Colby's POV
"When are people coming?" Sam asked as I drove to the house we were having the party tonight at.
"I don't know. When they show up." I said and focused on the road. "Jake, Corey, and Nate will be here with the girls soon." He said as I nodded.
"Great. Kat and the girls can help set up." I said causing him to laugh. "I doubt they'll want to help you." He said as I shrugged.
"Probably not." I said then pulled into the driveway. I was excited to have a party tonight because it would feel like things were a little more normal.
I missed Julia every day and I wished she would come back. I wished she would realize how bad of a mistake she made.
I was happy she was free though.
She deserved to have a normal life and be away from all of this.
It didn't mean it hurt any less though.
When we got inside I looked around to see the state of the place.
I obviously couldn't hold a party in my one bedroom apartment, so I had to rent a house.
Even if I did have a house I probably wouldn't have a party there since people loved to start shit.
People were still out to get me. I couldn't be too careful.
"Jeff should be here with the drugs and alcohol." I said and walked around. "I might order a pizza or twelve." I said causing him to chuckle.
"Okay. Sounds like a good idea." He said then checked his phone.
"They're here." He said then went towards the front door. "Great." I said then checked my phone.
I had a couple people messaging me about coming to the party so I responded to them before finding myself looking at the text thread between Julia and I.
I thought about messaging her just to check on her but before I could someone was hugging me.
"Hi, Jake." I mumbled and put my phone away. "I'm sorry about your breakup." He said as I shrugged.
"It's fine." I said then looked over at everyone. Sam was giving Kat a kiss before hugging her.
I felt my heart sink slightly, which sucked because I didn't want to hate love. I didn't want to feel envious of my best friend for being in love.
It wasn't their fault that Julia fell out of love with me.
"Did you want me to help you set up?" Nate asked as I nodded. "Yeah, if you want." I said then turned to go into a kitchen.
People would be getting here soon so I needed to get things ready.
I ended up ordering a bunch of pizzas and other snacks. By the time I was done ordering them, Jeff was back with the drugs and alcohol.
"Thank fuck." I said then grabbed a bottle of vodka, opening it so I could take a shot.
"Starting early, boss?" Jeff asked with a laugh. "Yeah." I said then took a swig of the bottle.
"Colby, someone's here for you." Kat said as she walked into the kitchen with Stas. "Okay." I said with a sigh.
"And Colby?" Kat asked as I passed her. "Yes?" I asked and turned to her. "I don't think she really left you." She said as I nodded.
"Glad you think that." I mumbled then went to find the person who was looking for me.
"Mr. Brock." Noah, one of my gang members, said as I walked over. He was typically head of security in the gang so I assumed that's what he was here to talk about.
"Noah." I said blandly. "We have the perimeter surrounded for the night." He said as I nodded.
"Great. Stick with the list. I don't want anything to go down tonight." I said then turned to walk back to the kitchen.
Stas and Kat were getting the bottles of liquor all set up while Nate and Sam kept all the drugs in order.
I was appreciative of my friends being here but there was an awkwardness that was hanging in the air. I knew that nobody wanted to bring up Julia but they wanted to talk about her.
I understood the curiosity but I didn't want to discuss the heartbreak I was feeling. I also didn't want her name circulating during this party.
It would put a spotlight on her that I didn't want for her.
It was already dangerous enough for her to be on her own.
Eventually people started showing up to the party. A lot of the guys who always looked so serious were actually letting loose which was nice.
It wasn't a typical occurrence to have a party like this. They were usually much more serious and structured.
I probably shouldn't be throwing a party like this, but what was the point of playing things safe.
It wasn't like I really had anything to live for anymore.
"Woah..maybe slow down." Sam said as I snorted a line of cocaine. "No." I said simply then sniffled, trying to keep myself together.
It had been a while since I have done any sort of drug because I typically avoided that stuff while around Julia.
She didn't particularly like it, but it would also trigger her and that was the last thing I wanted.
My mind wandered off, thinking about the fact that she could be relapsing right now. I know she was the one to make the decision this time, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt her.
It was a recipe for disaster for her to be on her own right now.
I groaned and shook my head, scoring up another line for me to snort.
"No more." Sam said and stopped me. "You don't tell me what to do." I said and narrowed my eyes at him.
"You're right, but I know what you're doing and I'm not allowing it." He said then pushed me slightly so I would have to back up.
"Fine." I grumbled, not wanting to fight with him.
If I fought with Sam right now I would lose my high and that was the last thing I wanted.
"Hi, handsome." A brunette said as she put her hand on my chest. I grinned and looked down at her, only to see a set of brown eyes instead of the piercing blue eyes I missed so much.
"Not interested." I grumbled then sniffled and turned to walk away.
I heard the girl huff out a breath as I made my way to the living room.
I needed to mingle and make sure everyone was having a good time, but part of me just wanted to fuck off and go somewhere to be alone.
"Brock!" Max said, catching my attention. "Max." I said blandly, not really wanting to converse with him.
He was a weasel and really annoyed the fuck out of me most of the time.
"Don't act like you aren't glad to see me." He said with a chuckle. "Always a pleasure. Now excuse me." I said then turned to walk away.
"I saw your girl left you to be a part of a brothel." Max said causing me to stop and turn back towards him.
"What did you say?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
"Yeah. Saw her at a party at the cherry house." He said nonchalantly. "She's a pretty little thing so she's gonna make a lot of money for them." He said causing me to clench my jaw.
"Was talking to my buddy Ollie. Her waitlist is already pages long. Good for her." He said as I took him by the shirt, pulling him up aggressively.
"Where the fuck is this place?" I asked angrily. "Woah, relax." Max said as I shook my head.
"Tell me where the fuck this house is." I growled as he chuckled. "That's information I can't give out. Sorry." He said as I clenched my jaw and pushed him away.
I needed to get some fresh air since my head was absolutely spinning.
How could Julia be at her house in Spokane if she was actually at a brothel here? She wouldn't leave to go get sold for sex.
My Julia would never do anything like that.
"Woah! Are you okay?" Corey asked as he caught my arm. "Have you ever heard of the cherry house?" I asked as he blinked slowly.
"What are you on about?" He asked as I clenched my jaw.
"Answer my fucking question." I said as he shook his head. "I've never heard of it. Why?" He asked as I groaned and pushed him back so I could go outside.
My head was spinning and my heart was racing. Something was wrong and I knew that it had to do with this house.
Julia would never in a million years surrender herself to that sort of thing. She could have been caught quickly after leaving but the fact Max has already seen her meant she's been there for a while.
Could Max be lying to get a rise out of me? It was entirely possible, but part of me was convinced that he was telling the truth.
It was something I would have to actually look into.
I would have to hope he was lying about what he said.