The Foxhole Court (All for the Game Book 1)
The Foxhole Court: Chapter 7

By Neil’s third day on the court, he had no idea how the Foxes made it to championships last spring. His guess that the team was made up of four groups was partially accurate, but the lines he’d drawn were flexible. Whenever Allison and Seth were fighting, Allison ended up with the girls and Seth retreated to Matt. It seemed Allison and Seth didn’t believe in middle ground: either they were slinging vile insults at each other or they were making out in the locker room regardless of whoever might be around. Neil didn’t know what triggered the abrupt and constant change in emotions. He hoped he never understood.

The entire first week of summer practices was eaten up by infighting as the court hierarchy fell into place again. When Dan was acting as their captain, she ruled them with the same angry spine Neil saw that first day. She didn’t hesitate to push people into line and the Foxes let her have the final say in everything. Even Andrew followed her orders, though Neil guessed it was because he was amused by her supposed fearlessness.

Kevin knew more about the sport than any of them ever would and he had some lingering authority from his stint as their assistant coach, but his cold personality was a turn-off and his approach made it hard for the others to listen to him without snapping back. He caused the majority of the arguments that week, and most of those fights were between him and Seth. Kevin and Seth hated each other with a loathing second only to what Seth and Nicky felt for each other. It took only one wrong word to turn their arguments into physical brawls. The fighting hit a peak on Wednesday afternoon when Andrew left practice early for his weekly therapy session. The second he vanished, Seth went for Kevin with fists flying.

Matt was the brute force that kept them in line when Dan’s words weren’t enough. Because of Kevin’s injury and Andrew’s apathy, Matt was also the best player the Foxes had. Neil privately thought Matt should have been named captain because of the solidarity he could bring the team. Whatever happened between him and Andrew last year, he seemed to have an understanding with the cousins, which meant the Foxes had a solid defense line. His relationship with Kevin was harder for Neil to figure out. His skill and commitment meant Kevin was willing to work with and listen to him, but the two of them went from perfect understanding to outright antagonism constantly. It reminded Neil a little of Allison and Seth, except without the desperate sexual undertones.

Renee was next in line and the eye of the storm. She doled out friendly advice, encouraged her teammates’ efforts, and played mediator occasionally. She didn’t get involved in the others’ fights, either to take sides or preach peace, and no one argued with a word she said. Even Andrew seemed quite taken with her. Neil saw them talking off to the side several times throughout the week. It was obvious no one else approved of their odd friendship, but neither goalkeeper paid any mind to the unhappy looks sent their way. Neil wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was less sure what to think about Renee, so he avoided her whenever he could.

The rest of the Foxes fell in under them in an ever-shifting order. Seth’s position on the team varied the most. He was the team’s only fifth-year, since everyone else from his starting line had quit or flunked out by now, but he was too much of an isolationist to make much of a difference on the court. His mood was so volatile Neil was sure he had to be on something. Why Abby and Wymack hadn’t put an end to it, Neil didn’t know. Allison carried weight because of her seniority and her aggressive attitude on the court, but she absolutely loathed the cousins and didn’t like working with them.

Aaron was a better player than Nicky was, but he kept a clinical distance from it all. Nicky gave it everything he had, but he liked dramatic plays and liked picking fights with Allison and Seth even more. Andrew’s position was hard to figure out. His influence over Kevin and his skill made him useful, but he put in as little effort as Wymack let him get away with.

Neil didn’t have a place in that hierarchy yet. His teammates held so little regard for him he didn’t even have the dubious honor of being dead last. He wasn’t surprised, since he was an inexperienced newcomer to their mess, but that didn’t make it easier to deal with. Dan tried her hardest to include him, checking on him anytime she was near him on the court, but she had her hands full managing the rest of her team. Allison didn’t take Neil seriously, Matt was too far away to help, and Neil didn’t want to deal with Renee. The cousins were keeping their distance this week. That left Seth and Kevin.

Kevin and Seth had to deal with Neil since he was on their line, but Neil would rather they ignored him entirely. Nothing he did was right in their eyes. They tore him apart and kicked him aside as useless no matter how hard he tried. Neil hated their attitudes, but he was determined not to lose his temper in front of the team again. Luckily the strikers were as willing to fight over him as they were with him, so he took what comfort he could in watching Seth and Kevin duke it out with fists and sticks.

Wymack rarely interfered in the fighting. He let them brawl and then punished them with intense cardio and excruciating drills. Seemed he’d long ago decided his team could only function by testing themselves against each other and establishing their own ranking. Neil thought it madness at first, but as the week progressed he could see the team finally figuring out the limits and alliances between them.

By the time Friday rolled around, Neil was desperate for the weekend. The stress of worrying about Kevin and Riko, the irritation and exasperation over his teammates’ behavior on the court, and Kevin and Seth’s unending, angry condescension were wearing him down. He couldn’t deal with it any longer, but he couldn’t escape from it, either. He spent all day with the Foxes at practice, then went back to the dorm and saw them all evening too. Neil was being suffocated by their very presence. All he wanted to do was vanish from campus for the weekend. He had to find some breathing room before he cracked.

He’d forgotten about Andrew’s plans for him. When Neil left the shower after Friday’s practice he expected everyone else to be gone. Neil rode to practices with the team, sharing the bed of Matt’s truck with Allison, Seth, and Renee, but he always ran back to the dorm alone afterwards. The others caught on within a couple days that Neil liked leaving after them, and none of them had asked him why. They didn’t try to change his mind and stopped waiting on him after the second day. Maybe it was a Fox thing, knowing when there were boundaries they really shouldn’t cross and questions they’d never get answers to. Neil wasn’t sure, but he appreciated it.

Friday was different, though. Neil lugged his dirty uniform into the locker room and saw Nicky waiting on one of the benches with a black gift bag.

‘You survived your first week,’ Nicky said. ‘Did you have fun?’

‘Is it going to be like this all summer?’
‘Pretty much,’ Nicky said. ‘At least it’s never boring, right?’
Neil dropped his uniform in one of the laundry baskets, checked his locker to make sure it was secure, and turned to find Nicky standing right at his back. Neil put a hand up to shove Nicky out of his space. Nicky was expecting it and pushed the black bag into Neil’s open palm.
‘This is for you,’ Nicky said. ‘Andrew said you don’t have anything appropriate for where we’re going. He told me what size to get you, and I picked it out. Trust me, it’s awesome.’
Neil stared at him, thrown. ‘What?’
‘You didn’t forget about our party, did you? Here.’ Nicky hooked the twine handle over Neil’s fingers. Neil watched him do it, trying to remember the last time someone gave him a gift and coming up blank. That his first one should be from Andrew was unsettling.
Nicky misinterpreted his discomfort as suspicion and laughed. ‘No catch. It’s more for us than you, honestly. We can’t be seen with you in public if you look like a raggedy hobo. No offense.’ He waited a beat before finally realizing something wasn’t right. ‘Neil?’
‘Thank you,’ Neil said, but even he heard the uncertainty in it.
Nicky studied him. Neil stared back, refusing to give anything else away. Finally Nicky tweaked Neil’s hair. ‘We’ll pick you up at nine, all right? I suggest napping until then. We’ll be out all night. We’ve got all the right contacts to keep the party going until dawn.’ Nicky grinned and gave Neil’s hair another tug. ‘Speaking of, ditch them tonight. Your contacts, I mean.’
Neil’s stomach roiled. ‘Shut up.’
Nicky gave an exaggerated look around as if checking for eavesdroppers. ‘Look, it’s not like they’re a secret. Anyone who’s looking can see the ring in your eyes that means you’re wearing lenses. I saw ’em day one. I just didn’t think they were fashion lenses until Andrew said so. And seriously? Brown? How boring can you be?’
‘I like brown.’
‘Andrew doesn’t,’ Nicky said. ‘Take them out.’
‘No.’
‘Please,’ Nicky said. ‘No one’s going to see you but us, and we already know they’re a lie. Don’t wear them.’
‘Or what?’ Neil asked.
Nicky’s silence was answer enough. Neil was ready to brush that warning off, but he caught himself. He was sure he could hold his ground against Andrew, but he wasn’t facing Andrew alone. He was going out with Andrew’s entire group half the state away from here. Nicky was honestly trying to help him get the night off on the right foot. Neil didn’t think much of that consideration. He knew which side Nicky would take if things got ugly.
‘Nine,’ Nicky said again, when Neil didn’t answer, and left.
Neil gave him a few minutes’ head start. When he was sure the cousins were long gone, he jogged across campus to the library and killed a few hours scouring the news in the computer lab. He picked up a small dinner on the way back to the dorm at one of the university’s three convenience stores.
His dorm room was empty. He dimly remembered Matt saying something about going to the movies with Dan. Neil didn’t know where Seth was, but luckily he was still gone when it was time for Neil to get ready. He was alone, but Neil checked the lock on the dorm door before gathering his clothes. The bedroom didn’t have a lock, which bothered him, but the bathroom did. He shut himself in there to get ready.
When he was finished changing, he took a long minute to study his reflection. He wasn’t sure what to make of the result. No matter how many times he and his mother changed their identities and languages, one thing stayed the same: they aimed for nondescript fashion that would blend in with an everyday crowd. Neil wore faded tees and plain jeans and worn sneakers, generally in pale colors that helped wash him out further.
This outfit was the complete opposite, and every piece of it was black. The cargoes were light and cut to accommodate a pair of heavy boots. The shirt was long-sleeved, tight, and fashioned to look like it’d torn through in places. A charcoal inner layer peeked out through the gashes, hiding Neil’s skin, but he ran his hands over the cloth a dozen times to make sure there weren’t any open holes. He was sure he could feel his scars through the thin cloth.
There was only one thing left to change. Neil’s stomach churned a little with nerves when he took his contacts out. He blinked a couple times, adjusting to their absence, and flushed the brown lenses down the toilet. A glance at the mirror almost took his breath away. It’d been over a year since Neil had seen his real eyes, since he never left bed without putting his contacts in. His eyes were a chilly shade of blue that only looked brighter against his black hair and clothes. He couldn’t look at them for long; they were his father’s eyes.
Neil gathered his clothes and left the bathroom. As he turned into his bedroom to drop his clothes off, he caught a glimpse of Andrew’s group in the living room. Andrew had picked his lock again. Neil debated how much damage the thick heels of his new boots would do against Andrew’s face and liked what his mind came up with.
He put his laundry into the bottom drawer of his dresser, which he’d decided to use in lieu of a hamper, and turned to see Andrew in the doorway to the bedroom. Andrew lounged against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, and studied Neil. Neil took the chance to look him over, noting first and foremost the lack of an expression on Andrew’s face. Andrew was sober tonight. Neil wondered if Andrew understood the terms of his parole or just didn’t care.
Neil couldn’t leave with Andrew in the way, so he stopped as close to Andrew as he dared and waited for Andrew to move. Andrew did, but only to reach out for Neil with one hand. Neil tensed as Andrew’s fingers wrapped around the back of his neck, but Andrew only wanted to pull Neil’s head down. Neil focused on Andrew’s cheekbone so as not to go cross-eyed and let Andrew study his eyes.
‘Another bit of unexpected honesty,’ Andrew said. ‘Any particular reason?’
‘Nicky asked nicely. You might try it sometime.’
‘We already talked about this. I don’t ask.’ Andrew gave Neil another slow once-over and let go. ‘We’re going.’
Nicky perked up as the two stepped into the living room, but his happy expression faltered when he got a look at Neil. ‘Oh, man. Neil, you clean up good. Can I say that, or is that against the rules? Just— damn. Aaron, don’t let me get too drunk tonight.’
Andrew stopped by Nicky long enough to pull a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lit one, never mind that the dormitory rooms came equipped with smoke detectors, and put his lighter in Nicky’s face.
‘Don’t make me kill you,’ Andrew said.
Nicky held up his hands in selfdefense. ‘I know.’
‘Do you?’
‘Promise,’ Nicky said weakly.
Andrew put his lighter away and left the room. Kevin and Aaron followed. Nicky raked Neil with a last appreciative look and went out to the hall. He waited with Neil while Neil locked the door. They trailed the others downstairs to the car in silence.
Neil ended up in the same spot as last time, stuck between Aaron and Andrew in the backseat. Neil expected trouble, but the brothers propped themselves against their respective windows and dozed off within minutes of leaving campus. Neil couldn’t sleep in such company, so he spent the hour wondering how many things could go wrong tonight. It was an extensive list.
When the car’s headlights first started flashing over exit signs for Columbia, Nicky motioned over his shoulder at Neil. ‘Wake Andrew up, will you? Preferably without touching him.’
‘What?’ Aaron asked sleepily, rousing at Nicky’s voice.
‘I can’t remember which exit we decided was the shortcut. You?’
Aaron answered by reaching around Neil and pushing Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew’s reaction was immediate and violent. Aaron got his hand out of the way in time, but there was nowhere for Neil to go. Andrew’s elbow slammed into his diaphragm hard enough to double Neil up over his knees. Aaron, completely unsympathetic, snapped his fingers over Neil’s head at Andrew.
‘Exit,’ he said.
Andrew braced himself on Neil’s back and leveraged himself between the front seats. He watched until they passed a sign and said, ‘Not yet. It’s the exit that has Waffle House.’
‘This is South Carolina,’ Nicky said. ‘Every exit leads to Waffle House. Still breathing, Neil?’
‘Yes,’ Neil said hoarsely. ‘I think.’
Andrew dropped back into his seat and let go of Neil. Neil managed to sit up, but he couldn’t help pressing a hand to his shirt. It felt like Andrew’s elbow had blown a hole right through him. He flicked a look at Aaron, who shrugged at his silent accusation, and then at Andrew. Andrew didn’t return it, too distracted by his hands. He had them up in front of him, but it wasn’t until a car passed going the other direction that Neil realized what he was looking at. In the flash of light from passing headlights Neil saw Andrew’s fingers were trembling.
‘Nicky,’ Andrew said.
Nicky glanced back. He couldn’t see tremors in the darkness, but he saw where Andrew was looking. Nicky swept across lanes toward their exit. ‘We’re almost there.’
‘Pull over.’
‘We’re on an exit ramp.’
‘Now.’
Nicky didn’t argue again. He pulled off onto the almost nonexistent shoulder, braking so hard Neil expected the car to fishtail. Horns blared as a car whipped past them. Andrew shoved his door opened, leaned out of the car as far as he could, and dryheaved into the weeds alongside the road. Neil was sitting close enough to him to feel the way Andrew’s entire body shook with the effort. It sounded like Andrew was tearing his esophagus to shreds.
‘Where are your crackers?’ Nicky asked when Andrew was left gasping for breath.
‘He took them earlier,’ Kevin said.
‘All of them?’ Nicky asked, horrified. ‘Jesus, Andrew.’
‘Shut up,’ Andrew said, and spat a couple times. He reached blindly for Kevin’s headrest, found it on the third try, and pulled himself back inside the car. ‘Just get us there.’
Nicky floored it, but once they entered the outskirts of Columbia night traffic slowed them down. Their first destination was a restaurant called Sweetie’s. It was too late for dinner, but the parking lot was packed. Nicky dropped them off at the door so he could circle and look for a spot. There were four groups ahead of them waiting for seats. Andrew detoured to the salad bar and grabbed two handfuls of cracker packets from a bucket on the end. Kevin watched as Andrew methodically ate his way through them. Andrew answered with a baleful look.
He finished his snack before Nicky joined them. A few minutes later they were finally seated at a booth in the back. Before the host could leave Andrew stuffed his empty cracker packets into the man’s apron. The host didn’t even bat an eye at such rudeness but left them with their menus. Their waitress wasn’t far behind him, and Nicky handed the menus back unread.
‘We’re just here for the ice cream special,’ Nicky said.
‘No problem,’ she said. ‘I’ll get that right to you.’
Nicky’s smile disappeared the second she left and he turned a concerned look on Andrew. Andrew sat cradling his face in one hand. The other hand was flat on the table in front of him, and his shaking was more pronounced now. A shudder passed through Andrew’s frame. Andrew sucked in a long breath through clenched teeth.
Kevin pulled a bottle of pills out of his pocket and set them on the table, halfway between himself and Andrew. ‘Just take it.’
Andrew went perfectly still as he stared at the bottle. ‘Fuck you.’
Neil finally understood. ‘You’re going through withdrawal.’
Andrew ignored him. ‘Put that away before I shove it down your throat.’
Kevin frowned but did as he was told.
It didn’t take long for their ice cream to arrive. Their waitress passed out bowls and set a pile of napkins in the middle of the table. As soon as she left, Andrew scattered the napkins with an impatient hand. Underneath them all was a pile of packets full of pale yellow powder.
‘We’re in public,’ Aaron said.
Andrew ignored him in favor of ripping open two bags and upending them into his mouth.
Nicky nudged Neil. ‘Try the ice cream. You’ll love it.’
Neil obediently dipped into the mound he’d been served, but he didn’t let Nicky or the food distract him from Andrew. Andrew collected the rest of the packets and hid them in one of his pockets. Moving was a mistake, judging by the tight look on his face. Andrew pressed the side of his hand hard against his mouth and swallowed so hard Neil heard it across the table.
It took Andrew another minute before he relaxed enough to start eating. Whatever he’d taken must have dulled the edge of his withdrawal, because he was back to a calm façade by the time he finished eating. When the bill arrived, Andrew pushed it Aaron’s way, and Aaron clipped a small stack of twenties to the check. Neil looked back as they left, seeing first the people taking cracker packets from the salad bar and second the waitress pocketing the money they’d left her.
It was a short drive from the restaurant to their real destination of the night. Eden’s Twilight was a two-story nightclub a couple blocks from the main road. There was a line of people waiting to get in, and the clothes they wore made Neil’s outfit look plain. Most of the men wore leather, half the women had corsets, and a good number of both genders were covered in buckles and chains.
Neither the line nor the fashion deterred the cousins. Nicky pulled up the curb by the door and let them out. The pair of bouncers at the entrance perked up at their arrival, and Aaron greeted them with a complicated fist bump and handshake Neil didn’t try to understand. One of the bouncers dug an orange tag out of his back pocket and handed it over, and Aaron brought it to Nicky. Nicky attached it to the rearview mirror and drove away to park the car somewhere.
Andrew saluted the bouncers on his way by and led the way into the club, bypassing the line entirely. Kevin followed, and Aaron motioned for Neil to go ahead of him.
A second set of doors opened into a madhouse. The four were standing on a dais that wrapped around the floor and was crowded with tables. Stairs led down to a packed dance floor. Somewhere stairs led up to the second floor, which was more a balcony than anything else. The DJ was off the floor on a platform of his own, positioned halfway between floors. Speakers taller than Neil lined the walls, and Neil could feel the bass crunching against his bones.
Neil stopped staring so he wouldn’t fall behind and followed Kevin around the room. It took a bit of searching before they found a table. It was covered with glasses, but the stools were abandoned, so they claimed it. Andrew cleared away the cups while Aaron hunted down two more chairs. As soon as they were set, Andrew snagged his fingers in Neil’s collar and pulled Neil after him toward the bar.
Three bartenders were on staff, but Andrew was interested in a specific one and willing to wait for him. When the man finally made it to them, he flashed Andrew an easy smile. ‘Back so soon, Andrew? Who’s your newest victim?’
‘A nobody,’ Andrew said. ‘It’s the usual for us.’
The man nodded and looked at Neil. ‘And for you?’
‘I don’t drink,’ Neil said.
‘Soda, then,’ the man said, and pushed away to put their order together. He returned with a tray of drinks. Andrew wielded it with an easy expertise that made Neil wonder if he’d ever worked here before. When the bartender slid Neil his glass of soda last, Andrew led the way back through the crowd, pushing drunks out of his way with his free hand. Nicky was waiting for them at the table and leaned out of the way for Andrew to put the tray down past him.
‘Cheers,’ Nicky yelled, and they drank as one.
Neil went through his soda quicker than he meant to. The others were drinking at an unhealthy speed and Nicky prodded at Neil to keep up. The soda made him feel dehydrated and the caffeine went to his head faster than he expected. He’d mostly given up soda when he tried out for the Millport Dingos last year, so he wasn’t used to it anymore. When he got up to help Andrew get the second round of drinks, he thought about switching to water, but the bartender poured his soda before he could ask.
Andrew’s packets from Sweetie’s reappeared as soon as they made it back to the table. Andrew waggled one at Neil in taunting invitation. When Neil just looked at him, Andrew smirked and passed them out to the others instead. Even Kevin took one, which Neil found disappointing for some reason.
‘Cracker dust,’ Nicky said as he ripped his packet open. ‘Heard of it? Tastes like sugar and salt and gives you a small rush. Sure you don’t want in?’
‘Drugs are stupid.’
‘Ouch,’ Andrew said with a cold smile. ‘That’s judgmental.’
‘I’m not going to apologize for thinking you’re being idiotic.’
‘Is your spine the spine of the righteous?’ Andrew wondered. ‘Are you trying your best to step on my toes because you’re feeling the tragic weight of the holier than thou?’
‘Righteousness is for people who don’t know any better.’
‘Easy, easy,’ Nicky said, distributing shots around the table. The bartender had put a bit of soda in a shot glass for Neil for this round, and Nicky set it down in front of Neil. ‘Dust isn’t bad. It just makes the night more interesting. You think Kevin would risk his future over a night out at the club?’ ‘What future?’ Neil asked.
Kevin shot Neil a black look, but Nicky intervened before he could say anything. ‘Drink with us if you won’t dust with us,’ Nicky said, holding his open packet in one hand and his shot in the other. ‘Down the hatch on three.’
Arguing would be fruitless when the four had left their common sense at the door, so Neil picked up his glass in silence. Nicky counted them off, and Neil knocked his shot back. As soon as it hit the back of his throat, Neil knew he’d made a serious mistake.
His sodas had tasted sweet, but this shot was almost unbearably so, and the aftertaste on Neil’s tongue wasn’t sugar. Neil lurched to his feet, but Andrew grabbed him by his hair and slammed him back into his seat. A cruel twist pulled his head back at a dangerous angle, and Andrew slammed Neil’s hand flat against the tabletop. Neil lifted his other hand to pry Andrew’s fingers off, but Nicky caught his wrist.
‘Just noticed, did you?’ Andrew asked. ‘You’re an idiot.’
‘Y-you—’ Neil sputtered.
‘Did you think you were safe because you were up there ordering your own drinks? Roland knows what it means when I bring outsiders here.’
Neil wrenched his hand out from under Andrew’s, but Andrew gave his head a warning yank. A bolt of heat went down Neil’s neck. Neil hissed in pain and went still. Andrew slid out of his chair and leaned against Neil, letting Neil take his weight while he checked Neil’s eyes.
‘Almost there,’ he said. ‘Give it a minute and then it’ll really hit. Until then, why don’t you go have a little fun? The night is still young.’
Neil hadn’t seen Aaron get up, but he was waiting behind Neil when Andrew let go. Neil reached for Andrew with lethal intent, but Aaron grabbed the back of his chair and pulled hard enough to topple it over. The world spun in a sickening rush even after Neil hit the ground. When Aaron tried to pull Neil to his feet, Neil swung at him and missed. Neil could feel the drugs eating through his system. His heart pounded harder than the bass did, shaking him apart from the inside out.
It took both Nicky and Aaron to get Neil up. They hauled him away from the table. Neil stumbled more than once, unable to feel the ground under his feet. He tried pulling out of Aaron’s grip, but he didn’t succeed until they’d reached the stairs down to the dance floor. Then Aaron let go without warning. Neil tripped down the stairs with only Nicky to break his fall. Nicky looped an arm around his waist and dragged him deeper into the writhing throng.
Bodies and lights blurred around him, making Neil nauseous. He clawed bloody lines down Nicky’s arm as he fought to get free. Nicky didn’t let go until they’d reached the middle of the dance floor. He pulled Neil up against him and caught Neil’s chin in his fingers to force his head back.
Nicky’s kiss was harder than Neil expected it to be, and there was more than just tongue in it. Beneath the burn of vodka Nicky shared with him was the sweet tang of cracker dust. Neil didn’t mean to swallow, but it hurt too much to hold it in his mouth.
‘This is how the game goes,’ Nicky said against his lips. ‘Stop fighting if you want to survive.’
‘Fuck you,’ Neil snarled.
‘Good luck, Neil.’
Nicky let go and vanished into the throng of dancers too fast for Neil to follow. The sudden loss of support made him fall. He couldn’t feel his legs. It took serious work to get into a crouch, and a couple strangers had to help him up from there. Neil used the momentum to stumble away, but he didn’t know which way he was supposed to be going. He couldn’t see the exit through all these people, especially with the lights flashing all around him.
A hand came up against the small of his back and shoved. The push got him free of the crowd and sent him crashing into the back wall. Andrew propped his shoulder against the dark paint just out of arm’s reach. Neil wanted to rip his throat open, but it was taking everything he had to just stay standing. He settled for channeling his hatred into a fierce look.
‘Such ingratitude,’ Andrew said. ‘Those drinks were expensive.’
‘I hate you.’
‘Take a number and get in line with the rest of this team. I won’t lose any sleep over it.’
‘Don’t sleep. I’ll kill you.’
‘Will you?’ Andrew asked. ‘Will you do it yourself, or will you pay someone else to handle the mess? You certainly have enough money to outsource it to a proper hit man. One wonders what a no-one like you is doing with such a fortune.’
‘I found it on the sidewalk.’
‘Really,’ Andrew drawled. ‘Is that why you won’t spend it, or do you just like looking like a homeless person? The team is split, you know. Most of them think you’re trailer trash like Dan. Renee knows better. So do I. I think you’re something a little more like us.’ Andrew leaned toward him and enunciated every syllable. ‘Runaway.’
If Neil was sober, he’d be better steeled to hear that word. With cracker dust in his system and angry music drumming his skin to bits, he couldn’t hide his flinch. ‘Mind your own business.’
‘Tonight is Mind Neil’s Business Night,’ Andrew said. ‘Didn’t you notice? Give me something real or I won’t let you stay here.’
‘This isn’t your team. It isn’t your say.’
‘Don’t tempt me to prove you wrong. How about I call the police and ask them to run a real check on you? You think they’ll find anything interesting?’
‘That’s a hollow threat,’ Neil said. ‘The police would never do favors for someone like you.’
‘I know a cop who would,’ Andrew said. ‘If I called him tonight and told him you’re a serious problem child, he’d make it a priority. How cold is your trail?’
‘Shut up,’ Neil said. ‘Why can’t you leave me alone?’
‘Because I don’t trust the way you look at him,’ Andrew said. ‘Edgar Allen is in our district and you are on my team. You, a knownothing from Arizona who somehow managed to catch Kevin’s eye. You, a lie from head to foot, with a bag full of money and a hard-on for everything Kevin and Riko. Do you understand?’
Neil did, but he was as baffled as he was furious. ‘I’m not a mole. Are you kidding me?’
‘Prove it,’ Andrew said. ‘You take a minute to think it over. Think how badly you want to try my patience right now. I’ll be back.’
Andrew pushed away from the wall and slipped into the crowd. Neil watched him go, then braced himself against the wall and started down the length of it. He didn’t know which way led to the door, but if he could at least find a stairwell off the dance floor he could figure something out. His survival was contingent on him getting out of this club while he still had some of his wits about him.
He finally spotted the stairs through a gap between bodies. He started up, only to be stopped as Nicky came down them. Nicky took his shoulders to push him back into the crowd, ignoring the way Neil shoved and pushed to break free. This kiss tasted worse, and Neil went numb from his mouth down.
The rest of the night was shattered colors and lights.

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