Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Hammer stepped away with knots in his stomach and bit his knuckle as he watched both men swing their axes one after the other. He almost jumped for joy when Plaid hit the edge of the target, landing himself a measly two points, but seconds later, Dex’s axe, which seemed perfectly aimed, sprung off the board and landed on the floor instead of getting stuck in the wood.
Hammer’s stomach sunk. They’d lost. They’d fucking lost. Had the situation been too much for Dex? Because he fucking deserved to squash that normie bitch into the floor!
But they’d agreed to solving their issues through the contest, so Hammer took a deep breath and gave Dex’s shoulder a little squeeze. Maybe money could keep the peace instead?
In the other lane, the woman in pink awarded her husband with a kiss amongst whooping, and Steve gave Plaid Guy a tentative clap.
“You both did an excellent job, but there can only be one winner.”
Another line they probably taught them at Axe Throwing Attendant School.
Dex frowned and shook his head, but approached Plaid Guy, extending his hand. “Best man wins, I guess. Can I still ask for you to not call the cops? We’ll just go.”
The man sighed, but to Hammer’s surprise, shook Dex’s hand. “You tried your best, kid. Keep that Doberman of yours out of trouble.”
His wife patted him on the shoulder. “You showed him how it’s done, honey.”
Steve glanced at them with a forced smile. “Please leave the axes by the counter.”
Dex grabbed his jacket and led a shellshocked Hammer outside the venue.
What the fuck just happened?
Hammer kept his mouth shut as they passed the trampolines and finally breathed the fresh evening air when cool wind blew in his face. This had been a close call. With a past like his, Hammer could not afford to turn the eye of the law on his back again, yet in his signature fashion, Dex managed to wiggle out of trouble on his charm alone.
Not a single bullet needed.
“You did well. He just got lucky,” Hammer mumbled as Dex let go of his hand and they both walked along the empty street.
Dex shrugged, shaking his head. “Nah, it pisses me off that I had to lose, but we couldn’t risk it.”
Hammer squinted at him. Was pretending that he could have won some attempt to save face in front of his… his what?
“Why would you lose? If you won, they wouldn’t have called the cops anyway.”
Dex chuckled. “We don’t know that. People like that… He didn’t want to call the police. He wanted to win. If I set up the bet so that he doesn’t call the cops if he wins and then lost, they’d know I’d done it on purpose, and the fight might have escalated. But I knew that if he won in front of his wife and friends, he’d be happy enough to let bygones be bygones and be this benevolent dude. I just wish I could have shown off a bit more in front of you.”
Hammer’s thoughts jammed like a slot machine refusing to spit out marbles. That was actually… really smart. He watched his feet take step after step until the two of them reached the dark parking lot and stepped away from the streetlight, into the comfort of darkness.
“How did you know this would happen?”
Dex raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean? It’s obvious. What could a man out on a double date want more than to look like the hero? That was his Liam Neeson moment, and he’ll be talking about it until the day he dies.”
“Well, it was your Liam Neeson moment too,” Hammer said with a small smile. “The second one in a week.”
Dex smirked and bumped Hammer with his shoulder. “Nah, that was my evil mastermind moment. Always one step ahead.”
Hardly. But he did deal with this particular situation like a pro, and while planning and organizing didn’t seem to be Dex’s forte overall, he was much better at reading people than Hammer.
Dex’s face sank in shadow as they moved farther away from the street, passing cars scattered across the lot like boulders. But they were the only people here, and while Hammer wasn’t ready to decide how he felt about putting his mouth on a dick, there were other desires that snuck into his mind out of nowhere and refused to go before he satisfied them.
“Dex?”
“Hm?” the kid asked, but he didn’t get to say anything else before Hammer leaned in and kissed him.
His feet grew roots in the asphalt as a strange weakness took over, making him slide his arm around Dex and hold on as the soft lips opened. Dex dropped his shopping bag and his arms snaked their way under Hammer’s jacket, wrapping around his waist. If he was surprised, then he wasn’t willing to waste time acknowledging it.