He nodded, his tongue almost lapping out. A rabid dog after a meaty bone.

“Sure thing. So, can I tell Shaun it’s on?”

Shaun. I remembered the useless sack of muscles. He looked like every murderer in an eighties movie. A flashback of the moment I got out of the Plaza and heard murmurs from the bushes assaulted my memory. I pushed it away.

And so what if I was being followed? The outcome of the fight didn’t make much difference to me. If they killed me before the fight, tough luck. If not, at least I’d be able to detonate his ass, take the money, give it to my parents and throw them out of my life for good.

“Make it happen.” I rapped the table between us, getting up to leave.

I had a feeling this was going to implode.

Luckily, I didn’t care.

I showed up to work fifteen minutes early. Karlie was there, standing in Texas’ station, filling the bar with sour cream, guacamole, and fajitas. I slouched off my backpack, scowling at her ass.

“What’re you doing here?”

What I’d meant to ask was, where in God’s name was Texas? Had she stopped taking shifts with me now?

I’d apologized. What more did she need? Chocolate and flowers?

Chocolate and flowers. My brain had officially left the building. My dick, however, was in the house and calling all the shots. I wasn’t buying anyone chocolate. Or flowers. Or matching purity rings, goddammit. Tex was just a friend. All I wanted was to have her back as one and, if possible, not get asked by Easton to be the best man at their wedding. Unless he wanted his bride stolen.

Karlie looked up from the sour cream she was pouring, sweeping her intelligent eyes over me. “Grace got the day off.”

“I can see that. Why?”

She set the empty sour cream container aside, wiping her hands over her turquoise That Taco Truck apron.

“I’m sorry, how is it any of your business?” She elevated a manicured eyebrow. That was a good question. I wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that. I just knew it was.

“I’m guessing she shared details about our last hang out with you,” I quipped.

“You’re guessing correctly. A few days late, but I’m now in the loop.”

“And I’m guessing you are not deeply impressed with me at the moment.”

“Also correct. Wow. It’s your lucky day. You should be buying lottery tickets right about now.” She blew a raspberry.

“You’re fucking hilarious, Contreras.”

“And you’re a fucking douchebag,” she quipped back.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Are you sure?” She smiled tauntingly. “’Cause I got a few things I know that might be of interest to you and will spoil your mood.”

I immediately saw what she was getting at.

I turned around, locked the door, then folded my arms and leaned against it, staring her down.

“Is this supposed to scare me?”

“Only if you don’t tell me where she is.”

I had an inkling Grace had gone out with Easton. I also had an inkling Easton was getting murdered tonight by yours truly.

“Get comfortable. Because I ain’t gonna do that.”

“I’ll give you free tickets to the fight next Friday.”

“Oh my God, really?” Karlie put her hands on her heart, squeaking. Her smile dropped immediately. “Hard pass. The beer is gross and you’re not that important.”

I racked my brain to figure out what a girl like Karlie might want in return for information. The answer was obvious. Dick. She wanted to hook up, like everyone else in college. She was with Texas’ crowd. Meaning, she hung out with Bible-thumping virgins who treated the other sex like they were mythical creatures, only to be admired from afar.

Of course. A Bible-thumping girl would go for the whitest, most middle-class guy on campus. I remembered the night Karlie and Grace came to see me fight.

“I’ll throw in a good word with Miles Covington.”

“You don’t know Miles Covington.”

“He’s my errand boy.”

He wasn’t, but I knew him well enough to get him to take her out if need be. Hell, for the right price, I’d have him marry Little Einstein.

She rolled her eyes, her shoulders dropping with a sigh.

“Well, it’s not really a secret, anyway. I just wanted to mess with you.” She excused herself.

I leaned forward, giving her my full attention.

“She went to the movies.” Karlie jutted her chin out. “With Easton Braun.”

There was only one movie theater in this godforsaken town.

I turned around and dashed out, bailing on my shift.

“Hey! Where are you going?” she hollered after me. “I can’t do this on my own!”

“Have a little faith,” I yelled back.

I was getting the fucking girl.

Whether I deserved her or not.

When the teenager with the retainer and unfortunate dad bod asked me what movie I wanted to see behind the box office glass, I pointed at the one with Kate Hudson on the poster.

“M—Mona Lisa a—and the Blood Moon?” he sputtered, pushing his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Problem?” I drawled.

The kid shook his head, his shoulders quaking with a suppressed laugh. He was about to get a front row seat to How to Lose an Eye in Ten Seconds if he wasn’t careful.

I grabbed the ticket and got into the theater forty minutes into the movie. It was early afternoon. Who took a girl to a movie midday? A pretentious little shit like Easton, that was who. He’d probably promised to have her back home before curfew.

I went up the stairs, scanning the mostly empty seats. I spotted them in one of the back rows, huddled together, sharing popcorn.

I lumbered up the stairs, taking a seat beside Grace, essentially sandwiching her between Easton and me. Their eyes didn’t waver from the movie. Collateral punishment for my shitty behavior.

I could practically hear East snickering in my ear.

“Here to team-tag Blondie?”

He hadn’t even said that, and my fingers curled around the armrests, almost snapping the damn things.

Nothing about this was familiar territory for me.

I’d never had girl problems before.

My philosophy had been as follows: if they wanted to hook up—great; if not—no problem. The two relationships I’d had in high school were easy. My girlfriends had been physically pleasing and cool to hang out with. But I never felt like I could kill anyone who looked their way. And it was starting to feel like, in Grace Shaw’s case, I had the tendency to get very jealous and very possessive anytime someone as much as breathed her way.

“I was an asshole,” I piped up finally, my voice rough.

Grace popped two popcorn kernels into her pink mouth, blinking at the screen under her ball cap.

“Fine. Am. I am an asshole, happy?”

“Amp it up, man.” Easton tsked, snickering into a fist full of popcorn. “I’m not hearing you owning up to it. I wanna see you sweat. Maybe throw a Notebook quote in.”

Suddenly, I knew exactly what this was. My best friend wanted to prove a point. To show me I cared for this girl.

East pushed, and he’d pushed far, not because he wanted to tap Grace’s ass, but because he wanted to kick mine into action. I’d been lying to myself since the day I’d met this chick.