Page 2 of Heathens

“Yeah, like what?” I ask. “What’s a guy like you want to get up to in a hole like Santa Cruz?”

“Get laid, get drunk, eat someone? Remember when we used to drive up to San Fran and party all night? How come we never do that shit anymore?”

“Revenge.”

Theo scoffs, straightening himself and lowering his voice in mockery..

“Revenge. Fuck, you sound like such a dick.”

“Iama dick, and wait, that was supposed to sound like me?”

“So, revenge for what?” he asks, ignoring me completely. “He hasn’t done anything to you in forever. Fuck, he practically lets you run wild.”

I shake my head, affording him a soft chuckle.

“You still don’t get it? This isn’t about some recent sleight. This is about getting what’s mine, about getting what he promised me.”

Before he can bite back, headlights shine into the rearview mirror. The disappointment in Theo’s eyes might have crushed me if I could still bring myself to care.

“Dom, tell me you didn’t call them.”

I pat him on the shoulder.

“It’s a team effort, Tierney.”

Theo and I step out of the car while Luke and Mateo prepare their weapons. They’re both dressed in black suits with matching dress shirts and ties. It’s a bit much, but who am I to ruin their fun?

Mateo’s conventionally attractive, shorter than me by a few inches, and packs a hell of a lot of muscle onto his frame. If he weren’t so pale, he’d almost look like your typical California boy, with long blond hair and a slightly crooked nose from one too many breaks, all topped off with gray eyes that remind me of storm clouds.

Luke is the polar opposite, with short dark hair and brown eyes. He has a slightly rounder, chubbier face, and thick dark brows that always make him look like he’s scowling, unless he’s grinning like an idiot, which is often. His thin frame doesn’t quite fill out his suits, and he almost looks like he’s swimming in them at the worst of times.

I lean in and kiss Mateo on the forehead, patting his cheek as he unloads some gas cans from the trunk, one for each of us.

“You’re a good man, Mateo. Have I told you that?”

He flinches, fear in his eyes.

“No, sir, this would be the first time.”

I chuckle as I grab one of the cans and thrust it into the air.

“Let’s go, boys! Let’s see what big, bad Rene Deschamps has squirreled away in his warehouse. Maybe it’s a gorgeous woman. You’ve been looking for one of those, huh, Theo? Now that I think of it, how long’s it been since Debbie left you?”

“Shut up,” Theo mutters. “Asshole.”

Luke and Mateo chuckle as the four of us head toward the building, climbing through brush and dead branches to reach an overgrown staircase.

“Dom, you have to know this could be a trap.” Theo’s voice is quiet, barely audible over the sound of Mateo kicking away dried twigs and leaves.

“Sure, but so what if it is?” I shrug. “We’ve got guns.”

“Great,” Theo mutters. “You thought of everything.”

I clap him on the back. He’s been there for me since we were young, always my right-hand man, and through it all I can’t think of a single time he’s put up with my shit. More important than that, though, he’s never really had much of a sense of humor.

“Come on, lighten up for once, huh? You said you wanted to have fun. This is fun!”

I hear something crack around the side of the building as Theo rolls his eyes. Luke has already wandered off and the three of us leap over the railing, heading straight for the noise. We spot him tossing decayed plywood behind him as he clears away jagged pieces of glass with his foot.

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