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“What?” My shout echoes off the bleachers. “Fuck no.”
Dex flicks his gaze to something behind me. I brace myself, expecting one of my asshole brothers—most likely Rooster—to grab me.
Sure enough, I glimpse a big hairy forearm coming down on me two seconds before I’m yanked against the hard wall of Rooster’s chest. “Whatcha doin’ cock-knocker?” Rooster’s disgusting hot dog breath fans over the side of my face. “Causing trouble?”
“Get off me, motherclucker.” I laugh and use an evasion move, ironically learned from Remy, to escape Rooster’s sloppy rear naked chokehold.
“What’d you do to poor lil’ Jezzie?” Shelby stomps up next to Rooster. “She’s hella riled up.”
She’s so cute. She almost looks like one of the flamingos she loves so much when she stomps her foot like that. Not the intimidating girl power vibe I think she’s going for. I adjust my cut and stare at her. “What I do, songbird.”
“Tag!” Dex punches Rooster’s shoulder as if he’s passing off the responsibility of looking after me to Rooster.
Rooster cocks his head, while Shelby’s glare could burn a hole through my forehead.
“What’d you do, big brother?” Rooster makes a goofy pouty face at me.
“Nothing.” I fling my arm toward the picnic benches where she’s sulking. “She’s been pissy with me since I picked her up. Couldn’t sit still on the bike, I almost fuckin’ dropped it like ten times. And I gotta find a cage or she’s apparently living at Zips, now.”
“I’ll get my hands on a car for you,” Rooster promises.
Shelby’s concerned eyes ping-pong between Rooster and me. “Awww, dang it.” She glances over her shoulder.
“What?”
Shelby’s mouth twists. “If I tell you, you can’t say anything. I’m breaking girl code here.”
Even more confused now, I shake my head.
She wags a finger between us. “We’re besties now, remember? I keep your secrets, you keep mine.” She tilts her head as if she’s asking if I get her meaning.
“Yeah, okay.”
She side-eyes Rooster, then leans up on tiptoes. I still have to bend down so she can whisper in my ear. “First thing Jezzie did when she joined us, was ask if any of us had a tampon,” she whispers.
I blink and pull away as cold understanding settles over me. “Well, fuck. Why didn’t she tell me? I would’ve pulled over and bought her whatever she needed.”
Shelby stares at me. “Off the top of my head, I’m guessin’ she didn’t wanna go tampon shopping with her big brother.”
Rooster snort-chokes into his fist.
I shoot a glare at him.
“She okay now?” I ask Shelby.
“Yeah, Heidi got her sorted with some girly products and Advil. Turns out, she’s the only one of us ladies prepared for all emergencies at all times.”
A laugh bursts out of me. I’m sure being a young mom taught Heidi all about the art of being prepared.
“Don’t go fussin’ over Jezzie,” Shelby warns. “Then she’ll know I told you and she’ll hate me.”
“I won’t say a word, songbird.”
Later, after many hamburgers have been consumed and a few scuffles have broken out, the lights over the track blink on, chasing away all the shadows.
People rev engines, run practice laps, line up their cars, and place bets.
Dex took Emily and Libby home. Griff gave Molly a ride home, which Remy didn’t even blink at. Murphy and Heidi had to pick up their kids from Wrath and Trinity’s place.
