you crazy?â
Turkâs rejects notice her talking to me, but they seem amused by the dirty looks Cruz keeps throwing my way. Iâm not sure if she wants to help me or hurt me.
âMy friend Abel owes him money. We brought it down here for him, but Turk changed the amount.â
âShit.â
Turk pockets his cell and points at Sung with his beer can. âGo get my money.â
âOn it.â Sung shoves Abel against the car and heads in my direction. Heâs bigger than I thought, and his huge thighs make him bowlegged. As he walks by, his hand clamps around the top of my arm.
âI can walk by myself.â I try to pull away, but he jerks me forward.
Lex watches, frozen in place. I catch a glimpse of something behind herâtwo silhouettes moving toward us. One is closer and picks up speed.
âCruz?â a guy calls out.
âOver here!â she shouts.
Deacon Kelleyâthe guy Miss Lorraine kicked out of the rec centerâcharges in our direction. Heâs wearing a sleeveless black T-shirt, and the lights illuminate his pale skin. And his scars. The gnarled web runs halfway down his arm, twisting through a black tattoo as if it was designed around the scars. On his forearm, a withered hand reaches for a girl trapped in a birdcage inked on his shoulder. The hand strains against the scars wrapped around it like ropes.
Deacon stops short, his ice-blue eyes darting past me to where Cruz is standing. âWhatâs going on?â Without waiting for a response, he turns on Sung. âAre you assholes messing with my girl?â
Cruz rolls her eyes. âIâm not your girl anymore, Deacon. Itâs been two years.â
Deacon takes off his baseball cap and chucks it at the ground, scowling. He paces in a circle, rubbing his hand over the inch of white-blond hair covering his scalp. It blends into his skin perfectly, and at first glance he looks bald.
Cruzâs comment clearly bothered him.
âStop it, Deacon. Not now,â she says. âGet your shit together.â
Deacon nods, then picks up his cap and puts it back on. Okay, heâs officially crazyâand if his expression is any indication, seriously pissed off. He slides a toothpick into the corner of his mouth and turns his attention back to Sung. âYou going somewhere?â
âWhy do you care?â
Deaconâs mouth curls into a deranged smile. âI donât. Iâve just never seen you with a girl before. Did you dose her drink?â
âWhat did you say just to me?â
The second figure emerges from the glow of the headlights behind Lex.
Marco.
He stops and stares at the spot where Sungâs fingers are pressed against my skin. âTake your hand off her now, or Iâll rip your arm out of its socket.â
Shit.
âI donât want anyone fighting because of me,â I say. âIâm fine.â
Deacon frowns and hikes up the jeans falling off his hips. âI think weâre working off a different definition of fine .â
I need to get away from Sung fast. âLet go before this gets worse,â I whisper to him.
âLeone!â Turk calls out.
Marco doesnât look up.
Turk jogs over, holding a beer. Cruz follows, dragging a dazed Lex by the hand, and Abel trails behind them with Shawn.
âWhatâs the problem?â Turk storms past us and heads for Marco and Deacon.
Marco keeps his eyes trained on Sung. âIf he doesnât let go of her in the next thirty seconds, Iâm going to take him apart.â
Turk points at me. âHer boy owes me money. Sung is riding with her to get it. Thereâs no problem here. Donât start shit weâll all have to finish.â
âTwenty seconds.â
Turk and Shawn flank Sung and me like soldiers in a firing line.
Deacon turns his baseball cap around backward. Itâs like watching Clark Kent change into Superman ⦠if Superman was a bloodthirsty