Nash: A Rough Romance by Piper Stone (book series for 12 year olds txt) 📕

to drift back to the feisty woman, wondering how in the hell I was going to be of any help to her. Shit. I couldn’t control my freaking emotions.

Or my anger.

“Okay. Just sit tight. If you see anything weird, give me a call. We’ll be back in an hour.”

I noticed he made a different turn than the one he’d taken earlier. Supplies. I guess I’d need to borrow some damn money. On top of my admittance, I was destitute for the time being except for the three single dollar bills I’d found earlier. Maybe this was supposed to be the low point of my life, the beginning of my repentance.

He ended the call but said nothing as he continued the drive. Just like he’d said nothing to me after I’d spilled my guts. What was he supposed to say? Hell, I was shocked he hadn’t tossed me out of the truck.

When he pulled into a parking lot, I was surprised. Raunchy Ride. I could almost remember the place fondly, sneaking in with ridiculous fake IDs and almost getting away with having a few drinks. Scorpion’s uncle had been one formidable man, tossing us out within two minutes.

After he cut the engine, he remained where he was. “We’re going to have a drink and you’re going to listen to me. You got it?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

“Good. I don’t want to be forced to beat your ass.”

The place was open, although there were only a few customers inside. He waved to his bartender before pointing toward a table in back. “Mack. Will you bring us a couple cold ones and shots of tequila on the side?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Mack said, although he seemed shocked at the request.

“I’ll be right back. Sit your ass down and wait,” Scorpion commanded before walking around the bar.

I scanned the entire surroundings, trying to smile. He’d done a hell of a lot to the place from what I remembered. Then again, I couldn’t have cared less about the atmosphere. The bad boys had simply wanted a place to drink and become rowdy.

We’d done that in other locations during our reign. I laughed to myself as I walked toward the table Scorp had pointed to. While I wasn’t certain what the hell he was going to say, I could only imagine it would cement the guilt that had nearly consumed me. As I sat down, I did everything to shove aside the vicious memories. They weren’t doing me any good. Everything Hawk had said would haunt me for some time to come. What both he and Mustang had endured in bringing Snake back to his hometown must have weighed on their hearts.

And I’d been the chicken shit to leave without notice, pretending that the events we’d all endured hadn’t been life-changing.

I lowered my head into my hands, jumping the second a hard thumping sounded in my ears.

“Your drinks,” Mack said as he stared at me. He stood over the table for a few seconds like I was supposed to say something.

“Thanks.”

Another five seconds passed then he shifted a glance over his shoulder before allowing his eyes to drill into mine. “Scorpion never drinks this early. You better be worth it.”

The words were odd, but just as cathartic as all the rest I’d heard during the course of a few hours. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I yanked the bottle of Budweiser closer, pulling it to my lips. I realized my damn hand was shaking. Shit. I was losing it and at this point, I had to be some freaking kind of hero for a damsel in distress. Right. Like that was going to happen.

Mack walked away, passing Scorpion along the way. I noticed they exchanged words, Scorp’s face turning ice cold. He pointed toward the bar before shaking his head and walking toward the table. When he sat down, I could easily tell he had a fuck load on his mind. He slid an envelope across the table, giving me a hard look.

“Some cash to keep you afloat until we figure this shit out,” he said quietly, looking away from the table.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“You know what? That’s what friends are for.”

While I stared at the plain white envelope, guilt settling in all over again, I found it difficult to rid myself of the massive lump in my throat. “I’m nobody’s friend.”

“Yeah, you certainly aren’t going to be if you keep acting like some asshole.”

His words actually forced a smile to cross my face. “I will completely understand if we can’t be friends any longer.”

My buddy took his time before answering and when he did, the look on his face was stone cold, his eyes penetrating mine. He leaned over, folding his hands together, a slight snarl curling on his upper lip. “Now, you fucking listen to me. You’re not the only one who’s experienced the kind of guilt that curdles your stomach, keeping you awake at night. You’re also not the only one who found it difficult to return to this damn place. It’s like pretending nothing has changed, we can all go back to normal. That is bull fucking shit.”

I swallowed hard, reaching for the tequila.

His eyes followed my gesture, his hand grabbing his shot with enough force several strings of liquid sloshed past the rim. He downed the entire thing, slamming the dense crystal on the table then resuming his position. “I don’t want to hear any additional crap from you. You weren’t responsible for Snake’s death. We all were, including Snake. We all played a role in what happened. If Snake hadn’t been impetuous, maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe if Hawk hadn’t been such a hothead, some aspects would have changed. Shit, I’ve been certain his capture and subsequent murder was all because I couldn’t see him through the damn smoke and didn’t bother fighting to go after him. Do you have any fucking idea how much I wanted to commit suicide? Do you know how many times I had