Page 24 of Treacherous

"I don’t have time for this crap," I grumbled, checking my watch as I climbed to my feet. I cast a meaningful glance at Logan. "I'm late for work."

Logan let out a heavy sigh and shook his head sadly. "I'll give you a ride."

"Thanks, man," I replied gratefully when we reached the front door and were out of earshot of his family.

"Doesn’t mean I agree with this, Noah," he muttered under his breath. "I don’t and I never will."

Low was the one person on this planet who knew what I'd been wrangled into, and he stood by me regardless of the danger a guy like me presented.

Our friendship meant a hell of a lot to me, and I fucking hated when he looked at me with disappointment in his gray eyes.

It caused the helpless feeling inside of me to skyrocket.

****

The entrance leading to the Hub was crammed with cars, bikes and trucks by the time I made it up there – an hour later than requested thanks to Cam and Colt's stupid fucking conversation.

Hidden from roadside view, several miles down the secluded dirt-road leading to the old abandoned quarry, the Hub was the hangout of the immoral and undesirable and was based in an old quarry warehouse set in the mountains that had closed down in the early seventies.

Because of Teagan's tantrum I was still without a ride and had to ask Logan for a ride. I fucking hated that he was here and had to see this side of my life and that caused my anger with Teagan for screwing my ride to intensify.

"You should go home, Low," I told him, still mentally cursing Teagan as I walked around to the back of the building. "I can find another way home."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Low replied in a dry tone as he followed me inside the back entrance. "The only way I'm leaving this place is with you in the passenger seat."

Every time I found myself back in this dump, which seemed to be more and more frequent these days, something my old boxing coach once told me always reverberated in my mind.

"Keep your eye on the donut, Messina,"Chancy had rasped out, cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he watched a ten year old version of me getting an ass kicking in the ring."And not the hole."

At ten years old I hadn’t realized how big an impact Chancy's advice would be on my future. But now, with my eighteenth birthday around the corner, I recited those words like a Christian would the bible.

The make-shift bar was bursting to the seams with patrons when we stepped inside.

Women were stripping on tables, men were fisting themselves as they watched and I had to swallow my own vomit as I walked through the crowd with my best friend flanking me, my head held high, and my focus on the donut.

****

Chapter 6

Teagan

I had always been a fitness fanatic – nothing to do with losing weight, I just really enjoyed exercising.

Working out kept my body supple and my mind content. At least that's how I looked on the outside and felt on the inside.

I'd been a member of the local gym back home in Galway, but since moving to The Hill I'd been lacking in motivation. That had all changed because of Hope – and her sex-god dad.

Yesterday during lunch, when I asked Hope about good gyms in the area she'd texted her dad and within two minutes I'd been offered a lifetime membership with the gym in his hotel.

Free of charge.

Of course I had accepted and thanked the hell out of her before asking if she wanted to go work out with me at the weekend. Hope had then proceeded to kindly tell me no, not happening, never-ever.

Apparently Hope didn’tdoexercise and the only thing that could make her run was the threat of Colton farting near her face.

The second I had walked through the doors of the Henderson Hotel in downtown Boulder I'd been impressed and a little intimidated.

I hadn’t realized the Carter's were rich people.

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