He inclined his head toward Jordan. Almost lazily, he gestured to him with his finger. “I’ll get a ride.”

I was ready to head off when his gaze transferred to me again. It lingered. I got the message. He’d stay and watch my back.

He held out his hand, grazing me as I slipped past.

I paused for a brief second.

I didn’t look down. I didn’t think I dared.

A need was captured in my throat, along with that tingling from earlier. Pushing forward, I headed to the Jeep, feeling my stomach starting to churn in anticipation, in excitement.

I didn’t realize my lungs had ceased working until I got inside the car. A large amount of air expelled from me, and I had to sit there for a moment.

Taz said something and ran back.

My mind was whirling. I felt like my blood was buzzing.

I needed a minute to center myself, and when Taz came back, her tote bag in hand, I said, “I’ll take you back to get your car when we’re done.”

“It’s not a problem.” She shut her door and put her seatbelt on, juggling her bag and sandwich. “I gave Cross the keys. They’ll go get the car; then he’ll take it home.” She gestured over her shoulder as I turned my Jeep to go around Jordan’s. “Does that happen often?”

“What?”

“The fighting.”

I couldn’t answer that. I didn’t want to. “Sorry you had to witness it.”

“Jordan might mean well deep down, but it’s way far down, like seven layers of Dante’s Inferno down. All those layers are his asshole layers.” She settled back, unwrapping the last half of her sandwich. “If I joined your crew, all I’d be doing is fighting with him. I get it.”

I turned onto the road, leaving Manny’s behind, and glanced sideways to Taz. I had a feeling her way of “getting it” and mine were total opposites.

I took Taz to a couple more crew businesses, but it wasn’t until I was driving her back to her house that she mentioned a main sponsor.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The big, big one.” She was waving her hands in the air again. I could see from the corner of my eye. “You know, when you go to events and you see the main sponsor? Race’s dad could do that one.”

“Why didn’t you mention it before?”

She shrugged. “Because it’s not mine to fill. It’s Ms. Bagirianni’s job, but I just texted her and asked if she’d found someone yet. She said no. You want me to read it out loud?”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “No way. I don’t want to hear, see, or know about any personal texts from The Badger. There should be a rule where teachers and staff can’t leave the school. When you enter, you deal with them there and only there. It’s too much, thinking of all of them having their own lives.”

“Man.” She whistled. “She really got under your skin, huh?”

I fixed her with a look. “If you think The Badger hasn’t psychoanalyzed you, you’re dumb. Trust me. She analyzes everybody.”

“I’m not insecure about what she might think of me.”

“Ask for her thoughts on your relationship with Cross.”

Taz’s smug smile vanished.

“See? Not so secure now, huh?”

“That was mean of you.”

Maybe. Well, yes, it was. “Sometimes I’m not so nice.”

I pulled up to the curb by their house and put the Jeep in park, letting the engine idle. I’d only be going in there if Cross was home, and I already knew he wasn’t. He’d texted before saying they were at Jordan’s.

Taz looked down at her lap, at her bag sitting there, and she sighed. “I know you’re not normal. Your friends are your crew, and I get it. I mean, I think I do. Kind of. But that was a cheap shot you just took. My relationship with Cross is—”

“Where you’re vulnerable?” I asked. “Guess what? My whole life is where I’m vulnerable.”

She held my gaze, then let out another quiet breath. “You think I took a cheap shot at you?”

I remained like a statue. Taz knew my relationship with The Badger was a sore subject. She got her feelings hurt? Tough. Welcome to life.

She looked down at her bag again. “Maybe I did.”

I knew she was jealous of my relationship with her brother. I was jealous of how normal her life was. She took a dig at me, and I punched her back. And now she was feeling bad? She’d go inside, sit, and get a home-cooked meal with both of her parents.

She’d get over it.

I cleared my throat. “Let’s just talk tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” She slid out of my vehicle, her hand up in a wave. “Thanks, Bren.”

I nodded.

I meant to go watch the house, or maybe finish that fight with Jordan, but instead of turning left, I went right.

I didn’t know why.

I honestly didn’t.

Maybe the whole stupid thing with Jordan was on my mind, and I wanted it done. I didn’t want any more questions about him.

Maybe thinking of Taz with her parents made me think of what Race must be going through, or maybe in some weird way I wanted to make it up to Taz, wipe away the hurt I’d caused her.

Whatever the reason, I drove to the outskirts of Roussou and headed to the Ryerson’s home. Alex’s parents lived on the outside of town, so they had a bunch of land extending behind them. There was a pool, a pool house, and a couple storage sheds. They had a setup like Jordan’s, but with a longer driveway.

I wasn’t surprised to find Alex’s crew lingering around the pool when I parked and got out. Half of them were in it. Some were drinking and talking. Some were dunking the others in the pool. A few girls were straddling some of the guys, their tongues down their throats. Amid all that as a backdrop, I pushed ahead.

Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea, but I wanted to know so I could tell Taz. I was there for her, and I didn’t have the guy’s phone number.

I had Alex’s. That thought just came to me, almost making me stop where I stood, but I was already here.

A guy next to Alex poked his arm, pointing to me.

And Alex saw me.

I couldn’t back out now. It’d make me look scared, weak. Wolf Crew wasn’t weak, so ignoring what my gut was telling me, and ignoring a whiff of rotten eggs, I started over to him.

I didn’t go far. I stopped a few feet away from my Jeep.

Alex stood when he saw me, a beer in hand. His skin glistened, and he had drops pouring down his forehead. He was almost drenched, and I didn’t need to get closer to know it wasn’t from the pool.

“Your cousin here?”

A full smile spread over his face, maybe too quickly, too eager. Too unsettling. “How about a beer instead?”

I shook my head. “I’m looking for your cousin.”

“Ah.” He nodded, the smile fading. A different, meaner grin took its place. “I was wondering what brought Bren Monroe to my place.” He made a show of looking behind me. “And without your crew too.” He whistled. “You’re living on the edge, Bren. I might reach out and…hug you.”

I bared my teeth. “Not without my permission, you won’t.”

He laughed, tipping his head back. The sound was a little too maniacal. “There she is. You looked almost tame for a second, like a sweet little kitten, not the feral puss I know you are.” He gestured with his beer back toward where I’d come from. “As for my cousin, he took off after school.”

“What?”

His smile was fully gone now. A hard glint remained in his eyes, fusing with the haze there. “Let’s say we had a difference of opinion about something. Yeah.” He motioned again. “He took off. I don’t have a clue where.”

Race was gone? Like, gone gone?

“What about his mom?”

Alex’s eyes sharpened. He lowered his beer. “You know about his mom? About why she’s here?”

“Is she still here?”

He tilted his head to the side. “How do you know about his mom? Even my crew doesn’t know why she’s here.”

“Is she still here?” I was pissed, suddenly really, really pissed. Race had made a big fucking deal about his dad’s money for Taz’s thing, and now he was gone? And I was here, stepping in the middle of another fucking crew when I shouldn’t be?