Matt’s face looks white, like he’s about to pass out.

“Are you ok?”

“So, the witness is a waiter,” he confirms. “You didn’t see anything?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. The name change was really just to give me a chance to start over. A clean slate. I was never in danger.”

Matt finally exhales. “You scared me for a second. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. I was confusing you with another story I heard.”

Other than the muffled sounds coming from inside the house, the block is quiet. The roar of the motorcycles is faint at first. By the time I realize it’s getting louder, they’re here. We watch eleven bikes park in front of the house before Matt pushes me inside the door and yells for me to get Nick.

“Dani, go!” Matt closes the door and I run to find Nick.

The crowd has thinned. I see pockets of people talking, dancing, rubbing lotion on each other. No Nick. No hot girl Nick was dancing with.

My pulse races.

I look for Nick in the kitchen. I knock on the bathroom door. I run to the deck out back, the courtyard. No Nick. No girl.

Upstairs. I don’t want to go upstairs.

“Dani!”

I turn and see Nick with K by his side. They’re coming through the door that leads to the garage.

“Matt.” I can only get his name out.

“I know.” He grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room. “Stay here,” he demands.

Nick and K run out the front door along with half the party. I stay behind and watch the garage door. Before I know it. I’m at the door. I open it.

Two girls are sharing a cigarette. One girl nods in my direction and her friend turns around. She shrugs and turns her back to me again. They laugh at something. At me.

I want to murder her.

“Dani.” Aurora moves me aside and looks in the garage then closes the door. “They’re desperate. And they aren’t worth your time. We have bigger problems.”

She drags me to the second floor, turns off the lights in the room, and stands next to the window. “Come here,” she whispers.

I join her at the window just as Arnie comes out of the house. “We got a problem here?” He lifts his arms at a funny angle as he walks towards the bikers.

Teddy, the biker that chased us from the Lost Coast, smirks and says something about everyone being strapped. He tells Nick he’s just here to talk.

“Talk then.” Nick stands next to Arnie. K is with them too. I don’t see Matt. I’m glad. I don’t want him anywhere near those bikers.

Teddy takes off his helmet, sets it on his seat, and leans against his bike. “I heard it’s your birthday, Nicky.” He crosses his arms over his massive belly.

I’d like to think Nick could beat him in a fist fight. Nick is twenty years younger and faster, but Teddy’s tree stump arms look like they can do some damage.

“Who told you that?” Nick doesn’t sound at all worried. Just like the day we ran into them at Lost Coast. His confidence astounds me.

“A little birdie.” Teddy snickers and his followers laugh with him.

“This is a private party.” Arnie sounds anxious. It must be pretty hard to be serious when you’re high on thizz. “Unless you’ve brought some strippers for the birthday boy, I suggest you leave.”

“We aren’t here to break up your sweet sixteen. I just want to talk to Nick. Man to man.”

Nick steps in front of Arnie. “You could’ve just called. I’m sure some of your boys have my number.” He nods to some of the younger-looking guys. I can’t tell if Nick is bullshitting, and from the look on Teddy’s face, neither can he.

Teddy takes a step towards Nick and K moves forward. I’m not sure if K would actually hit Teddy. K has a lot to lose, like a scholarship to play football at UCLA. He shouldn’t even be here.

“Look, you cocky little fucker.” Teddy points at Nick. “You tell your uncle we’ve got a better offer on the table. Turns out he wasn’t the only city scum trying to move into Humboldt.”

Teddy’s news stuns Nick. He doesn’t say a word as Teddy rallies his guys to leave. The bikes start up with a loud roar, and they pull away one by one. Teddy starts up last. Just before he backs away, he pulls his bandana down and yells to Nick.

“You’re eighteen now. That’s big time. You do real time.” He pulls his skull bandana over his hairy jaw and rides away.

“What the hell was that?” I step away from the window and look at Arora’s frightened face.

She sits on the bed and pulls out a cigarette. She fiddles with her lighter and finally gets it lit. Smoke circles her head as the red tip of her cigarette pulses. She sucks in a lungful of smoke, then exhales. “I think we just got shut down.”

I search the house and find Dani and Aurora in the bedroom upstairs. Aurora looks like she’s going to puke.

“Dude, I’m fucking out.” Aurora snuffs her cigarette on the bottom of her shoe then tosses it in her cup. “I can’t have those biker assholes after me. I’m graduating next month. I don’t need this shit.”

“Chill the fuck out.” I lie on the bed and close my eyes. I feel good. Real good. The pill I just took has kicked in. I needed something to calm me down. It seems to for Dani. “Nick’s got this.”

“Yeah, that’s what you think,” she says in a loud whisper. “You don’t know them like I do. My uncle was in their crew, now he’s doing thirty-eight years for murder.” She lights another cigarette. “You tell Nick I’m done.”

I sit up just as she slams the door. Dani is pacing the room. She moves from the window to the door and back. She’s scared. “Hey, it’s gonna be ok. Come here.” I sit up and pat the space beside me. “Aurora is just freaking out.”

“I know.” She bites her thumbnail and continues to pace.

I want to say something to make her feel better. But words don’t come. I don’t know if it’s because there is nothing I can say to make her feel safe, or if it has anything to do with the fact that I’m high as fuck.

“Here.” I pull out my stash and take out a pill. She takes the pill and puts it in her mouth. She looks around for a drink and I point her to the bathroom.

Once that pill kicks in, she’ll relax. We can hang out a little longer, maybe watch the sunrise. Nick is busy working shit out with Will. He’s been on the phone since the Devil’s Gold crew left.

I get to have her to myself a little longer. Maybe we can finish our conversation from the yard earlier.

Dani opens the bathroom door at the same time the bedroom door opens.

“Hey, I was looking for you guys.” Nick steps inside and closes the door. He doesn’t have an ounce of worry about anything that’s going on. He trusts me. Right now, he shouldn’t.

“Is everything ok?” Dani rushes into his arms.

Nick caresses her back and kisses her head. “It’s all good, baby. You know I got this.”

It kills me that he’s the one that gets to comfort her.

“Matt, I’m going to take Dani home.”

Dani pulls out of his arms. “No, why?”

I don’t want her to go. But I don’t say anything. I can’t without sounding desperate.

“I don’t want you here in case those assholes come back.”

I see the worry on his face now. He’s right, she should leave. We all should.

“I don’t want to be alone.” Dani looks at me quickly, then back at Nick.

I’m about to suggest we go to my place. Nick may even leave her and come back here to close up. That would be perfect. That would make my night. And Dani’s, I think. If anything she said in the yard was true, then we have a lot to talk about. What am I saying? We had this conversation already. Who cares, have it again, maybe this time with a better outcome? One I will benefit from. Thizz is so smart. I don’t know what I’d do with it.

“You won’t be alone. I’m staying with you.” Nick raises an eyebrow, and Dani’s face turns red.