“Oh, it’s one hundred percent a trap.”Chase gave me a Cheshire grin.
I didn’t shake yet.I had another demand of my own.“And I get Walker on my team.”
“Dammit.”Chase’s grin turned into a glare.
“Wow,” Jesse hissed.“That’s diabolical.”
“Take it or leave it.”Now it was my turn to hold my hand out with a smirk.
“Fucker.Fine.”Chase shook my hand.“Let’s go round up the rest of the guys.I can’t wait to annihilate you.”
Jesse cackled like the Joker.
The sound should’ve filled me with foreboding, but I was too busy grinning to notice or care.I had my guys with me.This was going to be a blast—pardon the pun.
When we got to the laser tag arena, Xander was standing out by the front desk bouncing on his toes, looking like an extra for a Rambo movie.
I cracked up.“Seriously, Xander?How much of that outfit is yours?”
“It’s their vest and helmet.”He shrugged like it was totally normal to roll up in head-to-toe camo and eye black.“Did you guys already pick teams?”
“Oh, teams have been picked.”Chase rubbed his hands together and cackled with glee.“That was the bet.You and Jesse have to be apart, and I get to pick the teams.”
“What?”Xan scowled.“That’s bullshit.I want a say in making the teams.”
“And I get Walker on my team.”I reminded Chase because he looked squirrely like he might“forget.”
“Fuck yeah.I wanna be on Noah’s team.”Xan grinned.
“Like hell,” Chase retorted.“I get Xan.You get Jesse, and good luck.Remember to bob and weave.He doesn’t care who he shoots as long as he gets the kill.”
“Fuck off.”Jesse turned from the equipment desk and flipped his best friend off.“That happened once.Once.”
“And we lost.Because of you!”Chase bickered back.
“Wait.”Xan looked between the four of us and Walker, who was reluctantly strapping up.“We’re missing a player.Who’s the sixth?Is there someone from security we can snap up?Where’s Hyde?”
“I think I make six.”Tyler, our manager, sighed as he stepped up to our huddle.
“Fuck,” Xan cursed under his breath, but still loud enough for all of us to hear him.
“You’re welcome,” Tyler snarked.“But you all pay me a shit-ton, so here I am.”
Tyler might huff and puff but he’d proven himself to us over the years, and he’d gone to bat for us time and again with the label.He was like the unspoken fifth member of the band.
I gave him a nod.“Thanks for making it, Ty.It’ll be fun.”
“Sure.”Tyler gave Xan a long side eyed look.“But I’m not dressing up like Commando here.”
“Fuck off.”Xan scoffed.“But while we have you here, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Hey, hey.”Chase waved.“No work talk.This is strictly fun time.”
“It’ll only take a minute, and it’s not about us,” Xan said.
“Hurry up.This is our strategizing time and you two are on my team.We need to get our game plan together before go time.”Chase walked over to the other end of the equipment desk.He grabbed his gear and headed for the locker rooms.To strategize all by himself, I guessed.
“I thought this was going to be fun.He takes shit way too seriously.”I laughed.And then I realized who I was talking to and shook my head.
