Page 59 of Frisco

I’m here, drunk, because of a simple fucking text. But what Foley did to me?

I had some things to tell Foley.

Shane said I couldn’t call people I cared about. One, that rule would never apply to my dad, but I was drunk.

So I called Foley.

He didn’t answer, which was a wise decision on his part. I texted instead.

The texts were long and negative.

I didn’t want to rehash them. The energy came from a dark place, but I felt better when I finished.

Pretty sure I called him a worm, and actually googled how many different species of worms there were, and then I called him a name in as many of the species I could. At a hundred I had to stop. I did text my dad telling him there’s a million different species of worms.

He texted back asking why I was telling him this.

I was too drunk to respond so I went to bed.

I slept great.

19

SHANE

The shed was a rundown building with some straw on the floor, but mostly dirt. Claudia stood at the far end, feet apart, arms folded over her chest, and a glare directed at Machete and me. A few of our guys were outside, the ones we trusted to keep away the ones we didn’t trust. Likely she had seen them. The boards that made up the wall weren’t evenly spaced. There were cracks and some holes, and you could hear and see quite a bit if you paid attention.

“You want to explain what this is about?” she spat.

That look on her face, in her eyes—I hadn’t realized that all the girls in Connor’s family were seriously smart. Every single one of them.

I glanced at Machete. “Is she your old lady?”

He blinked slowly and turned to gaze at her. Then he sighed and started forward. “I guess so.”

I almost laughed. Quite a ringing endorsement. That spoke volumes.

I shifted back, waiting to see how he’d handle this. Evidently, she was his, so he’d take the front seat in this interrogation, and that’s what this was about to become.

“Claude,” Machete started in a low tone, and he stopped halfway between her and me. “We’re in a situation here.”

I was surprised to see how she softened when Machete spoke.

She kept her arms folded on her chest. “I’m seeing that, considering we took off, fucked a bunch, and now we’re back, but where the hell are we?” She looked through the shed’s wall at the guys moving around out front. “Roadie told me we were here to party. I’m not getting the party vibe out there.” She raised her chin, raising her voice too. “I’m not stupid, Ghost. I remember you, remember how you used to like my sister back in school. I saw how you reacted to her. You stay away from Kali. She’s too good for you.”

I agreed, but I stepped forward. She’d brought me into this.

Machete knew that too, stepping back as I now took the lead.

“Your sister is here,” I told her.

Surprise flashed in Claudia’s eyes before she banked it, but she took a step back, her shoulders tense. “She’s here for me?”

“She was, but now she’s here for different reasons. We’re in a situation. You been following us all the way since Friendly. You been hanging around, could’ve almost been a hangaround if you were a guy. You ain’t a sweet butt. You ain’t a girlfriend either. So like I said, we’re in a situation.”

Her eyes clouded over, but she didn’t move. Her voice came out small. “What’s the situation?”

I sighed because damn this. Claudia was smart, and I was exhausted, and I had two more battles waiting for me. Kali. Estrada. I didn’t have time to do this the proper way, but I couldn’t do it this way either. I couldn’t lay out the cards and hope Claudia would do the right thing. She wouldn’t. That’s just the woman she was. She kept her cards close to her chest, all the time, no matter who those cards could hurt. She didn’t care. Never had.

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