Beyond Pain Read Online Free Page B

welcomed two more into the fold.
    She hadn't expected Bren to park himself next to her.
    "You don't have to stand with me," she told him quietly as they watched Cruz down two shots of tequila and slam the empty glasses next to the four that had held whiskey and vodka.
    Bren just stood there, arms crossed over his chest, watching the spectacle with a small smile. "I don't mind."
    He hadn't lied to her yet, so she took the words at face value and watched Cruz start his way around the loose circle of O'Kanes. He'd done the same after each of the previous pairs of shots, accepting hugs and kisses and Ace's too-enthusiastic back-pounding.
    By the time Cruz had passed the spot where Six and Bren were standing, Rachel had poured another shot of tequila and offered it to Trix. The redhead grimaced comically before letting Mad pull her into a warm hug of welcome.
    It was a world away from life in Three, and not just because Trix was being welcomed as a full member. Mad's brown skin would have barred him from the ranks of Trent's gang, no matter how skilled he was. "Dallas doesn't care, does he?" she asked Bren, following Trix's progress around the circle. Mad wasn't the only one who would have been excluded. Ace, Lex, Flash, maybe even Cruz--and those were just the names she knew.
    "Care about what?"
    "What color people are." It hadn't mattered on the farms, but the street kids in Three grouped together with others who looked like them, piecing together scraps of identity from the lucky few who remembered having parents. And Trent had never grown past it, even when it hurt him. "Cain had valuable farming contacts, and Trent still almost didn't let him in his gang."
    "Because he's black?" Bren shook his head with a snort. "No, Dallas doesn't give a shit. Hard to believe there are people around who still do."
    "Dumb people." Six couldn't help her wry laugh. "They still care if you have tits, too. Dumb people care about lots of silly things."
    "Yeah, they do." His last words were almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd as Cruz took his next shots.
    "Do the guys always have to drink more than the women?" she asked, eyeing the man's progress. He was still pretty steady, but she doubted he would be with twelve more shots sloshing in his stomach.
    "The men are bigger," Bren answered simply, then laughed. "Don't worry, you can do both shots if you want. Sometimes the ladies do."
    As if there was no question at all that Dallas would accept her, like the only thing standing between her and a family was the technicality of time. Funny how the knowledge could be soothing even while it made her feel trapped. "I could get down sixteen shots, but I might not be walking back to my own bed afterwards."
    "Neither did Rachel. She loved the whole world for about twenty minutes, then she threw up all over me and Jas."
    Six pressed her lips together as firmly as possible, biting the inside of her cheek until the urge to smile had passed. "I hope Cruz doesn't puke on us."
    Bren said nothing, but the tops of his ears grew pink as a blush crept up his face.
    Oh, God. He'd thrown up.
    She could bite her lips bloody and not hide her sudden grin, so she tipped her head forward and let her hair sweep down to shield her expression from him. "That's okay. I've heard booze hits old men harder."
    "Smartass."
    "C'mon. You can't be the only guy who couldn't hold down sixteen shots in a row."
    "He's not," Lex cut in, easing between them. "But Bren doesn't spill secrets. Unless, of course, they belong to Rachel--who's gonna kick your ass, by the way."
    "I know," Bren said mildly.
    Six tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced at Lex. The female leader of the O'Kanes was dressed down--for her--but she still made a statement. Her pants alone were worth a month's wages, the leather so supple it hugged every curve and moved when Lex did. Lush, especially when compared to her tiny white tank top, but that scrap of fabric had a different purpose: to barely cover her tits