Page 77 of Crew
I didn't know why.
I honestly didn't.
Maybe the whole stupid thing with Jordan was on my mind, and I wanted it done. I didn't want any more questions about him.
Maybe thinking of Taz with her parents made me think of what Race must be going through, or maybe in some weird way I wanted to make it up to Taz, wipe away the hurt I'd caused her.
Whatever the reason, I drove to the outskirts of Roussou and headed to the Ryerson's home. Alex's parents lived on the outside of town, so they had a bunch of land extending behind them. There was a pool, a pool house, and a couple storage sheds. They had a setup like Jordan's, but with a longer driveway.
I wasn't surprised to find Alex's crew lingering around the pool when I parked and got out. Half of them were in it. Some were drinking and talking. Some were dunking the others in the pool. A few girls were straddling some of the guys, their tongues down their throats. Amid all that as a backdrop, I pushed ahead.
Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, but I wanted to know so I could tell Taz. I was there for her, and I didn't have the guy's phone number.
I had Alex's. That thought just came to me, almost making me stop where I stood, but I was already here.
A guy next to Alex poked his arm, pointing to me.
And Alex saw me.
I couldn't back out now. It'd make me look scared, weak. Wolf Crew wasn't weak, so ignoring what my gut was telling me, and ignoring a whiff of rotten eggs, I started over to him.
I didn't go far. I stopped a few feet away from my Jeep.
Alex stood when he saw me, a beer in hand. His skin glistened, and he had drops pouring down his forehead. He was almost drenched, and I didn't need to get closer to know it wasn't from the pool.
"Your cousin here?"
A full smile spread over his face, maybe too quickly, too eager. Too unsettling. "How about a beer instead?"
I shook my head. "I'm looking for your cousin."
"Ah." He nodded, the smile fading. A different, meaner grin took its place. "I was wondering what brought Bren Monroe to my place." He made a show of looking behind me. "And without your crew too." He whistled. "You're living on the edge, Bren. I might reach out and...hug you."
I bared my teeth. "Not without my permission, you won't."
He laughed, tipping his head back. The sound was a little too maniacal. "There she is. You looked almost tame for a second, like a sweet little kitten, not the feral puss I know you are." He gestured with his beer back toward where I'd come from. "As for my cousin, he took off after school."
"What?"
His smile was fully gone now. A hard glint remained in his eyes, fusing with the haze there. "Let's say we had a difference of opinion about something. Yeah." He motioned again. "He took off. I don't have a clue where."
Race was gone? Like, gone gone?
"What about his mom?"
Alex's eyes sharpened. He lowered his beer. "You know about his mom? About why she's here?"
"Is she still here?"
He tilted his head to the side. "How do you know about his mom? Even my crew doesn't know why she's here."
"Is she still here?" I was pissed, suddenly really, really pissed. Race had made a big fucking deal about his dad's money for Taz's thing, and now he was gone? And I was here, stepping in the middle of another fucking crew when I shouldn't be?
"Yeah." He took a sip. Slow, methodical. "She's here."
I was ignoring all of the signs that I should get out of here. Pretend they aren't there, I told myself. Pretend you don't know. Maybe nothing will happen? I'd walked into a den of vipers, and I needed to back out of here before they struck. Everything in me was screaming to run, but I forced a nonchalant look on my face.
I had to.
