Know Me (Truthful Lies Trilogy - Book One) by Rachel Dunning Page A

groaning orgasmically over how good
the bacon and Huevos are.
    “ Xavier,” says Declan, “that’s that dealer
dude, right? The one who sticks his tongue down girls’ throats in
exchange for E?”
    I clear my throat uncomfortably. “Yip,
that would be him.” I spin the coffee in my hands. I wouldn’t be
surprised if he thinks I was one of those girls.
    Only, I wasn’t. Not really. He and I go so much deeper than that...
    Deck: “He flashed his piece at me, just before I gave you a ride
home.”
    “ The Ruger ?”
    “ Oh, you’re familiar with it...”
    No, but one of my exes
is . “Uhm, yeah, a
little. I mean, I don’t know if it’s the same gun these days.
Xavier and I haven’t spoken in a year.”
    “ Was it a concealed carry? The one you saw
back when you hung out together.”
    “ Concealed carry? I know Xavier had a
revolver called a Ruger , but
that’s as far as my knowledge of weapons goes.”
    “ Small. Was it a small gun?” he
asks.
    “ Yeah, tiny.”
    “ Then it’s a concealed carry. It’s probably
the same one. Concealed Carry means it’s a real small gun so you
can hide it easily. Never mind that owning a gun legally in New
York for a dude like him would be damn near impossible—I doubt a
dealer would pass the background check. Anyway. Pushing dope’s also
illegal. Doesn’t seem to stop him either.”
    “ I don’t agree with his lifestyle choices,
in case you’re wondering. We’re not even friends anymore. Because of those choices.”
    “ Oh, I hear you. I wasn’t commenting on
your friendship. Just thinking out loud. I didn’t mean to put you
on the spot. It’s amazing how a dude can be rolling and still think
to pull out a piece. Anyway. I guess the ‘love’ is stronger for
some than others. But I saw him sniffing and wiping his nose a few
times. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was snorting up the Big C
along with the E, which would explain the aggression.”
    When we’re done eating, Trev’s eyes closing from exhaustion, he
says, “OK, peeps, Skate and I will take the train home.” Trev
smiles at me. Something tells me this hadn’t been the plan
before.
    Skate says nothing. He’s down enough now
to be perceiving his real environment again, and to realize that there’s something
sparking between Declan and me.
    “ Right, Skate?” Trev gets up.
    Skate bites into one more piece of bacon,
slurps down his Cherry Lime and gets up. “Right,” he says with a
full mouth. “Deck, weights tomorrow?”
    “ Five o’ clock.”
    Declan and I get up to let the two boys out. Trev and he touch
fists and then bump shoulders. “Peace, homey.” Trev grabs his neck.
“Don’t forget we’re riding on Tuesday, OK? And tomorrow we’re
hitting the weights in the afternoon. Whatever you do today, that
time is ours.”
    “ Never would forget, homes. You know you
could ride with me tomorrow as well. I’d prefer having my boy
lugging shit with me than some hand-for-hire off
Craigslist.”
    “ Family, bro. You’re not the only one I
got, and I gotta spend
some time with them tomorrow.” Then, he puts an arm around Declan
and turns him so their backs are to me. Trev talks softer, but I
can still hear him. “Speaking of which, when are we gonna see your
pops?” Trev’s got his hand firmly on Declan’s neck, and their
temples are almost touching.
    Declan looks directly into Trev’s eyes. Quietly, he says,
“Trev...”
    “ Deck, you and me, together. We’re gonna go
see him.” Trev looks over at me, decides to drop the subject.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.
    “ Blaze”—he bends down and hugs me with a
strong, manly hug that makes me love Declan even more because of
his friends—“it was more than a pleasure to meet you.”
    I clear my throat, suddenly overwhelmed by
that chemical covered blanket I told you about earlier. “Uhm, you too,
Trevor.”
    “ Peace out.” Trev and Skate tromp
out.
    Declan sits again, says nothing. He sucks his Egg Cream clean with
a