Stone Bennett. Tell him, Finn,” East commands, but for the life of me, the words seem trapped in my throat, unable to come out.
“Tell him,” East insists, growing more impatient with my silence.
But the only reply I can come up with is the one I know still rings true to my ears.
“I’ll do what I have to, Linc.”
Linc lets out a long exhale, his back dipping further into his seat.
“I think that doing what we had to is what got us all in trouble, to begin with.”
“Have you or Colt found out anything about The Society yet? Anything that could help us get out of this mess?” I ask, wondering if they are faring any better at their task than I am at mine.
“Not really. But the minute we do, I’ll let you both know.”
“Where is that motherfucker anyway?” Easton asks, only now noticing Colt’s absence.
And I’m the slow one of the group.
Linc picks up his phone, the first genuine smile tracing his lips, as he shows us a picture of a flustered Colt talking to an unimpressed librarian.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I don’t know what surprises me more—Colt actually doing some groundwork that doesn’t involve pussy, or that he knows where the library is to begin with.” East chuckles.
“His name is on the building,” I counter. “He should at least know where the damn thing is located.”
We all laugh at that because Colt isn’t the type of guy you’d ever expect to encounter in a place that doesn’t offer the potential of getting laid. The girls’ locker room, yes. The library, hell no.
After our laughter dies down, I can’t help but look to Lincoln one more time for guidance.
“So, how are we going to handle this in the meantime?”
“Just as we have been. Act normal and wait for further instructions.”
“Instruction from The Society, you mean?” I ask just to be clear, getting from him a stiff nod in reply.
“What if they know that Finn blew his chance with the Southie, though?”
“You think I blew it?”
“I love you, dude. Like a brother, I do. But I gotta tell ya, when a girl is ready to bounce after a fuckfest, it usually means she’s running home to finish herself off and get the orgasm you were meant to give her. Sorry to burst your bubble, man.” East shrugs, not as apologetic as his words sound.
“Why didn’t you say that shit earlier?” I grunt, annoyed.
“Because! Kennedy was here, and I didn’t want to be all crass and shit in front of her,” he counters defensively.
“It never stopped you before, asshole,” I yell.
“Guess I’m evolving.”
“Evolve this motherfucker.” I slap him over the head, which is kind of hard since he’s all the way across the table.
The jackass, instead of getting pissed at me, just laughs harder.
“Don’t worry about it. You just have to convince her that the second time around will be better. That you are going to wow her as a second act, rather than a first. I mean, sequels can be better than the originals, right? It’s not totally unheard of,” he goads.
“Funny. But what if she doesn’t give me a second chance?”
“Have you at least called her to find out?”
“I’ve texted, but she hasn’t replied. Pretty sure she’s already blocked my number from her phone,” I admit.
I mean, why else would she not reply? It’s the only plausible reason I can come up with to explain the radio silence I got from her all weekend.
“Yikes. Jesus, how bad a lay are you?”
“I’m not!” I shout at him, but the fucker just keeps laughing.
Linc, unable to hold it in, follows suit, and pretty soon, I join in, too. Because what am I going to do? Cry? Fuck that.
Linc wraps his arm over my shoulder and tilts his head next to mine.
“Finn Walker, you might not know this about yourself, but you are a fucking catch. If this Stone girl doesn’t see it, then fuck it. No skin off your back. But we still need her, brother. Whatever harebrained scheme The Society has in mind, Stone is at the very center of it. You think you’re cool with giving it another go?”
Do I even have a choice?
“Of course he is,” East replies on my behalf. “His cock is ecstatic at the idea of getting near that Southie hotness again. I mean, you have got to see this girl, Linc. So damn hot, your cock would be weeping for weeks,” East jokes, but I feel my features grow somber, not one bit happy