Page 38 of The Players

“Lowell,” I said.

He eyed me and then went to occupy the railing on the other side of us. The anger radiating off him could be felt across town.

I stood up and walked toward him, but when I reached out to touch him, his eyes narrowed, and I thought better of it. Pulling my hand back, I tucked it into my pants pocket.

“Thanks for coming.”

He didn’t answer, just frowned at me and then at Hector. “Is Shit Bird coming?”

“Who? Mills?” Hector asked. “I doubt it. He’s not answering messages. Guess he’s not sure whose side he’s on this time.”

“Asshole,” Lowell said, pulling a cigarette out and putting it between his lips before he lit it. Then his eyes snapped back to me. “What about Hill? Is he coming? You two lovey-dovey all of a sudden?”

I shook my head. “I’ll explain. I promise. I’m just waiting for Randy.”

Lowell’s eyebrow went up as he squinted at me through a trail of smoke. “Randy?”

“Her friend, dipshit,” Hector said, standing up. “Or don’t you two do anything other than fuck?”

Lowell grumbled something, but it was all harmless banter. I knew better than to read anything into it.

At last, the fourth member of our group appeared on the path. Randy was dressed in a large sweater sporting a birthday-hat-wearing llama and a bright yellow hair bow that would have made JoJo Siwa jealous. I hadn’t told her to dress inconspicuously but made a mental note to do so in the future.

“Heeeyyy,” she said, drawing the word out as her eyes darted around the gazebo. She could read the temperature of the space and had clocked it as tense. “Is this the meeting of the minds or a cage fight about to start?”

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine,” I said, turning my attention to Randy. “A lot has happened. Here, sit down. Let me explain.”

I told them everything from the night before: about Spencer’s warning, Savannah’s drinking game, and Easton’s care afterward. They listened, emotions waring on their faces as I went over the gritty details. After I was done, the three of them sat in stunned silence for a moment. I tried not to worry they’d all get up and leave.

“So, you’re telling me Easton’s the good guy here?” Lowell said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it.

“No,” I replied. “He’s just… not being as bad as he normally is. It seems there’s a new archenemy in town, and she wears size eight Jimmy Chou’s.”

“You think Savannah’s in charge?” Hector asked. “I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. You don’t know Hill like we do. He hated to be told what to do. He had to be in charge ofeverything. Why do you think we left the Lords? We never had a say. Never.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I don’t buy it.”

“I know you know him better than I do,” I said. “All I can do is tell you what I saw and experienced. He’s been the one trying to stop her each time.”

“Maybe he’s had a change of heart,” Randy offered.

Lowell scoffed and pulled his flask from his jacket pocket before tipping it to his lips. “Easton Hill doesn’t change. None of the Hills do. They're evil as Satan and as slippery as an eel.”

“Well, maybe he just can’t compete with the amount of evil Savannah has in store,” Randy offered. “Or maybe losing his crew shook him.” She glanced between Lowell and Hector. “Seeing all of you with Vivian… I don’t know. Maybe he realized that being a dick isn’t worth it.”

“A change of heart,” Lowell said, snorting. “Sorry, no. Easton Hill doesn’t have one.”

“We don’t need to argue about it,” I offered. “We just need to figure out what to do.”

“I can do some digging into the grocery store, see how much they owe on the mortgage and what kind of pressure they’re getting from the Hill Corporation.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

Randy offered him a thankful smile.

“I can do some reconnaissance on the twins,” Lowell said. “A little light stalking sounds just about right.”

“Promise me you’ll be careful,” I said, locking eyes with Lowell. He was acting erratic, and there was no telling what he might do if he was drunk and pissed. “And promise me no drinking and driving.”

He shrugged his big shoulders beneath his leather jacket. “Fine. I need to be sharp anyway.”

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