Page 52 of Heart Stopping
BONER
"Who's this clown?" I slipped into the chair beside Cass and jerked my head at the man he was sitting with. He looked like he got a strap-on stuck up his ass during a particularly vigorous session of anal. My advice? Make sure you use enough lube. Otherwise, you might end up looking like this guy.
"Who the fuck are you?" Grumpy-ass snarled. Which, I supposed, was a fair question. I had come at him pretty hard, figuratively speaking.
"Jules, this is Boner," Cass said, looking suitably embarrassed.
To be completely honest, I loved the way people looked when they said my nickname out loud. Until they got used to it, it was good for shits and giggles.
I reached over to offer my hand to Jules. "You're Cassius' brother. Tell me, do they callyouTits?"
Jules looked at my hand like if he touched it, it might set him on fire. I wished it could, because that would be an awesome party trick.
"No," he snapped. "What sort of name is Boner?"
I sat back and grinned, unbothered by his rejection of a perfectly civil handshake.
"That should be obvious. An awesome one."
"It's a nickname," Cass said, his lips barely moving. "His name is really Edward."
"Figures," Jules muttered.
I had no idea how it figured, but whatever. It wasn't like he wasn't going by a nickname too, technically.
"So, Jules, what brings you to Angel's Rest?" His presence was clearly due to more than the empty bowl in front of him. I wondered if his dinner was anyone I knew, but of course I kept that thought to myself. This guy looked like someone who would report Harlow to the health department.
"Augustus was his brother too," Cass said softly.
Jules and I immediately had something in common. We were both looking sharply at his younger brother.
"What is this about Auggie?" Jules demanded.
"Yes, please do elaborate," I said, my voice dangerous. If he'd gone running his mouth off around the city, we could all be in very big trouble. Specifically Cass and his brother. They could end up tomorrow night's special.
"He can help," Cass insisted.
I rubbed the sides of my nose, where the vagus nerve was, trying to relieve the rapidly building tension. This conversation was using up my spoons. Once I ran out of those, all I had left was knives. And my garrote.
"Who's helping?" Archer grabbed the back of the chair beside mine, pulled it out and flopped down.
"Evening, Hardberg," I said.
"Hardwick," he corrected firmly.
I responded with a barely audible grunt. “What are the statistics on the amount of people who can effectively keep a secret? I was thinking it was four. Cass here seems to think it's five."
"I don't think anyone's done research on that," Archer said, taking in both brothers. "But I saw a meme the other day that said three people can keep a secret if you get rid of two of them."
Jules was staring at the rest of us, his head slowly swiveling back and forth.
"You're all out of your fucking minds. Cassius, who are these nut jobs?" He looked ready to stand up and storm out, which was fine by me as long as he paid for his meal. And left a hefty tip.
"I'll explain everything when Harlow is here," Cass said, his cheeks suddenly pink.
I still wasn't sure we shouldn't keep him out of this. His reaction to those photos said everything we needed to know about his ability to deal with what was to come. The last thing we needed was for him to pass out in the middle of everything. He could put all of us at risk. Especially himself.
Come to think of it, especially me and Harlow too, which I strenuously objected to.
