “What?!”

I laughed. This was going to be a fun night.

Aspen picked a diner that was off-campus and set a little off the normal path, meaning when we pulled up, the parking lot was half-empty. Cross parked the truck and just shook his head. “Why are we doing this?”

I laughed.

I’d been laughing most the day.

“Because Aspen called and it’s Aspen.”

He growled. “That doesn’t work for me. Why the fuck are we doing this?”

I grinned. “Because Aspen called and it’s—”

He threw open his door and stalked out.

I laughed, following. Meeting around at the front, Cross shook his head. “You owe me for this.” And his hand dropped to my ass, giving me a good squeeze.

My mouth dropped, but I felt a whole zing go through me. Yeah. Maybe I would owe him, and he relaxed, grinning. “You okay with that?”

I was just fine with that. A full fucking throb was starting in me, and now I was pissed we had to do dinner and a movie.

I hadn’t told him about the movie part yet.

“So.”

Aspen looked at me.

I looked back. “So.”

Cross and Blaise were glaring at each other.

The waitress had come and gone. We had our drinks. The orders were put in, now we waited. And we had ordered so quickly, because yeah, the silence. All the silence.

Aspen cleared her throat, picking up her drink. “So, um…Cross.”

He looked at her.

She swallowed, her head dipping. “How’s your sister?”

Immediately, the tension slipped into a different feel. Blaise settled back, a cocky smirk coming to his face and Cross’ face darkened, tightening. He nodded at his brother. “He hasn’t told you? From what I’ve heard, she’s talking more to him than me.”

Blaise grunted. “She’s your twin.”

“You got an opinion on my relationship with Taz?”

And, “When I get pulled into listening to her complain about how you’re still not taking her calls, yeah. I got an opinion,” was shot right back.

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’ve already told you. Stop ignoring your sister.”

“I’m not ignoring my sister.”

“You been to see her?”

Cross frowned. He glanced at me.

Blaise wasn’t done. “When’s the last time you talked to her? Talk-talked, like on the goddamn phone and longer than five minutes.”

Cross continued to frown.

Blaise leaned forward, the smirk gone and a scowl in its place. “Then educate me on how she and Race are doing. Oh. Wait. You can’t, because you don’t know.”

“The fuck you’re talking about?”

“Yeah. Maybe you should call your sister.”

His point was made. The mic was dropped and Blaise leaned back, that smirk coming back once more. But his eyes narrowed, and he was waiting.