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“This place is gross,” Forty muttered next to me. “How the hell do they live like this?”

“With syphilis. That is how they live like this.” Line tried to move a cup that was on the table, but it didn’t budge. “No one touches anything,” he whispered loudly.

“What the hell are you blabbering about?” Trick called.

I glanced at Line and shook my head. We did not need to start this meeting on the wrong foot.

“Uh, nothing. I was just commenting on your decorating.” He flicked the cup. “It’s really something.”

“Who the fuck cares about decorating?” Trick growled.

“I guess the real question is, who cares about living in their own filth, right?” Yellow called.

“You don’t like the clubhouse?”

All eyes turned to Hobbs. He had walked out from god knows where and was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. “You didn’t seem to mind sleeping here when the Broken Jokers were your family, Bronc.”

“It’s Yellow now,” Yellow growled. “And you guys were never my family. I was a prospect for three weeks.”

“And then you punked out and ran to the Lost Mavericks with your tail tucked between your legs,” Trick laughed. “Fucking pussy.”

Yellow lunged toward Trick, but Showtime and Line grabbed him.

I shouldn’t have brought Yellow along. I knew he wouldn’t have been able to control himself if Trick stared in on him.

“Knock it off,” Hobbs called.

I sliced a glared at Yellow, and he held up his hands.

Hobbs pushed off the wall and moved to stand in front of me. “What can I do for you, Hail? If I remember correctly, you hate me, and I hate you.”

“That hasn’t changed, Hobbs,” I grunted.

“Then why the sudden visit to my clubhouse?” Hobbs asked.

I looked around and tipped my head to the side. “You lose some members?” I asked. Besides Trick, there were only two other guys hanging around.

Hobbs shrugged. “It’s hard to find loyal people these days. Trick is my righthand man, while Dink and Rex round everything out.”

Only four members in the Broken Jokers total. Pathetic.

I had at least four or five people a week asking how to get into the Lost Mavericks, and I turned them all away. “I wouldn’t know about that. Loyalty is something the Lost Mavericks don’t lack.”

“So you just came here to do a head count?” Hobbs hocked a loogie onto the floor and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

I shook my head. “Came to talk to you about a debt.”

Hobbs tipped his head. “Really?”

“Mary Jay Box. Her dad racked up some gambling debts with you, and now you’re trying to soak her for it after he died.”

“What the hell does that have to do with you?” Trick demanded.

I glared at him and folded my arms over my chest. “She belongs to me now, so her debt is now my debt.”

“Nope, nope,” Trick called. “That is not how this works.”

“Shut up,” Hobbs called. “When the fuck did you hook up with the Box girl? Trick collected from her last night, and she never mentioned you.”

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