“Sure.”
As we approach, a few of the Marauders greet me with slaps on the back or knuckle taps.
“Apollo!”
“Mr. President!”
“What’s up, my man?”
“Who’s your friend?” my brother, Nico, asks. Voice sharp and eyes steady. Already, he’s flirting with her with a flutter of his dark lashes.Fucker.
“Hi! I’m Scout. I’m new.” She waves with her fingers like she’s giving a speech at a beauty pageant.
The guys slyly send me smirking, knowing looks. Smug grins. A few winks.
I silently beg them to behave.
“Scout, this is one of my brothers, Nico. That’s my buddy, Adal. There’s Mose. And Wrench is over there.” I introduce a few people.
Nico nods toward the makeshift bar area someone set up on a folding table. “You want a drink, Scout? We have beer and some terrible moonshine?—”
“Moonshine!” She gasps like it’s the greatest thing ever. “I’ve never tried it. Can I?”
She looks up at me in desperation. As if she’s asking for my permission. My eyes grow wide as the group chuckles around us. “Uh, sure. Nic, grab me a beer.”
Nico pours some clear liquid into a red cup, then finds a can of the cheap stuff for me from a cooler. Scout snatches the drink from him when he returns. Before drinking, she takes a deep sniff. “Ugh! That burned my nostril hairs!”
She stares at the liquid in the bottom almost scientifically. Leaning down, I drop my voice. “Best to down it quick. But, hey.” I flick my gaze around to make sure no one’s listening in. “I’ll get you home safe. You’re at…OmegaHouse?”
One chug and it’s down her throat, a sharp grimace tearing across her lips. “That was horrible,” she whispers, like she’s trying to be polite.
I nod, cracking open the beer. “It really is.”
“Can I have another?” she asks loudly, and instead of laughter this time, the guys around us narrow their eyes.
“Maybe that’s not a great?—”
“Just one more. Thanks.” She ends with a solid nod, like it’s a done deal. And shoves the cup at Nico.
He turns toward the table to grab some, and I almost protest. But, like a smart big brother, he pours half, then adds water in with it. He fills another cup with water for himself.
When he returns, he holds up both drinks. “I’ll take a shot with you, Scoutie. What are we celebrating?”
“That I’m broken up with the asshole who cheated on me!”
Everyone around the fire raises cups and cans with loud cheers. Someone throws a glass bottle against the bridge pillar.
“Fuck that idiot!”
“Give us a name, Scoutie!”
“Concrete shoes…”
She laughs like something feral finally slipped from its cage, her body swaying heavily into me. I pull her back into my chest, arms over her shoulders to keep her steady.
“You cold?” I ask, and she seems to think about this for a long while.
“I think so? It’s hard to tell with all the pure grain in my belly.”