“I need to talk to you. Can I come by?”

I tell him to meet me at my place and make another U-turn. He was short, like he wanted to get off the phone, but he didn’t sound upset. We get to the house and I tell Ashely to go upstairs while I wait outside. If there is even a remote possibility that Dani broke up with him, he won’t be coming over here to talk. Not after the way he looked this morning when he saw me and Dani sleeping in my bed.

As soon as I opened my eyes and saw the look on his face, I knew he was about to blow. I’ve watched more guys shit their pants over that dead look in Nick’s eyes than when he raises his fist towards their face. I’ve seen dudes beg for mercy, and occasionally even run for their lives when Nick whirls around on them with his clenched jaw and wild eyes. Yeah, I know that look. I’ve just never seen it directed at me. I would never fight Nick, not over Dani or anything. The question is, would he fight me?

My heart is in my throat when he finally pulls behind my mom’s Audi. Nick jumps out of the car with his arms stretched out like he’s trying to hug the world. “I told Dani.”

I exhale when I see the goofy smile on his face. “You told her what?”

He quiets his voice and steps closer to me. “I told Dani we sell thizz.”

I catch the word “we” and feel the burger I just ate move up my throat. “You told her about all of us?”

“Yeah!”

He tells me we don’t have to lie anymore or sneak around behind Dani’s back, because she’s cool with it. I congratulate him and silently curse him under my breath.

“She was surprised at first, especially when I told her you worked for me.” Nick smirks and punches me in the arm.

“Really? Why? What did she say?” She hates me. I know it.

“She was just surprised. Who wouldn’t be? You’re sort of a school boy,” he teases. When I don’t smile, he clutches my shoulders. “Don’t worry, everything’s cool now.” Nick can do no wrong in Dani’s eyes, but I’m a different story. I’m her friend and I’ve been lying to her, covering for him, this whole time.

“You were right; I should’ve just told her. It would have saved me a lot of aggravation.” He mumbles the last part more to himself.

My eagerness to call Dani is gone. I don’t even know if I can face her right now. I can barely look Nick in the eye. I can’t believe I ever considered breaking Nick’s trust.

“Hey Ash.” Nick looks past me into the door. “Is she ok?” he whispers.

“Yeah, she was just freaked out when we saw you drive by the diner like you were being chased.”

“Oh shit! I was being chased. A couple of those Devil’s Gold assholes were trying to punk me.”

I feel all the blood drain from my face at the mention of the bikers.

Nick pats my back. “Don’t worry, dude. I already called Will. He’s going to take care of it.”

Will Walker may be powerful in the Bay Area, but up here, the bikers run everything.

Two days later, Nick and I are sitting in Will’s bar discussing how to handle the Devil’s Gold Crew. This is not how I wanted to spend my spring break. The Devil’s Gold are an old-school biker gang that runs most of Northern California. They didn’t appreciate Nick’s disrespectful attitude during the confrontation at Lost Coast, so Will’s having a difficult time forming a truce. Technically, Nick is dealing on the Devil’s Gold territory without permission. If Will had gone to them in the beginning of all this and told them he was branching out, they could have come to some sort of agreement. Money would have exchanged hands and we would’ve been legit. Of course, lines would have been drawn. Nick wouldn’t have free range like he does now, but at least we wouldn’t be on the verge of a war. The Devil’s Gold doesn’t even sell ecstasy; they mainly deal with weed, cocaine, and meth, but I guess someone’s girlfriend scored pills off of us and brought them to a biker event. When everyone started thizzin and nobody wanted to buy their products, the bikers came looking for us. If Nick wasn’t Will Walker’s nephew, he’d be buried in a ditch, and whoever happened to be riding in his car would be right alongside him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll work it out.” Will takes a pull on his beer and rolls his neck like a boxer. I think it’s a nervous tick. “But you know this means they get a cut.”

Nick shakes his head. “That’s bullshit. It’s a free market. I don’t see why we have to pay them a fucking dime.”

“See, Nicky. You’re still thinking like a legit businessman. There is nothing free about our market. Once you start thinking that way, someone comes in and steals your business. And they take over by taking your life. We have to fight for every inch of pavement we have. There are no laws to protect us. We protect ourselves.” Will pats his side, where his gun is hidden by his jacket. “Don’t worry about the politics, just keep building your brand. Make sure everyone knows where the good shit is. The last thing we need is competition. I have my supplier on lock; he won’t sell to those pricks. But that doesn’t mean they won’t find another source. I’ve heard some good things about product coming out of Oregon. They don’t press the powder into pills, they’re putting it in capsules. It hits harder and it’s easier to make. I’m working on some connections up there now. If everything goes right, we’ll have the entire West Coast high on our shit.” Will holds out his fist and Nick bumps it with his.

“Don’t worry, everyone knows where to go for thizz in Humboldt,” Nick says arrogantly. He looks at me and I fake a smile. This isn’t fun anymore. I want out, but I doubt I even have that option. What’s worse, Dani is part of this too.

Will is giving Nick the name and phone number of a contact he has in Lake County when two men walk into the bar. The younger guy is wearing baggy jeans and an oversized San Francisco Giants jacket. He could have been any random hoodlum just stopping in for a beer if it wasn’t for the badge dangling from a silver chain around his neck. The other guy has on a dark blue polo shirt and khaki Dockers. He looks like someone my dad would golf with. Neither man says a word. They just sit down and wait to be noticed.

“What the fuck do they want now?” Will snarls.

“Is everything ok?” I ask as the cops stare at us from the bar.

“Don’t piss your pants, kid.” Will fills a shot glass and hands it to me. “Wait here.” He stands up and walks casually to the bar like he has nothing to hide. “Sandy, get these nice officers a drink.” Will says the word officer loud enough for the whole bar to hear. A few customers make a hasty exit, while others turn their faces in the other direction.

Sandy puts her book down and stands in front of the cops with a hand on her hip. “What do you want?”

“Two diet cokes,” the older one says, reaching for his wallet.

“It’s on me, Ed. I still owe ya.” Will pats his back. “Who’s your new partner?” Will sits next to the older cop like they’re old friends.

“This is Officer Taylor,” Ed replies. He glances back at me and Nick.

I put my head down, hoping he can’t get a good look at my face in the mirror. Nick does the same and pours both of us another shot. The last thing either of us are worried about is being carded. Nick quickly slides a bag of pills into his pocket.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Will asks sarcastically, drawing Ed’s attention away from our table.

Ed shrugs Will’s hand off his shoulder. “I hear you’re hanging out with a fancier crowd lately.”

“I’d hardly call this crowd fancy,” Will smirks.

“I’ll give you that,” Officer Taylor agrees, taking in the dirty patrons that litter the bar.

“Yeah, well maybe that’s because your lawyer buddy ended up dead.” Ed looks back at our table again. I pretend to cough and cover my mouth with my hand in a terrible attempt to hide my face.