Page 43 of Rough

I stepped to his side. “What?”

“Lose the attitude, asshole.”

“You didn’t have to fuck with me in front of the fellas, Crip,” I complained. “Seems like you just like doing it sometimes.”

“How long you been in the club, princess?”

I glared at him. “See? That was un-fucking-necessary.”

“How long?” he growled.

He knew the answer. It seemed foolish to respond, but Crip wasn’t one to argue with.

“Since the beginning.”

“Tonight the first time I fucked with you?”

“Nope.”

“Won’t be the last, either,” he said. “You notice that there’s a pattern?”

“The fuck you talking about?”

“You do dumb shit, I call you on the spot. You do dumb shit, I call you on the spot. That’s what’s commonly referred to as a pattern. You notice the continuation of said pattern tonight?”

“Wasn’t doing anything tonight, motherfucker. That night I wandered off in the bar after the big-titted chick while you was talking? Sure. And on the poker run a few months back, when I kept talking to Cholo while you was giving that speech on get-back whips? Yeah. Tonight?” I shook my head. “Sorry. Nope. Don’t see it.”

“You fell asleep.”

“Bullshit.”

“You had no idea what I was talking about.”

He was obviously right. But I wasn’t asleep. “I got distracted.”

“As hard as it may be to believe, the men look up to you, Peeb. If they see you dicking off, they’ll think whatever I’m talking about isn’t worth fucking listening to. If you’re paying attention, they’ll pay attention. Make sense?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”

“You disagree?”

“No, but it doesn’t mean I want to be talked to like I’m some punk kid. I was fucking thinking about some shit.”

“Something I need to know about?”

I didn’t dare tell him I was thinking about a bitch while he was talking. He’d have my ass, for sure.

“Just my pop. Worried about him, that’s all.”

“Understandable.” He patted me on the shoulder. “How’s he doing?”

“Good. Just worried about him.”

“How’s your bike-wrecking nurse? She doing a good job with him?”

“She’s alright.”

He nodded, and then looked away.