Page 77 of Drilled

They both gave me a cheerful wave. Beside me, Dax crossed his arms in satisfaction. “Nance came through with an emergency "imminent hazard” notice from the city,” he said, a smug grin on his face. “Since the storm left the framing waterlogged and rotting, it’s legally classified as a structural threat. That means we have a tight forty-eight hour window to rip it all out and seal it before the city inspectors show up.”

“It completely overrides your mother’s bullshit freeze until the judge signs off next week,” Bear added, having to shout over the noise.

“We figured we better double-time it to make the most of that window,” Sy took a break from singing to deliver that final piece of info.

I looked at each of them in turn. Between Nance being her phenomenal self, the win in Dax’s case and the guys furiously working to save my home under that loophole, I felt a warmth bloom in my chest.

It was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. The feeling of belonging somewhere, to someone.

29

Lane

The night stretched on in a blur of heavy lifting, the steady hum of a shop vac, and the rhythmic crack of Silas’s nail gun sealing the new subfloor. But beneath the chaotic rush of construction, a quiet, domestic warmth settled over the basement. There were frequent check-ins and water breaks, brushing shoulders and the occasional dance break; well, the latter was mostly just Sy. And me, when he somehow managed to rope me in.

It was exhausting, dirty work, but working alongside the three of them and getting sweaty while rebuilding this house made the place feel less like a battlefield and more like a sanctuary. And at the end of it, we made an insane amount of progress.

The bathroom was almost done, and the smell of damp greenboard, fresh pine and fresh PVC cement wafted out into the hallway where we were slumped shoulder-to-shoulder. We sipped on beers that Sy headed out to buy and were just about to dig into the pizza that arrived minutes ago. It was still piping hot and the vibe was good as we made passing comments about everything we managed to achieve today.

During a comfortable lull of silence, Bear chuckled and leaned his back against the wall, gesturing to Dax with his slice of pizza. “It’s great to have you back, man.”

Dax stopped laughing. The sardonic smile he usually wore was nowhere to be seen, and the atmosphere and day’s accomplishments seemed to bring out a rare, softer side to him. A side that was finally willing to open up.

“It’s good to be back. Thanks for giving me another chance, Bear. Or, another chance again.” He cleared his throat, staring down at his beer like it was going to bail him out. He ran his thumb around the bottle mouth, contemplative. “I just…I’m sorry. To all of you, I owe you guys a real apology. I’ve been kind of a dick lately.”

“If you’re being charitable,” I smiled over the rim of my bottle.

“I’m trying to be heartfelt here,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Continue,” I replied.

He shook his head with a chuckle, temporarily relieved of the tension until it was time to speak again. “I never told you guys the details but my family is in a shit ton of debt. I’m partly responsible for it. That’s why I started going back to the cage. It wasn’t about ego or greed. But being back in that world just…messes with my head. The whole thing with my family is just fucked.”

I leaned into his shoulder just a little more, trying to use my weight to anchor him. He leaned against me.

“I’m almost out of this, I swear. I just need one more fight. One more good win and I can cover my brother’s debt and be done with this for good,” he said.

I flinched away from him, surprised at the admission. He was still going to fight.

“Dax, your bail conditions…” I said in warning.

He dropped his head against the wall behind him. “I know. But it’s only a violation if I get caught.”

All of the warm, bubbly feelings I was just marinating in evaporated like mist. Anger curdled there instead. I couldn’t believe that Dax was seriously willing to risk his life and future for this after everything we’d been through trying to help him. And it wasn’t just my effort. There was Nance, too. Not to mention the guys.

Sy was staring at the bottle in his hand, silent. Bear’s face reflected the rage I was feeling inside. “You’re really going through with this.”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” Dax answered.

“You always have a choice. And the one you’re making is going to screw over no one but yourself,” I said, trying to keep my voice from rising. “Think about this, Dax.”

“I have. A lot. You don’t think I’d have taken another route if there was one?” he asked helplessly.

“You don’t have to do this, man,” Silas muttered, still staring down at his beer. “We can find another way to handle the cash. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Or arrested,” I added.

Dax didn’t look up, his fingers picking at a dried patch of drywall mud on his jeans. “There’s no other way. It’s one last match. I get the purse, pay off the sharks, and my brother’s slate is clean. Then I’m out for good.”