Bully King - J.A. Huss Page 0,79
fight.”
“Yeah.” I let out the breath I was holding. “He’s the kind of guy who likes the fight.”
“Exactly. So he got his stupid kiss, but he didn’t get the fight.”
I think way too hard about those words and feel a little bit sad. “Cadee—”
“Nope.” She places her hand on my chest, shakes her head a little. “We’re not going backwards tonight. It’s over. All of that stuff is over now.”
And then, like he’s listening in on our conversation, Ax stands up on the patio table, holding up a beer. “Listen up my diabolical partners in crime!” He paces back and forth along the length of it in typical Ax fashion, his boots scuffing along the wood and his shoelaces dragging behind him. “Here’s to the end of challenge fucking one of the Fang and Feather Summer Rush!” Then he goes sober for a moment, stops his pacing, and looks straight at Isabella. “And we’re all. Still. Here. Fuck all those evil people who live for our demise. Fuck all those lies they tell. Fuck all those expectations they have. We beat you this time, assholes! And we’re gonna do it again tomorrow!”
Isabella manages a smile. And in my expert opinion, it looks real. She lifts up her beer. “Cheers to that, you maniac.”
We laugh and cheers back. Even though Cadee and I don’t even have a drink yet.
“He certainly has a way with words, doesn’t he?” Cadee says.
“Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, he does. But he’s right. We are going to win. Come on, let’s relax. No one can hurt you here, Cades.” I keep her hand in mine and lead her over to the kitchen.
“I’m seriously not worried about it, Cooper. I’m fine. I swear. Dante was actually… not that bad. I think maybe he gets it.”
“Gets what?” Mona asks.
“You know. That we’re—well, you guys—you’re all in this together.” She looks at Valentina, who has dragged Ax into the kitchen area with her. “Right? It’s either swim or sink.” She looks at Mona. “And swimming is something we all know how to do.”
Mona’s face goes serious. She’s probably thinking about how she almost became an Olympic swimmer. Then she says, “We are a bunch of damn good swimmers.”
Valentina holds up her beer. “I’ll cheers to that, sister.”
“All right, all right,” Lars says. “Enough about the day job. Quitting time happened an hour ago and I’m hungry.” Everyone agrees and starts making plates for burgers and dogs.
Quitting time. It’s a weird way to put it, but he’s right.
It’s just a job.
We all eat together at the outdoor dining table. Laughing and joking. Talking about things that have nothing to do with the day job. And the sun sets while all this is happening and suddenly the backyard is lit up with white lights and the flicker of fire.
Ax goes to the fire and starts poking it with a long branch. Everyone else kinda settles in to smaller conversations. But then I glance over at the side yard and see Michael and Ivan coming towards us with Sophie and Elexa.
“Interlopers!” Ax yells, his poking stick on fire now. “Halt! Who goes there?”
“It’s just us,” Michael says.
“It’s a private party, kids,” Lars yells. “You’ll see us tomorrow.”
Michael looks at me. “I came to talk to Cooper real fast.”
Ax stalks up to the crashing pledges, circling them as he holds the flaming stick in front of his face so he looks like the demons tatted up on his arms. He leans into Michael’s face. “So why did you bring them?” He nods his head to Ivan, Elexa, and Sophie.
Michael looks at me nervously. I don’t think any of the pledges are afraid of me or Lars, but pretty much everyone is still afraid of Ax. He’s just weird and unpredictable. He hides the violence and anger inside him pretty well, but no matter what, it always leaks out through his eyes. He can’t quite plug those two dark pits that lead straight to his black soul.
I step forward. “What’s on your mind, Michael?”
Michael’s still not sure that Ax isn’t about to set him on fire, so he talks while maintaining eye contact with him. “I just need a few minutes. In private.”
“Fuck,” I moan. “Can’t this wait?”
“No, Cooper. It can’t. You’re in charge, so I need to talk to you.”
I look down at Cadee. “Give me a sec, OK?”
“Sure.” She smiles at me and then walks off to join Mona and Isabella.
Michael walks towards me, while Ivan and Elexa start making themselves at home