Kill of the Night [BXB]

Chapter 27

 For a reason that escapes me, Sascha actually looks kind of hot today. Instead of the usual flannel-over-hoodie and jeans combination, he's wearing a striped shirt under a black denim jacket. His hair, ebony and unruly, is brushed back, and he's even gotten rid of the cowboy scruff. His tongue plays with a toothpick sticking out between his teeth, and when I get in the car, he nods sharply in the hey-man-what's-up greeting.

"You look remarkably normal today," I greet in turn.

"Love you too."

"You going on a date?" I ask, closing the car door.

"Naw, we have a date with the son of Springfield's bitch."

"What the fuck is Springfield?"

"Jesus," he says softly. "You don't know anything about Warrent, do you?"

I frown. "Why aren't you driving?"

"Because I figure this is gonna take longer than the two minutes we have until we get to school, and I don't want the wrong person hearing us at school."

"Okay, what the fuck is happening?"

His hands tighten on the steering wheel. "This is risky shit, okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"But Tardus wants it done as soon as possible, and there happens to be a good chance for us to take. So we're taking it."

". . . Continue."

"There's a football game today. The captain is the next alpha in line for Springfield's pack. Trust me, he's a total knucklehead and super easy to manipulate. We were gonna meet up with him after school, but like I said, Tardus wants us to do this. We have a big delivery and the times would clash otherwise. The kid's name is Ryan, and you'll probably see more of him. His pack is a big buyer of our stuff, and they practically own all of Springfield."

I snicker. "Ryan and Rion, really?"

"I dunno. They're probably equally shitty."

"What is this meeting about?"

"It's about our relations with an enemy gang of theirs. Apparently, Redeye has been trying to take over some new territory, and Springfield doesn't like that. The only issue is that Redeye's been buying our shit for years, and Tardus and our associates in Warrent aren't so sure about giving them up. So Springfield called us to meet in the middle, and of course they're completely insulting us by sending their bum ass kid to represent them."

"So they're saying they want to get their way? How are they gonna do that by insulting Warrent?"

"War, maybe. It's why we're agreeing to this shit, as demeaning as it is."

"Does Marcel know about any of this?"

"The big guy doesn't give a shit about small town drama, even if we're his biggest supplier in the deep south. I think we'll be fine. He won't step in unless he thinks we'll lose."

"You won't lose, will you?"

Sascha smirks and pulls away from the curb. "They may be wolves, but we have the silver bullets."

——

I check my phone for the time. Tao appears in the door and flounces into the seat beside me. On the row opposite to me, I see Sascha texting someone. He hasn't done any of the work so far, but he seems dedicated enough to his job to refrain from skipping. He's also sat near me during lunch every day, and he seems to have made a friend in Dominic, which is a relief. I may be patient, but there's something so irritating about the dudes, bros, and mans he throws around all day.