Page 73 of Princes of Carnage

So I settle back in my seat and look at my cards, waiting for the flop to be dealt.

A few hands later, there’s a buzz in my veins from the whiskey, and I push some money across the table, increasing my bet. All I need is a lucky draw to take the whole pot.

“You’re sticking around for tonight, right?” Tanner asks me.

I lift an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“We’re letting loose a little,” he says, shrugging. “Music, some food, good booze. You know. Just to unwind after everything.”

Everything is said with significance, and I can understand what he means. It’s been rough lately, with the attacks and the alliance and the brawl and everyone having to come to terms with shit. Makes sense that people would want to blow off some steam.

And it’s definitely not unheard of for our crew to throw parties every once in a while. Usually after a good haul from smuggling or something else going well.

“Yeah,” I tell him. “I’ll probably stick around.”

That seems to put them in good spirits, and more whiskey is splashed into my glass. I lift the glass and down it in one long swallow before smirking when the card I need gets dropped.

More hands get dealt as the sun goes down, and I drink more whiskey, not giving a shit about moderation tonight. I’m tired and a little fucked up, and the whiskey takes the edge off. Being here, surrounded by my people and the familiar noise of the clubhouse definitely helps too.

It almost feels like old times, before all of this shit threw everything into chaos.

As it gets later, more people start showing up. First in a trickle, but then in larger groups. I lift my hand to greet the crew members who call out to me, feeling my head swim and my body burn with the booze in my system.

I’m definitely fairly drunk, but feeling so much better than I was before. I’m not really thinking about anything now.

Not the alliance. Not the attacks. Not Quinn.

My head is just floating, a warm haze over everything.

Someone turns on music, and it starts blaring through the speakers. The bass thumps loud and hard, and I can feel it rattling around in my skull and vibrating through my bones.

I nod along idly to the beat as one last hand is played, and then the game breaks up as the guys get distracted by other things. Namely, more drinks and the food that just arrived. I’m considering joining them, but as I rise from my chair, I feel a hand on my arm and look down to see who wants my attention now.

It’s Zoey.

She looks good, relaxed. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, and she’s dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt, but it looks good on her. Everything always looks good on her.

She smiles at me, and it lights up her face. “I’m glad you came tonight,” she says. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“No?”

“Not really. I know you, Nico, and Killian have been busy with this new alliance and everything—and I get why that’s important, don’t get me wrong. But people have missed you around here.”

I nod. “Yeah, I got that impression when I showed up. I miss this place too. Definitely.”

Zoey smiles even wider, her green eyes shining. Maybe it’s the whiskey or my mood, but I feel like I could get lost in her eyes when they look like this. Bright and open, the way things used to be between us.

“How’s it all going, anyway?” she asks, slipping her ponytail over one shoulder. “I know some people were surprised that Nico doubled down on the alliance after that mess a few days ago.”

“They thought he was going to call it off?”

She shrugs. “Some people thought maybe it was more trouble than it’s worth.”

I glance around the room, wondering if any of those people are here now, or if they’re all off on toilet duty. “Well, then they don’t know Nico very well. Once he gets his teeth into something, he doesn’t let it go.”

She laughs, nodding. “That’s what I keep saying. He’s not going to let something like a little brawl make him give up when he’s got a good idea. At least… as long as it’s still a good idea?”

It seems like she’s asking me genuinely, and I don’t even know what to tell her. Nico seems to think so, and from an unbiased perspective, I can see why. He’s told us all we stand to gain from this, all the reasons why we have to see it through.

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