Page 172 of Chaos Kills

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“Well, don’tdropit,”I chide Juice, reaching out to him for my sister’s cake, but he slides away from me anyway down the beaten sidewalk. “Juice, I’m gonnakillyou.”

He continues laughing, green eyes twinkling in mischief as he gives me a playful wink and pivots around.

Just to stop dead in his tracks.

“Holy shit,” he mutters out sharply, getting me to slide up to his side to see what the problem is.

“What?”

There’s no one standing in front of us in a threatening way. We’re in downtown East Riverside, surrounded by a bunch of small businesses, and I don’t see a fire or a kitten in a tree, so when I glance at him, Juice is already staring at something to his right.

A red Lexus

“I want it.”

“We can’t,” I chortle lightly. “We’re in the middle of?—”

“Hold this.”

He practically shoves Ellie’s cake in my chest before taking off to get a better look at the sleek-looking sports car when I stop him with, “Wait.” Thankfully, Juice registers my voice throughhis lust for metal on wheels and glimpses over his shoulder at me. “We need to get back.”

“It’ll take methreeminutes.”

“Juice, there arewindowseverywhere. The person could be looking at us right now as you try to gank their ride.”

“I’ll be gone by the time the pigs arrive.”

“But I won’t,” I argue. “I’ll still be holding the damn cake. Do you want me to run with it?”

Juice glances around, pushing his cheek out with his tongue. “I think I got this, babe.”

I know he does this all the time, but something isn’t sitting right with me and this damn car for some reason.

“What are you doing?” Levi chimes in, coming up to my flank with a bunch of party supplies in plastic bags. “Stop eye-fucking the ride.”

“I need it,” Juice says matter-of-factly. “We can sell this by tonight.”

“How much?”

“Lev,” I chide. “Stop fucking around. We need to get back and set up.”

Ellie won a writing competition that earned her a scholarship when she graduates, and I couldn’t be more fucking proud. The little weasel didn’t tell me anything about it until she came home screaming and jumping around, tossing an official school letter at my chest that she got it.

“We’ve got time for that, sweet cheeks,” Levi drones, joining Juice by blatantly staring at the car. “What do you take me for?”

Lord.

I practically have two grown-ass children of my own here who are supposed to be watching me instead of the other way around.

“Go ahead,” I exhort with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to get back and finish things up before Ellie’s out of school.”

“Johnny’s gonna hold the lanes for us at the bowling alley,” Levi says, still assessing the vehicle. “Don’t stress it.”

“Is she even going to like this? She’s sixteen.”

Levi glances over at me with pinned brows. “What do you mean? She loves bowling.”

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