Risk (Gentry Boys #2)(43)

“We’ll go with you,” he said defiantly but I shook my head.

Chase tried to flex his hand again and winced. “We always go to fights together.”

“This is different. I’m not even the one doing the f*cking fighting tonight.”

“Look, let’s call Cord and –“

“I don’t want you there, Chase. Neither of you.”

He sagged against the damaged wall. As I looked at my brother standing there red-faced and hurt it seemed like he was ten years old again. It seemed like we both were.

I’m sorry, Chasyn.

He pushed me hard on his way out the door. He paused in front of me for a second like he expected me to react. When I didn’t he just shook his head and left.

Cord and Saylor were gone. The apartment was empty. I went to my room and collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I wished Truly was there with me. I wished I had my mouth on her tits and my dick in her body. I could go to her. I knew she’d be glad. She’d let me use her however I needed to and then I could sleep on her shoulder for a while.

But shit was already starting to spill out of me that I hadn’t meant to say out loud. How could I pull her into this? I thought of the look in her dark eyes as she wondered if she could trust me, silently begging me not to be an *. I couldn’t stand the thought of being the rotten risk she was so afraid of, something causing her pain in the end.

I couldn’t think of Truly without remembering the feel of her body. It made me hard as steel every damn time. I pulled my dick out and did something about it, jerking off as furiously as I could. I pretended my hand was her mouth as I went fast. And then with a groan I came all over the goddamn place.

Time passed. Chase didn’t come home. Cord did.

“I need the truck,” I shouted to him as he walked past my room.

He poked his head inside. “What the hell are you doing sitting here in the dark?”

“Meditating. Just wanted you to know I was taking it.”

Cord looked around. “Where’s Chase?”

“I have no f*cking idea.”

He frowned. “What the hell crawled up your ass?”

“Nothing, man.” I brushed him aside on my way out. “I’ll see you later.”

“Where are you going?”

“For a drive.”

I closed the apartment door behind me before he could say anything else.

There were still hours left before the fight. It was going to be downtown, by the baseball stadium. I drove around the valley in aimless circles to kill time.

Rush hour traffic began to lighten as darkness thickened. I navigated the one-way streets of downtown Phoenix and felt very tired. I thought about the men who were on their way to watch the fight. What kind of sick f*cks bet on the blood of others? I’d already seen too much blood in my life and some of it had been mine. The only memory of blood that made me happy was when I’d smashed Benton Gentry’s face after he went after my mother for the millionth time. It had happened about six months before high school graduation. Benton’s nose was broken and he stayed quiet around us after that. My mother never gave a hint that she was thankful. She didn’t even seem to care when we left.

I was passing right by the baseball stadium. There was a game going on and the roar of the crowd reached me. I thought about all those thousands of people eating nachos and staring down at the field. They were lucky. They were just watching a game.

I didn’t head over to the place until I needed to. It was an office building but anyone with legitimate business had already left. I eased slowly into the neighboring garage where Gabe had told me to park. The guard at the gate leaned next to my window and eyed me suspiciously. I muttered the password Gabe had told me to use.

“Achilles.”

The guard nodded and waved me in. As I walked into the building I felt isolated, naked. I needed Cord and Chase. Even though I wanted to spare them whatever shit I could, it seemed wrong to be here without them.

Another guard stood in the gleaming marble lobby. He kept a hand on his weapon as I approached.

“Achilles,” I told him.

“Top floor,” he answered in a deep smoker’s voice. “Then take the first stairwell on the left to the roof.”

I rode the elevator alone. There was music playing, an instrumental version of a Bruce Springsteen song. I stared straight ahead and wondered if I was being watched somehow.

The top floor looked empty. Lighting was minimal as I walked down a long corridor to where another guard waited by a closed door.

“Achilles,” I said.

“Of course,” he smiled. He had brown teeth. “Or you wouldn’t have made it this f*cking far.”

He opened the door and waved me through with a flourish. My footsteps echoed in the dim stairwell as I climbed to the next door. As soon as I pushed it open everything changed.

The rooftop was the scene of a party. Every corner had potted palms strung with festive lights. There were a few dozen guests laughing and mingling as they removed wine glasses from trays held by silent waiters. The men were a diverse collection of ages. They all reeked of entitlement. The women, all young and perfectly packaged, milled around as part of the scenery. I wondered how much money was on the line tonight. It had to be a sum worth more than a man could make in a lifetime at an honest living.

My attention was caught by a knot of men standing in a far corner, beyond the clearing which was being prepared to host a brawl. These men all had shaved heads and looked nasty as f*ck. I saw swastikas tattooed on at least two arms. One of them noticed me. He poked his buddies and they all turned to stare.