“Yeah, I have a couple. You think Chloe will be good with sitting with her and Celeste?”
“Is Miller going to be there?” Kye’s brow lifted.
“I was going to ask him to go with them, yeah.”
“You really trust him?” Zane asked, and I shrugged.
“Harleigh trusts him, and he did us a solid last weekend.”
“I don’t want my sister getting mixed up with him.”
“Not sure you have much of a choice,” I said to Kye. “You know what Chloe is like when she sets her mind on something. Could be worse, she could want someone like Denby.”
“Jesus, Nix, did you have to put that visual in my head?”
“You’ve got visuals of your sister and some guy in your head?” Zane teased. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“You know what I mean, asshole.”
“We should head out,” I said, grabbing my helmet.
“Two more days until we get to kick some DA ass.” Kye leaped on my back to the sound of our teammates’ laughter.
Denby had it coming to him.
I just had to figure out a way to hit him where it hurt all while protecting Harleigh.
“Wondered if you’d show,” I said to Max later that night as he appeared around the corner from Buster’s.
“Yeah, well, I need to train and I want to do it with the best.”
“Why?” Pushing off the wall, I approached him.
“Like I said before, I have my reasons.”
“I’ll figure out what you’re hiding, you know.”
“You can try.” His lips thinned. “We doing this or what?” Max went to move around me to the door, but I slammed my palm against his shoulder.
“Your old man know you’re here?”
“What do you think?”
“And what about Harleigh? This better not be some attempt at—”
“Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with your precious girlfriend,” he spat the words with so much venom, I jerked back.
“If you so much as hurt a hair on her head, I’ll—”
“Relax,” he murmured, the fire in his eyes guttering. “This isn’t about Harleigh, I swear. I just… I want to fight, and I can’t do that back home.”
“Yeah, I guess it isn’t very becoming of Michael Rowe’s son to be brawling in an illegal fight circuit.”
A ripple went through the air. “I’m risking a lot being here. If my dad finds out…”
“Say no more. And for what it’s worth, your secret is safe with me.”
Relief washed over him.