Page 43 of Sacrifice the Knight (Checkmate 6)

“Jesus.” Running a hand over his face, Luc glances from Jess to Kane, who stands at her back and holds her hip. “We’re still cool, Bish. I promise we are. But I need a minute.”

Kane claps his shoulder and grins. “Take ten. Have a beer. Process. But all the while, know that your sister is loved, and I promise to take care of her forever.”

“Hey, Captain.”

I turn with a frown and meet a pair of green eyes and dimples on a familiar chin. Mac Blair steps forward and extends a hand as though he’s a grown ass man and we’re old pals.

“Mac.” I shake his hand but glance past his shoulder as my heart spins out of control. “Um… Your mom here?”

He shakes his head and takes a sip from a soda can in his left hand. “My mom is… busy.”

“Okay… You here for the bride’s side, or the groom’s?”

He gives an arrogant “psht” and steps back to lean against the same wall I do. In jeans that are a size too big and a shirt from the same rack, Mac lifts a sneakered foot and rests it against the wall so we stand side by side. “I’m on everyone’s side. Everyone’s my family, ‘cause I’m adorable and shit.” He flashes the kind of grin I’m not sure I’ve ever seen on Katrina’s face. It’s carefree and full of mischief. “And we already know you’re on the groom’s side, seein’ as how the thug didn’t say a word about hisfruitstill you walked in. Law and thugs,” he scoffs. “This entire house can be split in half: law and thugs.”

“You think so? Which are you, Blair? Law or thug?”

“Touché,” he chuckles. “Sheesh, you were fast with that one. Can’t say I wanna limit my options either way, so I’ll just say I’m friends with everyone.”

“Where’s your girl?”

His eyes flare wide and give me a sense of satisfaction. This kid is smooth, and he constantly has a comeback that always puts me on the defensive. “Which girl? I don’t have a girl.”

“Coulda fooled me. You’re always staring at her hair when she’s with your buddy at the diner. All those long locks and such a pretty smile.”

“How much do you stare, dude? Jesus, how could you know I like a girl with dark hair?”

“So youdolike her?”

“No! Stop.” Pushing off the wall, he chugs half of his soda in one go and scowls. “I was on your side, man. I could have helped you with my mom, but then you go ahead and throw shade like that. I’m out.”

“Wait.” I grab his arm before he loses himself in the crowd. Turning back with a victorious grin, Mac cracks his neck and makes me realize my mistake. “How do you mean you’d help me with your mom?”

“Well, I see you looking at her sometimes. I see you maybe like her hair. So I suppose I could nudge her in your direction.” Thank God his sentence doesn’t start with“I know you fucked her last night.”“My mom doesn’t date because most men are pricks, but also because she’s worried about me. I don’t think you’re a prick, so maybe I could give my blessing and promise not to get into trouble while she’s out with you. I could even accidentally tell you about the concert tickets she has for next month. She has two tickets, and it’ll be sucky if her handbag is the only thing sitting in the second seat.”

I narrow my eyes with suspicion. “What’s your angle?”

“I don’t need an angle. My mom had a big birthday recently. She’s getting old.”

“Thirty is not old!”

He snorts. “You’re like forty, but like I said, you aren’t a prick, so I’ll overlook the fact you’re old enough to be my grandpa. I’m more concerned with the fact my mom watched a shitty movie with me for her birthday. She put on a ratty pair of sweats, tied her hair into an ugly bun, wore goopy cream on her face that made her look like Robin Williams in a chick’s getup, and she watched that show with me.” He pauses and studies my eyes. “She was right there with me, but in her mind, I know she was thinking about you. She was thinking about the dude she yelled at in the diner, and I swear, she wasn’t always scowling.”

That surprises me. “She wasn’t?”

He shakes his head. “Smiled more than she scowled and did a butt wiggle when she ate her cake. But the thing is, I’ve never in my life seen her go out with a man. Not one single kiss at the door, no missed curfews. Not one single awkward breakfast with a random dude, or weird dinners where everyone pretends to be a happy family.”

The crowd around us buzzes and jostles forward. Everyone wants a piece of the expecting mom, but I’m busy trying to understand this thug’s angle. “Why the hell would you want those things? Nobody wants that shit.”

“I want my mom to be happy,” he huffs. “I mean, I don’t want awkward shit either, so you better watch your step and don’t make shit weird, but I want her to be happy, so I’d be willing to look the other way if you wanted to ask her out to dinner or whatever. My friend’s mom got remarried recently, and though breakfast was awkward for them sometimes, Benny admits she’s always smiling now.”

“Always?”

“Always,” he presses. “So I’m saying I’m willing to be cool if you’re willing to be cool. Don’t turn into a prick, or I’ll borrow the gun you’re not hiding very well, and I’ll shoot you in your dick. But if you wanted to take her to dinner and make her smile, I’m willing to sit my ass down at home and not give her reason to worry.”

“Kid, you’re thirteen–”

“I’m fourteen.”

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