Page 48 of Everest

Everest stalks toward me, carrying a paper bag with a familiar logo and a cup filled with what I already know will be my favorite coffee. “I stopped at that coffee shop down the street from your apartment and got that sugary shit you call coffee and one of those blueberry muffins you like.”

I gape at him. “How did you know?”

Everest sets my muffin and coffee on the table in front of me and leans down until his face is level with mine. “I pay attention.”

“Really?” I whisper.

“Yes,” he whispers back. “Now, give me a kiss because I got shit to do.” Without waiting for a response, Everest claims my mouth with his. The kiss is quick but no less toe-curling. A second later, his mouth is gone, and so is he.

Once I know we are alone, I turn back to Promise, who is fighting her own grin. I roll my eyes. “Shut up.”

She holds up her hands. “Hey! I didn’t say a word.”

I snatch the bag off the table and retrieve the muffin from inside. “No, but I know what you were thinking.”

Promise reaches over, tears off a piece of my muffin, and pops it in her mouth. “You have been giving me a hard time for years. Now it’s finally my turn.”

Later that afternoon, I’m lounging around the clubhouse with the girls. Because we are on lockdown and there’s nothing else to do, we make margaritas and gossip while Jo’s daughter, Sawyer, and Tequila’s niece, Sydney, watch the little kids in the television room. At the same time, poor Catcher is sitting in the corner of the room, looking like he’d rather be elsewhere. I don’t blame him. No man should bear witness to the kinds of things girlfriends say when they are bored and have been drinking.

“I don’t care what anyone says, strippers are hot,” Tequila says, sprawled out on the sofa, putting her two cents in. “I always did want to learn how to pole dance, but unfortunately, these feet were made for boots, not stilettos.”

I wave her off. “Anyone can learn. I’ll be happy to teach you some moves.”

Piper perks up. “Ooh, can you teach me too?”

“Wait.” Luna signs. “I want to learn too.”

“Don’t forget about me,” Jo adds.

“Hell, yeah.” I raise my drink in the air. “I vote that next girls’ night should be at the Pink Palace. I’ll introduce you guys to Tony and the girls.”

There is a round of cheers from the girls just as the guys walk into the clubhouse.

“Awe, shit. They’re into the margaritas,” Wick drawls. “That can only mean one thing.”

In the corner, Catcher murmurs, “You don’t want to know.”

Promise giggles when Nova strides up behind her and tugs her ponytail, making her head tip back. “What are you all up to?”

Over on the sofa, Tequila pretends to inspect her nails. Across from her, Luna’s face turns red, and Piper bites her bottom lip beside Luna as Kiwi eyes her skeptically.

“What makes you think we’re up to something?” I tease Nova with a smirk.

Beside him, Everest crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Maybe because every time you women get together, one of you gets a hair-brained idea to do something stupid, and the rest of you fall in line.”

“No. What happens is we try to have fun, and then you all come in with your caveman attitudes and spoil it,” I argue.

Lucky for us, Riggs cuts in. “All right, brothers. We got shit to do, so whatever the women are cookin’ up, we’ll have to deal with it later.” I watch as Riggs strides over to Luna and steals a kiss before disappearing out the back with Fender and Wick.

“Pain in my goddamn ass,” Everest grunts, then stalks off with Kiwi and Nova.

13

EVEREST

The light cutting through the curtains is dull and gray, filtered by storm clouds hanging low in the sky. Fitting for the shitstorm circling us. I’ve been lying awake for a couple of hours, the weight of the past few days pressing heavily on my chest. I look to my left, where London is curled on her side, one bare leg half tangled in the sheet, with her long dark hair a mess on the pillow. Peaceful. Safe. For now.

We’re on lockdown, thanks to Velasco. Not the one we buried a few years back, but his son. The one who decided to crawl out of whatever hole he’d been hiding in to make us pay for the blood we spilled. And if there’s one thing I know, it is that people seeking revenge don’t care about right or wrong. Organizations like Velasco’s care about legacy and power. This new blood is looking to restore what was lost. And now that we know the pusher who tried to take London was connected to Velasco, it’s all starting to stack up.

---