giving her a hard stare, “but they all look to you.”
After gathering the keys and patch, Sasha stood. Dez didn’t budge. His solid body pinned her between the chair and table, so she glared up. “See, everyone remembers you as the bad-tempered bulldog who spilled a pint of blood on the clubhouse floor every weekend. Now you’re the man responsible to make level-headed decisions for us all.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t know you.” She gave him a little shove from her personal space. “And the way you keep crowding me is—”
“Turning you on.” Dez wormed his way back in front of Sasha, reaching for her waist.
She whacked his hand away. “Freaking me out.”
“They won’t follow me unless you do.”
“I have your back. Do you have mine? I need my sergeant at arms right now.”
Dez’s hands stayed at his sides, a serious gaze rushing in to replace his flirty leer. “About last night?”
“Yeah.” A slump took Sasha back into her seat. “I can’t take this to my mother, and I don’t know which way to go.”
“Gimme the dets.”
“I got the guys to agree to a pay-off. They already lied to the fuzz so…is it better to pay up and hope they stay quiet, or should I just make ‘em disappear?”
“Hmm.” Dez sat on the edge of the table, crossing his arms. “That’s a tough one. When’s this supposed to go down?”
“Right now.”
“Shit! You have a run to make. Green key. That’s Little Rock, right?”
Sasha nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I got about an hour before I have to peel rubber.”
“All right, let’s go over to Jack’s and pay ‘em. If we have to, we’ll kill ‘em later. You got the cash?”
“It’s in my room.”
“Go get it. We’ll take a ride over there,” Dez said as confident as any other sergeant before him.
Sasha stood, and her hand grazed Dez’s leg. That little touch was enough to spawn shivers, which spread throughout her body. “You know, if I had made sergeant, I still would’ve come to you with this. That just proves I’m not ready. I can’t even handle my own shit.”
Dez grabbed Sasha’s arm just long enough to stop her from walking away. “You’ll be sitting at the head of that table before you know it.”
“I hope not.”
Sasha left the room, catching Vinny’s glare all the way from the porch. The closer she got to him, the faster his foot tapped the wooden planks. His face, a ripe mix of disappointment and appall, invoked the urge to bolt out the back door, but she marched onward.
“What was that shit?” Vinny said the moment Sasha was in earshot. “You totally caved.”
Without a glance, she walked past him, and he followed on her heels.
“You would’ve had it.”
“Maybe I don’t want it.”
“What?” Vinny stopped for a second then scurried to catch up. “Yes, you do. Making sergeant is all you’ve ever wanted since we were kids.”
Vinny shadowed Sasha up the stairs and into her room. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. I do not get you. Do you even get yourself?”
Sasha hurled a glower over her shoulder, pulling a briefcase from her closet. With her back to him, she flipped open the lid and stuffed handfuls of neatly packed hundreds into a duffle bag.
“What are you doing?”
“Shut up. I’m counting.” She knew exactly how many stacks of thousands she needed, could easily talk while loading the bills, but really didn’t want to. She couldn’t explain herself. No, she didn’t get herself at all.
After tucking the case back into the closet, Sasha dashed from the room. Halfway down the stairs, she heard the sound of her door slamming shut, and Vinny was right behind her again.
“So I guess now we can’t even be friends. You’ll just live your secret life with duffle bags of money and I’ll do my own thing.”
“C’mon, man,” Sasha said without a break in her stride. “I’m just going on a run.”
“Since when does run money come out of your
After gathering the keys and patch, Sasha stood. Dez didn’t budge. His solid body pinned her between the chair and table, so she glared up. “See, everyone remembers you as the bad-tempered bulldog who spilled a pint of blood on the clubhouse floor every weekend. Now you’re the man responsible to make level-headed decisions for us all.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t know you.” She gave him a little shove from her personal space. “And the way you keep crowding me is—”
“Turning you on.” Dez wormed his way back in front of Sasha, reaching for her waist.
She whacked his hand away. “Freaking me out.”
“They won’t follow me unless you do.”
“I have your back. Do you have mine? I need my sergeant at arms right now.”
Dez’s hands stayed at his sides, a serious gaze rushing in to replace his flirty leer. “About last night?”
“Yeah.” A slump took Sasha back into her seat. “I can’t take this to my mother, and I don’t know which way to go.”
“Gimme the dets.”
“I got the guys to agree to a pay-off. They already lied to the fuzz so…is it better to pay up and hope they stay quiet, or should I just make ‘em disappear?”
“Hmm.” Dez sat on the edge of the table, crossing his arms. “That’s a tough one. When’s this supposed to go down?”
“Right now.”
“Shit! You have a run to make. Green key. That’s Little Rock, right?”
Sasha nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I got about an hour before I have to peel rubber.”
“All right, let’s go over to Jack’s and pay ‘em. If we have to, we’ll kill ‘em later. You got the cash?”
“It’s in my room.”
“Go get it. We’ll take a ride over there,” Dez said as confident as any other sergeant before him.
Sasha stood, and her hand grazed Dez’s leg. That little touch was enough to spawn shivers, which spread throughout her body. “You know, if I had made sergeant, I still would’ve come to you with this. That just proves I’m not ready. I can’t even handle my own shit.”
Dez grabbed Sasha’s arm just long enough to stop her from walking away. “You’ll be sitting at the head of that table before you know it.”
“I hope not.”
Sasha left the room, catching Vinny’s glare all the way from the porch. The closer she got to him, the faster his foot tapped the wooden planks. His face, a ripe mix of disappointment and appall, invoked the urge to bolt out the back door, but she marched onward.
“What was that shit?” Vinny said the moment Sasha was in earshot. “You totally caved.”
Without a glance, she walked past him, and he followed on her heels.
“You would’ve had it.”
“Maybe I don’t want it.”
“What?” Vinny stopped for a second then scurried to catch up. “Yes, you do. Making sergeant is all you’ve ever wanted since we were kids.”
Vinny shadowed Sasha up the stairs and into her room. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. I do not get you. Do you even get yourself?”
Sasha hurled a glower over her shoulder, pulling a briefcase from her closet. With her back to him, she flipped open the lid and stuffed handfuls of neatly packed hundreds into a duffle bag.
“What are you doing?”
“Shut up. I’m counting.” She knew exactly how many stacks of thousands she needed, could easily talk while loading the bills, but really didn’t want to. She couldn’t explain herself. No, she didn’t get herself at all.
After tucking the case back into the closet, Sasha dashed from the room. Halfway down the stairs, she heard the sound of her door slamming shut, and Vinny was right behind her again.
“So I guess now we can’t even be friends. You’ll just live your secret life with duffle bags of money and I’ll do my own thing.”
“C’mon, man,” Sasha said without a break in her stride. “I’m just going on a run.”
“Since when does run money come out of your
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