“Let’s play it by ear,” I cautioned. Gray had taken me up on the invitation to come up for a visit, and I was glad to have him for backup.
“Foggy is hoping for bloodshed, so don’t expect him to be the voice of reason.”
“That’s why Mal has to come, too,” I said.
“Good call,” Noah affirmed.
WE LEFT AROUND TEN THAT night, after making a half-assed attempt at a pre-party. Ellie spilled her drink on AM, which necessitated a change of clothes. Ellie apologized profusely for about ten minutes. Her neighbors were a train wreck, with the guy looking like a forlorn puppy at AM’s lesbian friend whenever he thought no one was looking. Falling in love with a lesbian was like putting your nuts in a vise and asking for them to be crushed. Captain, may I have blue balls for the rest of my life? I kind of wanted to punch him in the face for being so stupid about it, but AM definitely wouldn’t appreciate me hitting her friends.
Out of all of us, AM was in the best mood. While she wasn’t bad at putting the brave face on, I didn’t get the sense that she was full of tension. It was like she’d made up her mind to do something and regardless of the outcome, she was at peace with herself. I made a conscious effort to relax and swung an arm around her shoulders to let her know she wasn’t alone.
“I love you, you know.”
She smiled up at me, face as beautiful and shining as any star. “I know.”
At the door of the party house, AM marched right up the steps and I was right behind her. One of the residents, Lance, I think, was wearing a t-shirt that said “Choking Hazard” and an arrow pointing downward. He placed his hand on my arm as I followed AM inside.
“Hey, man, we don’t want any trouble tonight.”
I looked at his hand and then at him, incredulously. “You don’t take your hand off my arm, and we’ll see what kind of choking hazard your cock makes as I stuff it in your mouth.”
Lance jumped back and raised his hands in surrender. “Just saying. Blood’s a bitch of a stain.”
“Then you better not let things get out of hand,” I warned, brushing by him. Unsurprisingly, Lance didn’t stop me again, nor did his roommate, who was manning the shot table. Unwritten rules required a toll to get into the back parts of the house where the party and the other liquor was. I caught up with AM and laid a fifty down before she could pull out any cash. “For all of us.” I gestured to the group behind me. He started to pour us all shots, but I shook my head no.
“Speak for yourself, soldier boy,” Ellie said, muscling me out of the way. “I’ll drink his and mine,” she informed the bartender. He finished pouring the shots for Ellie, AM, Sasha, and Brian. Ellie downed one, and then picked up another and gave it to AM. “For courage.”
“For fun,” AM responded and tipped her head back to swallow the alcohol. She coughed a bit and pounded her chest. “That stuff is vile.”
A commotion sounded behind us, and I turned to see the entire Woodlands crew tromping inside, even Finn. All tall, big, and muscled, the group of five looked suitably intimidating. Lance moved out the way without even attempting to give a warning. Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out another fifty and threw it on the table. “We’ll take the bottle.” The guy handed it over wordlessly, and I waved everyone through.
“Why are they all here?” AM hissed at me.
“They like a good party?” I said innocently.
She made a face at me and said, “This is my show.”
“I know, Sunshine, but we want to make sure the response at the end of the show is appropriate.”
“Whatever that means.” She frowned.
“It means that sometimes a show of force can prevent actual fatalities or injuries down the road.”
“It’s not just that there might be an opportunity for a brawl?” she said skeptically.
“That, too,” I admitted. You can’t instantly change every instinct honed from a young age.
AM had picked the right night to go out. The back rooms of the party house were packed with people spilling out onto the deck to enjoy the fresh air. Relief from midterms, I guessed. Wall-to-wall bodies filled the makeshift dance floor, and someone was spinning beats in the corner. At AM’s signal, Noah and I walked over to the DJ corner and told them to cut the music. I might have included a few threats about broken fingers and equipment. My reputation for having a short fuse and a heavy fist caused them to cut the music without any bloodshed. Noah, standing by my side, looked faintly disappointed.
“Sorry. I promised AM I’d try to keep the hospital bills down,” I said.