Page 27 of I Survived and will rise again

Gio leans back in the booth, looking thoughtful for a moment before finally requesting a whiskey sour. Telle, who had slipped into the booth before him, orders a beer. Sitting next to me, Ash asks for a beer, and Donnie asks for a glass of water.

The bartender turns to Tia, Tiny, Lupe, and me with a friendly smile. "And the ladies? Did you want another round?"

We all shake our heads, indicating that we're good for now. The bartender nods and walks away.

Lupe takes a sip of her drink and looks at the guys. "Seriously, how did you guys know we were here?" she asks. Seb grins and rests his chin on Lupe's shoulder. "Did you really think we didn't know you girls were coming here?" he says teasingly.

Tells rolls her eyes. "You asshole! Did you track our phones or something?" she snaps.

The guys laugh.

"Nah, baby girl," Gio says. "We didn't have to. Tony called us."

Tony, the club’s bouncer, is a good friend of Seb's.

"That mother—" Tia starts to say, but Seb cuts in. "Hey, he was just doing what I asked him to do. I need to know that you girls are safe."

"Safe? But Seb, the threat is gone. Ain’t nothing going to happen to us," Tia says.

"I'm not taking that chance, Tia. Either accept it or shut up." Seb winks at her, and Tia rolls her eyes.

Just as she opens her mouth to respond, Ash pulls her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, and whispers something in her ear. She blushes and looks up at him, and he leans down to gently kiss the tip of her nose. I can’t hear what he said, but it seems to help calm her down and put her at ease.

Huh. Did they finally pull their heads out of their asses?

Donnie flashes me a lopsided grin and pulls me closer to him. I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heart beating steadily beneath my ear, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. His arms wrap firmly around me as our friends chatter around us.

CHAPTER 10

Donovan

"Yo, Seb!" one of the workers calls out, his voice ringing across the room.

Ash and I decided to stop by Seb's uncle's auto shop to say goodbye to the guys before leaving for college. The moment we stepped inside the shop, the sounds of engines revving and tools clanging filled our ears. The scent of grease and oil linger in the air. The guys are working on different cars and trucks, some on lifts and some on the ground.

Over the past year, Seb and I developed a close bond, and he has become one of my closest friends.

After a few moments, Seb emerges in overalls, cleaning his hands with a dirty rag. As he approaches us, he flashes a grin and asks, "Hey, what's going on, guys?"

I raise my chin in greeting. "What's up?"

"What brings you guys by?" he asks.

"Are the other guys here?" I ask, glancing around.

"Yeah." Seb glances over his shoulder, puts his fingers between his lips, and lets out a whistle. "Max!" he calls out.

"What?" Max yells back.

"Grab Gio and meet me in the back," Seb hollers back.

Seb turns to us and gestures toward the back of the shop. We follow his lead until we reach a little lounge area. Max and Gio walk in, holding bottles of water.

"Catch," Max says as he tosses bottles to me and Ash.

"Thanks, man," Ash and I say simultaneously.

Seb takes a swig from his water bottle and gulps it down. He looks around once everyone's in place. "So, you got all of us here. What's up?" he asks, leaning back and crossing his arms.

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