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me.”
    “Like I want to eat that shit again.” Tryst leaves so fast the bell on the door does a ring-a-fucking-ling in my head.
    Ah… Fucking hangovers.
    Oz comes toward me. He smiles and it reaches his slanted, almond-shaped eyes. “At least I know you like my food.”
    General Tso does sound good about now. “Ignore Tryst. He’s unusually grumpy today.” He must be suffering from a hangover, too.
    Oz takes off his coat and plops down in my chair. “When’s he not?”
    I shrug. “He doesn’t like playing the guitar in front of people, and he’s going to an audition to escape Shortcake over there.”
    Bebe looks up from her chair across the shop. Now she’s glaring at me. Ben puts his drawing on her easel. She smiles at him and hands him her tattoo gun. If Ben’s going to practice more, I need to get him his own.
    “Really?” Oz’s eyebrows are raised.
    “Yeah.” I take out Oz’s tatt, some ancient Chinese lettering, and set it on my easel.
    “Didn’t know he played.” Oz rolls the sleeve up on his green T-shirt. “I play the keyboard. And sometimes DJ at Paloozie’s on Saturdays.”
    “You any good?”
    He points to the lettering I’m about to put on him. “You think that means some ancient Chinese proverb.” He shakes his head and laughs. “It’s my DJ name.”
    “What’s your DJ name?”
    He smiles widely and winks. “Come to Paloozie’s tonight and find out.”
    Oz is forever trying to get into my panties. He’s a good-looking guy, but there’s only one man on my mind. Morgan.

 
     
                  Four
     
    Morgan
     
    “We got a bead on a guitar player. Dude’s name is Tryst." I put down my phone and lean back on the couch in my sound room. We’ll take what we can get, and I hope this guy knows his shit. Emily Rhines is going to be here in an hour and we are still short a member .
    The excitement of her news overpowered every negative thought I had about our situation, and I forgot to tell her we kicked Rictor out. Nerves wage war in my stomach. This can’t be happening, not when we are down in numbers. I can feel my chance slipping away, and I’m reaching with everything I have not to lose my grip.
    "Hope the dude can play. Otherwise we’re screwed. When’s he trying out?" Wiley bangs his drums, stops and looks over at me. His knee bobs up and down. He’s nervous as hell.
    "Fifteen minutes. I texted him my addy."
    “Good shit.” Bryan crosses the room to Lina and looks over her shoulder. “ Whatcha working on, babe?”
    They fall into a conversation on music and Wiley joins them. I’m not interested.
    Emily Rhines . Is she like my mom? Is she going to laugh at us? My heart speeds in my chest. No, she’s coming because she’s interested. My mom has no place here. I can hear her laughter with her friends and her screaming at me when we’re alone. My hands twitch remembering the feel of her ruler’s smack when I hit the wrong key on the piano. Get the memories out of your mind before you fuck shit up for everyone. Going through lyrics in my head, I try to calm down. It’s not working.
    I stand. "Need to smoke."
    Lina looks up from the sheet music they’re all staring at. "I think I could use a blunt."
    She follows me up the stairs into my garage.
    Bryan soon joins us. Can’t blame the guy. If Lina was my woman, I wouldn’t want her around any man alone, even one of my boys. Not after what happened last night.
    I spark up the blunt, inhale and hold it, letting the THC get its groove on with my nervous system. As I slowly blow it out, the smoke curls and takes all my anxiety with it. I pass the blunt to Lina. Then I open the passenger side door of my Hummer, and plant my ass on the seat.
    She’s parked on the workbench I never use. Inhaling deep, she holds it in then lets it out slowly. "So do you think this guy is any good?" She passes the blunt off to Bryan.
    "He better be." Bryan leans against my metal locker that houses my pot supply. He tokes it