Page 101 of Brutal Reign
“What?” Seb prompts.
“They told Avery,” I grind out, knowing I’m about to get a damn earful from the feisty blonde as soon as we come face to face. “She’s pulling her car up front, we need to bring Riv down.”
“Ooh, sleepover with my cousin?” River asks excitedly, popping back up to her feet.
Seb darts forward, gripping onto her arm to steady her before she can lose her balance again.
“Let’s go, babygirl,” I sigh, nodding in the direction of the door.
Seb guides her toward it and she stumbles alongside him with a dopey grin on her face, completely oblivious to the awkward tension hanging in the air. Come tomorrow, she probably won’t even remember this.
Something tells me I’ll have a harder time forgetting.
NOW
I’m having an off night.I’m usually in my element when I’m DJ’ing, but I’ve had this sick feeling curling in my gut all afternoon that I can’t shake, no matter how hard I try. Ordinarily, I’d just lose myself in the music and retreat into the shadows of my own mind, but that’s the worst place for me to be right now. My mind has become a prison of my own self-destruction.
The party at the lodge is in full swing, the old ballroom packed with people drinking and dancing to the tunes I’m spinning. There’s no DJ booth here– just a table shoved into the corner– but the six-foot speakers positioned in front of it facing the crowd are blasting loud enough to rattle the floor. River’s right in the middle of the chaos, laughing and goofing off with her friends, while Seb’s taken up his usual post beside me. It’s familiar; comfortable. Still, I’m on edge.
“Hey, look who we found!” Beau announces, he and Eli approaching the DJ table with Micah sandwiched between them.
I crack what feels like my first genuine smile all night at the sight of our friend, sliding my headphones down off my ears and leaning over the table to give him a fist-bump in greeting.
“Hey man, how’s it been going?” Seb asks, reaching out to bump his knuckles against Micah’s after me.
“Oh, ya know, same old shit,” Micah chuckles. “A lot more boring without you guys around, though.”
“Aww, he misses us,” Eli teases, slinging an arm around Micah’s neck and puckering his lips, making exaggerated kissing noises.
Micah fights him off with a laugh, rolling his eyes as he turns his attention back on me and Seb. “How have things been at training camp? Heard you two are cool with River again.”
“Yeah, what of it?” Seb growls defensively.
Micah’s eyes widen. “N-nothing, I’ve always liked her,” he stammers, holding his hands up in surrender. “You won’t get any complaints from me about her being part of the group again.”
“It’s not the same, she’s got her own group now,” Beau pouts, glancing toward where River’s eating up the dance floor with Hayden, Gus, and Kendrick.
Micah follows his gaze, brows pinching together as he takes in the sight of the four of them chumming it up. “Is she dating that dude?” he asks as River leans in to smack a kiss on Gus’ cheek.
“No,” Seb replies gruffly. “He’s gay. And she’s with us.”
Micah swings his gaze our way again, blinking in confusion as the meaning behind Seb’s words starts to sink in. “Bothof you?” he asks, eyes pinging between us.
“You’ve got a lot to catch up on, dude,” Beau chuckles, elbowing him in the ribs. “But first, we should probably grab beers.” He looks to me and Seb, arching a brow in question. “You guys need anything?”
“Nah, I’m good,” I answer, glancing down at the red plastic cup full of whiskey I’ve been nursing all night. What I really need is to get stoned, but that’ll have to wait for a break from my DJ duties so I can actually relax and enjoy it.
“Me too,” Seb agrees.
Beau tips his head as he turns away, Micah and Eli following him into the fray in search of the nearest keg. As soon as they’re out of earshot, Seb nudges me, nodding out toward the sea of people. “Think we should warn Ares about her?”
I cast a glance in the direction he’s indicating, making a scoffing sound in my throat when I see Chandler hanging all over Ares. “Nah, if he starts something up with her, maybe she’ll finally leave Riv alone,” I mutter dryly, tugging my headphones back up over my ears and looking down at my computer.
My eyes glaze over as I start scrolling for a song to follow up the one currently playing. The crowd’s energy is starting to wane; they need something with a heavier beat.
Seb steps in closer, nudging me with an elbow again to get my attention. “What’s going on with you, bro? You seem off tonight.”
I hold up a finger, signaling for him to give me a second as I select and queue up the next song. Really, I’m just buying myself time to figure out what the hell I’m going to say.