Page 26 of Wild Card

I walked toward the kitchen, looking for Marcus. I needed to know if anyone was talking about the last card game, the fact that Elias hadn’t shown up…or if they knew I had. It was no secret that I hadn’t gone to one since the incident with Elias.

There, nursing a beer while sliding his thumb along the screen of his phone, was my best friend. Dark ink wrapped around his equally dark skin, a stark reminder of why he was usually the one the ladies hit on when we went out. He stood a few inches taller than me and, regardless of the monikers the sports bloggers gave him, was genuinely a nice person. He’d helped me open more cans of beer, water bottles, and Gatorades after my accident than anyone should have to, worried that I wouldn’t stay properly hydrated. He had even made meals for both of us, acting like it was part of one of his courses…but he was full of shit. He just wanted to make sure I was fed.

“Baby D.” He smiled.

I rolled my eyes at the nickname he had for me. He had started calling me that our freshman year when we faced off against a team and another player nearly dwarfed me. Marcus thought it was hilarious how tall the dude was, and since my name started with D, he began calling me baby D.

“What are you up to?” I leaned in with my hand for a shake and a quick slap on the back. His classes were sporadic enough that our schedules didn’t match up often.

“Just making appearances.” He looked around, making sure no one overheard him.

I nodded. “Same here.” I looked around, seeing one of the underclassmen walk past with his phone up to his ear. As members of the team, we may have been provided special allowances to live outside of the house, but we were required to show up, to show our solidarity and, for lack of better words, team spirit.

The owners wanted to cultivate a brotherhood on the team. For generations, they had successfully done so, weaving a network of loyalty and unwavering dedication. Once a Devil, always a Devil; they took care of you as long as you followed the rules.

“I need to know something, man.” I reached over, grabbing a beer and keeping my gaze on the entrance to the kitchen.

Marcus tipped his head, encouraging me to continue.

“Anyone talking about the card game…or what happened to E?”

Two players walked in and opened the fridge, describing a chick’s chest in graphic detail, then grabbed two beers and headed out.

“A few are. Said the wrong girl showed up…once E said it was your little brother who fucked up his little brother, no one really questioned anything, but I don’t know if they’re curious about the girl who showed up. She wasn’t authorized to be down there.”

No shit.

I hadn’t told Marcus of my plan to be down there that night, taking Elias’s spot, setting up the car accident with my little brother so Elias’s Mom would call, nagging him to drive over to Pinehurst to check on him. The plan was supposed to be for Elias to get stuck on that call for thirty minutes then explain why he couldn’t go. By then he’d walk in on me fucking this girl he’d handpicked, and I’d walk away with a smile on my face.

All of it had gone to hell.

“No one is dropping names?” I asked, popping the lid off my glass bottle.

Marcus took a big swig of his, shaking his head. “Other than the accident between your bro and E’s, no.”

Relief nearly made my shoulders visibly sag. The longer he didn’t start putting things together, the longer I had to make my own plans.

“You running a deal?” My best friend quirked a curious brow.

I smiled at him. “You know I don’t run those anymore.”

“I do know that. I also know your family history, and the very fact that E is still alive tells me you’re saving something for him.”

Dude knew me better than I thought. I watched my feet, not answering him.

“Just be careful. Don’t get caught. You’re already in enough shit with Coach and the team since last year. You don’t want any more attention on you. Just finish the season, get your Devils status, and then get the fuck out of here.”

I nodded, because he was right. That was the plan: keep my head low, get my secured spot on the team so I’d have it for the rest of my life, and then get out. I just had one last thing to finish up before I did.

“Yeah, I’m good, man. I’m not running anything,” I replied easily, tossing the bottle cap in the garbage can.

Marcus smirked, following suit with his cap. “Something tells me you’re full of shit, brother.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.

Chapter Eleven

The day wentby as lazily as a fat cloud on a summer day. The shift at the local bookstore didn’t do much to distract me from the article burning a hole in my computer or the fact that I needed more info. There was also the little issue that eventually someone might notice it hadn’t been Taylor Beck who’d shown up that night. It was only a matter of time before someone checked up on that.

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