“Come on, bro,” a familiar voice says in the background. “Let me stitch your arm.”
Kairo grunts and glances back down at me as I see the side of Eli’s face come into the screen. “Looks like you’re about to get yourself a show.”
“Huh?” Eli says before leaning in and glancing down at me. “Hey, O. What’s up, girl?” he says in a too cheery tone that makes me wonder if he was even there today. I mean, where’s the anger, the resentment, the need to tear me to shreds?
“Hey,” I say with a fake smile. “Are you alright? You didn’t get hurt?”
His brows furrow and a cocky smirk stretches over his face. “Who, me?” he asks with a soft grunt. “Baby, no one can touch me. I’m indestructible.”
Kai slams his elbow back into Eli’s gut, and he doubles over in pain. “Yeah, real fucking indestructible,” Kai murmurs before waving his arm around. “Get on with it, this gash ain’t going to stitch itself.”
Eli rights himself and stretches out again before focusing on Kai’s arm, and I watch as his eyes narrow, and the sick grin twists across his face. “I apologize in advance,” he murmurs to Kai, his eyes glistening with mischief. “This might sting a little.”
“Nope,” Kai snaps, yanking his arm out of Eli’s hold. “Sebastian, get your ass over here. This fool ain’t going to touch me.”
Eli laughs as Sebastian appears at his side. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you stitched yet? Oh, hey O. What’s up, girl? Caused any shootouts and gang wars today? Oh, wait … yep, you did do that.”
Fuck me.
I groan, dropping my forehead into my hand and watching the boys smirk through the phone, making it all too clear that Sebastian is just teasing, but either way, it makes me feel like shit. “I’m really sorry,” I tell him as he focuses on shoving Eli out of the way and taking a good look at Kai’s arm. “Do you hate me?”
“Not today,” he tells me, grabbing the things he needs to mend Kai. “You’re going to have to do worse than that.”
“Worse?” I grunt. “How could anyone ever do worse than that? A wild shootout with hostages is literally as bad as it gets.”
Sebastian grins, glancing up at the screen with a sparkle in his eyes. “Nah,” he says with a scoff. “It could have been worse.”
I roll my eyes and let out a breath before pressing my lips into a hard line. “Have you guys heard from Nic? Is he doing alright?”
The boys shrug. “Not yet,” Kai murmurs, shaking his head. “But you know how these things go. They'll hold him for forty-eight hours and do as much digging as they can, but Nic keeps his shit locked up tight. They won’t get him.”
“Even though they walked in to see him holding a gun that you and I both know was stolen?”
Kai shrugs. “What can I say? Dominic Garcia is a special breed.”
“You got that right,” I say with a laugh while silently hoping that he does get locked up because at least that way, he’ll be doing time for his crimes. Kai’s right though, Nic will get out of it, he always does. I can’t help but glance back at the kitchen and take in Colton through the big windows. The phone is still attached to his ear, but now his eyes are on me, silently asking if I need him. I shake my head and look back down at the boys. “You know Colton set him up with one of his fancy lawyers.”
“No shit,” Eli says from off screen, secretly impressed.
“Yeah, hopefully he can help Nic’s case.”
“Nic will be fine,” Sebastian throws in, giving his two cents. “Now why don’t—”
My phone beeps with an incoming call, and I scrunch up my face as Christian’s name flashes on my screen. “Shit,” I say, cutting off Sebastian and knowing damn well that now isn’t the time to avoid this call. “I have to go.”
The boys nod. “Yeah, I thought that might be the case,” Kai says, almost as though he knows exactly why I need to end this call so soon. “Talk soon, O.”
Kai ends the call before the others get a chance to say goodbye, but I don’t get a moment to think about it as Christian’s call is instantly answered. “What’s up?” I say into the phone, silently begging for some kind of good news.
“Mandatory club meeting,” he says with a grunt. “You have two hours to get your ass here, and do me a favor, don’t bring your boyfriend.”
Shit.Chapter 23The whole avoiding the Audi thing goes to complete shit as I fly out of the driveway. I can’t be late for this ridiculous little meeting.
I can only imagine what’s going to go down. Russo is going to be there and he’s going to be pissed that Colton managed to steal his business out from under him and then threw salt on the wound by beating the ever loving shit out of him.