He lifts his chin. “Any notes or tips you wanna share?”
I shake my head. “Protect your face.”
He squints his eyes and nods, looking at me intently. “Will do.” Then he walks to the passenger side and opens the door.
Dad revs the engine. “Buckle up, Buck.”
“Where’s Dad going?” comes from behind me.
Fuck, I think.
Before I turn to look at Justice, I see an apology in Tobias’s eyes. I don’t know if it’s for the closet, the fact that he’s at the home of the guy he’s fighting tomorrow, or something to come.
When I turn around and see Justice, his face is hard, eyes narrowed, as he watches Dad peel out and speed down the road. He turns and looks at me, shakes his head, and starts to turn away.
“Justice,” I call after him, and he turns back. “He was drinking, the cops came, I—”
“You think that pisses me off, T?”
Confused, I shake my head. “What?”
“That ain’t shit. He’s basically a good dude, but the girl who’s fucked with you and Kiki since go—Gabrielle Morales-fucking-Ortez—is sitting in our kitchen with Mom.”
“Shh …” I hush him.
He shakes his head and whispers, although loudly, “Self-respect, T, self-fucking-respect.”
“How about compassion?” I whisper back.
He shakes his head in disappointment and walks inside.
Chapter Sixteen
Idiom
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Truth
And some only act the part when necessary.
Walking up the stairs, I smell pizza and hear Gabrielle’s nervous, “Thank you, Mrs. Steel.”
“Please call me Tara,” Mom says, a smile in her voice.
“She’s showing you some respect, Mom.” Justice’s voice vibrates, clearly trying to keep control of his anger.
“Which is appreciated,” Mom says as I crest the stairs, “but as a guest of Truth’s, I would hope she’d feel more comfortable calling me by my name. I know I would be.”
“I’ll try,” Gabrielle says sweetly.
Justice is leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest, as Mom plates a slice of pizza.
She turns to hand it to him.
He holds up his hand. “I’m good, Mom, but thanks.”
She steps forward and feels his head with the back of her hand. “You don’t feel feverish, and this is your favorite. Is your stomach off?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Nah.”
“You and Dad worked out for three hours; you have to fuel up.” Mom holds out the plate.
He glances at me then back at Mom and takes the plate. “It is, but tomorrow, I eat clean.”
“And Sunday?” Mom looks at Gabrielle. “Dinner at Momma Joe’s. Always great food, not always good on the body.”
Gabrielle smiles politely as she picks at her pizza.
Mom looks back at Justice as I grab a slice of pizza and a napkin. “Did you tell Truth about tomorrow night yet?”
He shoves half the folded slice of pizza in his mouth and shakes his head.
“What about tomorrow night?” I ask.
Justice raises his eyebrow at Mom, and she makes an oops face.
I repeat, “What about tomorrow night?”
Justice chews his pizza then swallows it down. “It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises,” I tell him.
“We’re well aware.” Mom laughs as she walks to the sink, hip-checks Justice, and then wets a washcloth as she looks up at Justice. “Sorry.”
He pops a kiss to the top of her head. “No big deal. Gonna be fun to see Truth stomp around and wonder what the hell’s going on until then.”
“Be nice,” Mom says as she turns around and begins wiping up the crumbs.
“Trust me”—he glares at me—“I am.”
My phone rings, and I secretly hope it’s Tobias telling me he made it home and lying to me as he tells me my dad didn’t make shit uncomfortable. When Dad’s number pops up, though, I am reluctant to answer, worried he might ask me to meet him somewhere with a shovel to hide a body.
I bite the bullet and answer anyway. “Hey, Dad.”
“Am I on speaker?” he asks.
“You’re never on speaker,” I sigh, exasperated, and Mom laughs.
“Put me on,” he says. His mood is upbeat, so he’s either already hidden the body or things went smoother than I imagined. “Truth. Speaker. Now.”
“Fine,” I say, pulling the phone away from my ear and hitting the speaker button. “Please don’t be embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing is coming face-to-face with two boys who got something for my girl; one whose face is pinched up like he might shit his pants. Well, in his case, tights.”
“Oh my God, Dad, really?” I ask as Justice laughs.
“And the one I just dropped off, who either pissed his pants or”—he stops—“hoping he spilt a drink. Regardless, neither are your type, so—”
“The point of the call, Dad?” I groan.
“Gabs around?”
“Her name is Gabrielle,” I correct him.
“She’s Gabs now. Couldn’t get a word in edgewise with her around. Girl never stops talking.” He laughs at himself.
I slap my hand over my face, and Mom and Gabrielle giggle.
“That you, Gabs?”
“Yeah, I’m here, Mr. Steel.”
“Name’s Cyrus, Gabs.”
“Gotcha,” she says, shaking her head.
“This thing licensed and insured?”
Her smile falls. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“That’s cool. Pretty sure I could outrun M.P.D. with her. Anyway, Gabs, you mind if I take my wife for a spin?”
“Dad!” I gasp.
“Thing’s cool as shit.” Dad laughs.
“Of course.” Gabrielle laughs, really laughs.
“Sweet. Nice chat, Gabs. Birdie, get your ass out here in two. We need one of these, and I’m gonna convince you of that.”
“Okay.”
“Make sure you have a coat or grab a blanket; cold out here. Grab me a shirt, too. Nips are like nails.”
“Dad, gross. I’m taking you off speaker.”
“Love you, little bird.”
“Yeah, I know. Love you, too.”
“You better.” He ends the call.
As soon as Mom’s out the door, Justice uncrosses his arms and walks over to the island, plants his hands on it, and leans in.
“Justice, don’t.”
Ignoring me, he glares at Gabrielle. “I don’t know what your game here is, but I’m not buying this overnight kiss and make up shit.”
She clears her throat and sits up straight. “Wouldn’t expect you to.”
“She’s much nicer than I am. Kind of fucking naïve when it comes to—”
“Knock it off, Justice,” I snap.
Gabrielle crosses her arms in front of her chest. “I get that she’s a better person than me.”