#Junkie (GearShark #1)(33)

Pancake Sunday = a tradition started by Rimmel (Romeo’s girl) where the entire family got together every Sunday morning to eat breakfast.

At first, I’d kind of been included by default, having been friends with Romeo and Braeden for a while. When Drew showed up, it seemed my place in the family became a little more solid, and I was expected at all family dinners, meetings, etc.

I didn’t have any brothers or sisters by birth, so having them now sort of filled a void in my life I hadn’t realized was there.

Basically, I loved them.

Last night, I managed to slip into the Omega house unnoticed. That almost never happened in a house full of college guys. Someone was always around, and being alone wasn’t something I ever expected unless I was in my room with the door locked.

Hell yes, I kept my door locked.

These guys were *s.

(I mean that in the nicest way possible.)

If I didn’t lock my door, I’d wake up in the morning with a mustache drawn on my face, or worse yet, a dick.

Tom Barris would never live that shit down. The pics of him with a dick on his face (drawn in Sharpie) would haunt him forever.

Being the president didn’t exempt me from shit like that. It made me more of a target. That’s why I invested in a good lock.

It was late when we got back to town last night, since we stopped about an hour out of the way at some big car parts store we didn’t have around here. The Fastback needed some new shit after Drew pushed the engine so hard at Gamble Speedway.

Then we stopped for dinner at an Applebee’s nearby.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get back anyway. My spur of the moment support of Jack as president caused some waves. I wasn’t anxious to swim in them.

Shit, I was tired. It was nice to get away. Just Drew and the open road. We went somewhere no one knew us. I didn’t realize it would affect the way we interacted, but it had.

We were more relaxed with each other… more open. Which in turn led to moments of awkwardness.

So we were relaxed and awkward with each other almost all at once.

When I walked into the house to an empty foyer and living room, I considered it my lucky day and shot up to my room, where I stayed the rest of the night.

It gave me hope I’d get out of the house again this morning without notice.

No such luck.

Before I was even out of bed, knocking on my door made me groan. I thought about pretending I wasn’t in here but nixed the thought almost immediately. I wasn’t the kind of guy who hid from stuff.

Yes, you are, a voice taunted in the back of my mind. It made me grouchy.

I flung off the covers and unlocked the door and stuck my head out. “What?”

It was Jack, and he was fully dressed, looking awfully awake for such an early hour on a Sunday. He glanced around as if he didn’t want to be seen outside my door.

What the f*ck?

“You should come downstairs,” he said low.

“Why?” I asked, making sure my tone matched his.

He shook his head. “Con called a house meeting. Doesn’t want you to know about it.”

That got my attention. “Excuse me?” I growled.

Jack took a step back and glanced at the stairs. “Hurry,” he mouthed and rushed off.

I shut the door, much quieter than I felt like, and rushed around (as much as one could rush in a tiny-ass room with barely any floor space), pulling out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I deliberately chose the one with the Omega symbol on the front and the word PRESIDENT in bold across the back.

Something told me I was going to need a little help reminding people who was in charge around this place.

I knew Conner was pissed, but to call a house meeting? Behind my back? What the f*ck was he thinking? And, dude. Did he really think I wouldn’t get wind of it?

As I thought, my phone went off simultaneously. It was two texts from two different members of Omega. Both texts were variations of, Get your ass downstairs!

It was nice to see Jack wasn’t the only one who thought this was bullshit.

I didn’t bother combing my hair or brushing my teeth before jogging down the stairs. I considered my rumpled appearance and dragon breath part of the punishment for those who thought they could betray me behind my back.

Clearly, that’s what this was.

Why else would Con hold a meeting he didn’t want me to know about?

The voices coming from the dining room made my back teeth gnash together. I leave for one freaking day…

“This isn’t right. Trent should be here,” someone said.

“I agree. What kind of bullshit is this?” another guy chimed in.

“If he was doing what’s right for the house, he would be here. This meeting wouldn’t even be necessary,” Con replied, as if he were the voice of reason amongst the men.

My fists clenched at my sides, and I told myself to relax. Going in there ready to smash heads was stupid. I needed to know what was going on before I could figure out how best to deal with this.

I did know one thing for certain, though. It was a good f*cking thing I didn’t back Con for president. That guy was a tool.

I stepped around the corner and let my considerable height and width fill the arched doorway. “We having a meeting?”

Hushed silence filled the room, and I felt all eyes on me. I didn’t look around. Not yet. Instead, I stared straight at Con, who was standing at the podium.