Page 63 of Maddox
I don’t know what I was envisioning but it’s not this. Compared to the track, this feel’s almost…mundane.
“Draven…where are we?” I ask but she blows from the vehicle.
Staring at the facade, I contemplate her warning before following, only to slow when I spy the crowd.
These aren’t high school boys. Nope, these are men and they’re wearing vests like Maddox but the patch on their chest is different.
Squinting, I trace the series of aces with a skull and top hat and the words Smokin’ Aces emblazoned on a banner around the top.
Holy shit. Did she bring me to an Aces party? Why?
“Hey baby,” the man by the door says, breaking me from my thoughts.
He smiles lazily when Draven jumps into his arms, brushing her fingers through his scruffy blonde hair.
Okay, wow…she definitely knows the Aces.
Although, I know I’ve never met him because he’s not someone you miss in a crowd at over six feet tall with that lush blonde hair and striking blue eyes, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen him before.
“Who’s this?” another dude says, and Draven pulls away from sucking face with the blonde guy long enough to say, “Delaney.”
“Hey, Delaney,” the dude says, licking his lips.
His dark brows waggle over his eyes and I eye the ring in his nose before mumbling, “Hey.”
I feel all kinds of out of my league here and I can’t help but wonder if it’s even safe because no one is bothering to hide the pile of drugs in the corner, which yep is not run of the mill weed but a lot of the white powder type.
Peter would die if he knew I put myself in a situation like this. I shouldn’t be here.
I know I was asking about them but that doesn’t mean I wanted tomeetthem. I don’t know what I wanted but it’s not this.
“C’mon, let’s go out back,” the blonde dude says.
“Yo, Kidd,” my new admirer says. “You playing with fire, man.”
Kidd laughs and wraps his arm around Draven before leading the way out to the backyard.
Once outside, I shiver in the cool air as I cautiously sit in a chair. With Thanksgiving almost upon us, the temperature continues to drop, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed again soon.
When a shadow forms over my shoulder, I muster a smile for the guy who ends up next to me.
“What’s up? I’m Mouse.” He smiles shyly, the tips of his ears red and I hide my amusement behind my hair.
While Draven and Kidd suck face, I chat with Mouse relieved that he’s not a bad guy.
He explains that he’s still a prospect but hoping to become a full-fledged brother soon. I learn that as a prospect, he has to prove his worth to his brothers in the Smokin’ Aces and although he doesn’t outright say it, I sense that Draven being here is bad news.
It makes me wonder about her motivation but worrying about her would be stupid. Draven does what she wants when she wants.
Eventually, Kidd breaks away from Draven’s lips and says, “So, you’re Delaney?”
Beside me, Mouse hunches over and I eye him cautiously before saying, “Yep.”
Did she tell him what I said? Fuck, if she did, I’m going to kick her ass…
“You go to Bay River with Dray?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say and his mouth curls into a smile.
