Page 30 of Shattered Pieces

“I honestly don’t have an answer for you. I don’t want to drag the crew into it, but⁠—”

“Hey, I don’t mind taking shots at them over a girl you want. I’d shoot at them over a stolen sandwich,” he laughed, giving me a pat on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back, even if you start a war over a fucking girl.”

“Thanks, man,” I said dryly, pouring myself a glass of whiskey and leaning back against the bar.

“Where’s the rich kid?”

“He’s at Rory’s having dinner with Josie. She’s pretty upset about the house being empty. Caden’s been crashing with Skeet, and Luke and Jense have been at Jensen’s,” I sighed, and he gave me a nudge.

“Why don’t you go and see her? I know it’s not the same, but she might like it,” he suggested, and I shook my head.

“I’ve got shit to do.”

“Like what? Track down a witness? You can do that any time. You deserve to stop for dinner,” he insisted. “Respectfully, fuck off for the night, okay? Mark can handle the fight stuff, and the rest of us will make sure he doesn’t fuck up his wound in the process. You let us bail for family business all the time, and she’s basically Donovan’s mom at this point, so go and check in with them.”

I blew out a breath, giving him the side-eye. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Fine. Don’t burn the place down while I’m gone,” I muttered, downing my drink before walking over to Marco. “Hey. I’m heading out to see Josie.”

He gave me a dirty look, but I could tell he was fighting a grin. “So I’m not allowed to have the night off, but you can?”

“You can come too, if you want,” I grumbled, but he tapped the clipboard he had in his hand.

“It’s fine, I want to get the fight schedule sorted before Hammer leaves. You go.”

“If you need me⁠—”

“I won’t shove a needle in my arm in your absence,” he said with a hint of irritation, and I sighed.

“I don’t expect you to. I’m just worried.”

“Don’t be, it didn’t set me back,” he promised, but I knew he was lying. I’d overheard him talking to Tyler about it this morning and how it had been good to feel like that again.

I really had to keep my eye on him.

“You call me if that changes,” I warned, and he waved a dismissive hand at me, turning back to his clipboard.

I motioned to Hammer to watch him before leaving, grumbling as I climbed into my car. I missed my bike, but who knew how long it would take to fix?

The drive was uneventful, and I let myself in at Josie’s, finding her sitting at the kitchen table with Tyler. She glanced up when I walked in, surprise on her face.

“What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d stop by on my way home. Did Karl make more of that?” I asked, and she quickly got to her feet and walked into the private kitchen, telling Karl to fix me a plate.

I sat down, and Tyler frowned. “Where’s Mark?”

“He’s still at the warehouse. Did Josie get a call from the prison?”

He sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Yeah. We can’t visit her.”

“She was probably defending herself. I doubt she’d fuck it up on purpose,” I assured him, thanking Josie as she brought me a plate and a soda.

“No word from Caden?” I asked carefully, and Josie grimaced.

“He’s downstairs in the gym. I don’t know what to do with that boy.”