Remy bounced his buddy in the air a few times before setting him down.

  “Psycho,” Griff groused, brushing off his shirt. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “This is that asshole I told you about, my brother from another mother, Remy.”

  “You’ve gotta be Roman.” Remy stuck out his hand. The dimples in his cheeks disappeared. “Thanks for lookin’ out for my boy.”

  “He’s the one who looked out for me,” I corrected, shaking his hand.

  “Griff said you’re a natural fighter.”

  I shrugged off the compliment. My time in the ring wasn’t something I was proud of. Nor was it something I wanted to discuss in front of Juliet.

  Eraser joined us with two other guys at his side. “So glad you two could make it.” He leaned in and gave me a quick hug, then embraced Juliet.

  She smiled widely. “Thanks for inviting us. This place is amazing.”

  Eraser nodded and slowly looked around. “Needs a lot of work. But we’ll get it back to what it used to be.” He turned and slapped the guy on his right. “This is my cousin Torch,” Eraser introduced.

  I leaned in and shook his hand. Did he get that nickname for the shock of bright orange-ish hair growing straight up on his head, or some other reason? “Hey.”

  “And my buddy Spoons.” Eraser pointed to a guy sporting an Elvis-worthy jet-black pompadour and an arm covered in a full sleeve of tattoos.

  I wanted to ask if Ella was here too, but if she wasn’t, it was probably a sore topic and I didn’t want to bum Eraser out today.

  After all the introductions, Eraser walked us over to a glossy-white Chevy Camaro with black rims. I wasn’t as well-versed in cars as he was, but he explained what we were looking at without making us feel dumb.

  “It’s a ’68. Custom paint. My uncle dropped a small-block V8 in it last summer. Runs like a dream.”

  “It’s incredible,” Juliet said, peering inside at the black leather interior. “But it doesn’t look that old.”

  Eraser’s mouth twitched. “He updated it with all modern equipment. Not another vehicle like it out there.”

  I might not know as much about cars as these guys did but that must’ve cost a fortune.

  He walked us toward a row of vehicles, explaining different things about each one. I squeezed Juliet closer. “Sorry if this is boring.”

  “Not at all.” She beamed. “I never knew you could do so much with old cars. They’re really beautiful.”

  “See one you like?” Eraser asked.

  “Honestly, that Mustang we parked next to was really neat,” she answered quickly.

  Spoons patted his hand against his chest. “Girl after my own heart. That’s my ride.”

  “Careful, Roman,” Griff teased. “She’s going to get the bug and you’ll spend your weekends combing junkyards searching for parts and panels with the rest of us.”

  “Roman can fix anything,” Juliet said. “So, I bet he’d be good at it.”

  “Easy, butterfly.” I loved that she had so much faith in me but I knew I wasn’t near this level of competence. “Tinkering with lawn mower engines isn’t the same as restoring a car.”

  “You racing lawn mowers?” Torch asked.

  “What? No.”

  “People do that?” Juliet asked.

  “Hell, yeah. People will race anything with an engine.”

  “Purely residential use,” I explained. “I fixed up some old mowers and a snowblower we had. Been slowly getting some side-work fixing up other people’s mowers out of our garage.”

  “Nice.” Remy nodded. “Budding entrepreneur here.”

  “Roman can’t sit still,” Juliet said. “He’s always busy. Working on something.”

  I shrugged.

  Torch and Spoons wandered over to an open garage, leaving the five of us next to a white Chevy pickup. “You’re not racing this, are you?” I asked.

  “Nah.”

  “What else can you fix?” Remy asked.

  “Motorcycles,” Juliet answered quickly. “And he takes care of my car.”

  “Her uncle’s been showing me a few things,” I explained, not wanting to make more out of it than it was.

  The smoky scent of grilling meat wafted through the air.

  Like hounds, the guys sniffed the air and Eraser pointed us toward a pavilion next to the garage. A mountain of a man was behind a grill the size of a truck. He flipped burgers onto a platter. “East! Come set this out!” he called.

  “Come on.” Eraser jerked his head toward the grill. “Let me introduce you to my uncle.”

  Griff skirted past us and grabbed the hamburgers, delivering them to one of the picnic tables.

  “Uncle Pax,” Eraser said. “This is Roman.”

  “Roman!” Pax boomed. He set his tongs aside and maneuvered his big body around the grill. He gripped my hand in a hearty shake. “Heard a lot about you from my nephew. Real happy to finally meet you.”

  Even with my natural inclination to be wary of people, I liked Pax. Eraser had always spoken about him with respect and affection. “Good to finally meet you too, sir. Eraser mentioned you often.” I pulled Juliet forward. “This is my girlfriend, Juliet.”

  “Welcome to Zips, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you. Is there anything I can do to help out?”

  “Nope. You’re a guest. First visit’s free.” He winked. “After that, we put you to work.”

  Eraser led us to a table. We stuffed ourselves with hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and heaping portions of potato salad.

  “Better than the dog food we ate at the Castle, right?” Eraser said.

  “Bro, that shit doesn’t even qualify as food,” Remy added.

  I flicked my gaze across the table and met Remy’s ice blue stare. “You did time there too?”

  “Unfortunately.” He glanced at Griff. “I was trying to keep this fuckhead out of there but—”

  “Shit happens.” Griff rolled his eyes.

  Eraser raised his can of Sprite. “No going back.”

  “Yeah, bro. Now it’s actual jail,” Remy added.

  “You little shits stay out of trouble,” Pax shouted.

  “Yes, sir!” The guys all saluted him. I ducked my head and laughed.

  Juliet hadn’t said a word. I glanced at her staring at her cheeseburger like she was about to cry. “What’s wrong?” I whispered in her ear.

  “Nothing.” She shook it off and bit into her burger.

  Juliet

  Overwhelmed. Charmed. Amused. That’s how I felt around the guys.

  “We’re getting our own fighting ring together.” Remy clasped his hands on the table, leaning toward Roman. The impishness dissolved from his face, transforming him into someone wiser than his age. “Eraser says you’re fearless and skilled. It won’t be like the Castle. We’ll have rules and you’ll actually get your cut at the end—”

  “No thanks,” Roman said quickly.

  “At least check it out one night,” Remy insisted. “We send a text with the location—”

  “No,” Roman answered with more force.

  Eraser reached around Griff and shoved Remy.

  A chill of fear washed over me. Fighting ring? If someone started a fight, Roman would end it. And he always protected me. But willingly go into a ring like some boxer just for sport, no. I couldn’t picture him doing that willingly.

  My mind flashed back to Roman’s battered body and broken spirit the night he was finally released from the Castle. He refused to talk about it. Not knowing what to think, I assumed the guards used severe punishment. Or did the kids fight each other? Remy said there would be rules, implying there were none at the Castle. My mind created all sorts of horrifying scenarios.

  As we finished eating, more cars rolled into the parking area. They backed into spaces at a diagonal, creating a neat row.

  “Show-off night,” Eraser explained to me. “We’ll peep under each other’s hoods, talk some trash, challenge each other, and then do a little racing.”

  “Sounds dangerous.”

  He cocked his head. “It can be, yeah.”

  A few vehicles that didn’t look like they were here to race cruised by the row of muscle cars. A fuchsia Volkswagen Beetle, a black Mini Cooper, and an orange Jeep parked in a cluster away from the show-off cars.

  “Fan club’s here,” Pax grumbled and shot an accusatory glare at Torch.

  “What?” Torch shrugged. “Lorraine races that Mini.”

  “The hell she does.” Spoons craned his neck to stare at the girls. “Bet Sandy could race that Beetle with a few mods, though.”

  “Yeahhh,” Pax drawled, slow and mocking, “Those girls ain’t here to race and y’all know it.”

  It was more than the two girls Torch and Spoons named. Like a backwoods racetrack version of clown cars, at least four half-dressed young women extracted themselves from each vehicle.

  “Jealousy’s an ugly color on you, old man.” Torch slapped Pax’s shoulder and dashed off to meet the new arrivals.

  “Living dangerously, that one.” Pax shook his head.

  Spoons smirked and took off to join his friend.

  The girls who didn’t stop to talk to Torch and Spoons studied our table with an almost predatory interest. I curled myself around Roman’s arm and pretended not to notice.

  Remy leaned over the table. “Racing brings all the girls.”

  “No different from the ring bunnies showing up to the fights,” Griff added in a bored tone.

  Roman curled his arm around my shoulders. “Sounds like fun.” His tone made it clear he thought it was anything but.

  “Duh.” Remy smacked the side of his head, his lips tilted in apology. “Forgive me, Juliet.”

  I shrugged.

  “Eraser, Keely keeps asking about you.” Remy wriggled his eyebrows.

  Eraser answered with a glare and a clipped, “I’ve got a girl.”

  Remy opened his mouth—to shove his foot all the way down his own throat, maybe—but Griff elbowed him in the side.

  “Don’t go there,” Griff warned just loud enough for me to make out the words. The two of them ended up wandering over to join Torch, Spoons, and the fan club.

  Pax grunted and stood, clearing the empty plates from our table.

  Eraser turned to watch everyone for a second. “Once the soap opera dies down, we’ll get to racing.”

  “We have to get going soon,” Roman said.

  “Shoot. Forgot you’re both working tonight.”

  “I definitely want to watch you race one day,” I said.

  Eraser grinned. “You’re welcome back here anytime. And if you ever want to give it a go, I’ll find a car for you.”

  “Oh no.” I shook my head vigorously. “I don’t think I could do that.”

  “You can do anything you put your mind to.” He tapped the side of his head. “Just have to visualize it.”

  Roman groaned. “Not this.”

  “Mock me all you want. But those nights when we were bruised and hurting, I was picturing exactly this.” Eraser spread his arms wide. “And now here we are.”

  I reached across the table and squeezed Eraser’s hand. “Thank you for including Roman in that picture.”

  He nodded and stood.

  I burrowed closer to Roman and he tightened his arm around me. “Sorry.”

  “For?” I lifted my head and raised an eyebrow.

  “Them. I don’t know.”

  “I like the guys.” Despite the teasing, the undercurrent of brotherly affection they had for one another was evident. “The few family dinners I can remember before my mother and aunt died were always full of gossip and fights. It was always ugly and my mother would be upset the whole way home.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I laughed. “At least these guys insult each other to their faces and it seems to be done with love.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” His expression brightened. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

  “Me too.”

  He leaned in and captured my lips. His hand cupped my cheek and I angled my body closer.

  “Woo! Go, Roman!”

  He groaned and pulled away. “Wrong place.”

  I swooped in and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I don’t care who sees how much I love you.”

  “I don’t either. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

  “I’m fine.”

  This time, he leaned in and planted a softer kiss on my forehead. “Let’s get going. I know Ulfric doesn’t care if we’re late, but I don’t want to abuse his good will.”

  “Never know when we’ll need the extra time,” I agreed.

  We stood and said goodbye to Pax. Roman took my hand and led us over to the row of cars where Eraser was checking out a red Camaro.

  “You two headed out?”

  Roman nodded. “Gotta get to work.”

  Eraser pulled him in for a hug and slapped his back. “Glad you could make it.” He released Roman and gave me a quick embrace too. “You too, Juliet.”

  “Thanks for having us. This was fun. We’ll have to invite you guys over to our place soon.”

  “Roman’s got my info now.”

  Griff jogged over and hugged Roman tight. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  We said our goodbyes and made the long trek back to the parking lot to our car.

  Roman dangled the keys in front of my face. “Still want me to drive?”

  “Sure.”

  This time we took the Thruway—the fastest route to get us to work on time. I waited until we’d cleared the toll booth to ask my questions.

  “What did Remy mean about there being no rules at the Castle? And how does he know you’re a skilled fighter? What does that even mean? I know you did martial arts when you were a kid, is that what he was talking about?”

  Silence, so thick I couldn’t take a breath, filled the car.

  “Griff taught me to fight. Bare-knuckle, dirty fighting. Eraser too.”

  I punched my fist in front of me. “Like boxing?”

  “Like staying alive.”

  I tried to stay calm and keep my emotions out of the conversation. “Fighting the other kids? Or…”

  I let my voice trail off, hoping he’d pick up the thread.

  “I don’t want you to see me that way.” His white knuckles and quiet voice said so much more than his words.

  “What way?”

  “The way I had to be in that place.”

  I reached over and set my hand on his leg. A light touch. Enough to say I was here and listening.

  “Inside, a monster inside of me was set free.” His hands clutched the steering wheel even harder. “It’s back in its cage now but—”

  “You’re not a monster. It sounds like you were fighting off the monsters.”

  “Maybe.” The hollowness in his voice chilled me to the bone. “But even when you’re fighting monsters, you have to be careful you don’t turn into one.”

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Juliet

  The drive-in was now open a few nights a week in addition to the weekends. We weren’t busy yet, though. Some of the weeknights only one or two cars would show up for the movies.

  The ice cream shop was a different story. Since it served the public and the drive-in customers, the second the weather warmed, we had a line of customers at our window.

  During the first movie, I finally had a lull in customers and walked outside, hoping to catch Roman’s eye.

  I found him talking to Ulfric and stopped. They were so deep in conversation, it didn’t seem like a good idea to intrude. Roman frowned, then finally nodded. A second later the two of them headed my way.

  “How’s it going tonight, sweetheart?” Ulfric called out as they crossed the wide, gravel parking lot.

  “Pretty good.” I gestured toward the building at my back. “Finally had a bit of a breather.” I didn’t want him to think I was goofing off so I could drool at my boyfriend, although that’s kind of what I was doing.

  Roman met my eyes but I couldn’t decipher whatever he was trying to tell me. Ulfric clapped him on the back. “Spend a minute with your girl. I’ll meet you by my truck.”

  “Okay,” Roman nodded.

  We both waited until Ulfric entered his small office building next to the ice cream shack.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Roman’s gaze skipped to the side. “Ulfric asked me to help him with something. If I’m not back by closing—”

  “Wait a minute. Where are you going?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t get a lot of details.”

  “Who’s going to watch the gate?” Not that many cars would come this late into the movie.

  “His sister’s taking over my shift.”

  “Why can’t she help him out?”

  He cocked his head but didn’t answer.

  “Is this a job for his club?” I asked in a low voice.

  “Juliet…” he dragged my name out as if it pained him. “You know if it’s something for his club, I can’t tell you.”

  I stepped closer. “Is Dex okay with this?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Your uncle doesn’t own me.”

  “I didn’t say he did. It’s just—”

  “I think Dex is aware of everything that goes on, whether it’s in his territory or not.”

  Somehow, that wasn’t reassuring. I’d never given Dex’s motorcycle club or their territory a lot of thought. He’d worn a Lost Kings MC cut and ridden a Harley for as long as I could remember.

  But now, working for Ulfric, who was the head of a different motorcycle club, I had a lot more exposure to bikers. And it became clearer and clearer that they didn’t always operate on the right side of the law. After the way Roman was railroaded into juvie jail, the broken way he’d returned, and the awful things he’d finally confided in me, I viewed the clubs’ outlaw ways in a different light.

  Roman sneaking off with Ulfric worried me. No one needed to tell me these “jobs” were risky.

  I didn’t want to lose him again.

  “Roman, we don’t need the money. I have enough from the trust Mrs. Shields—”

  “I’m not gonna sponge off you. You know me better than that.” His gaze landed on something over my shoulder and he lifted his chin. “I gotta go.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek.