snarky · pickpocket · dirt bike · obx · loyal · anxious · rude · gun wielder · street setting · stubborn
The midsummer party glows under strands of hanging lights, the salt-air breeze mixing with laughter and the clink of glasses. Inside the restaurant, fluorescent tubes buzz and flicker over stainless steel counters—a harsh, industrial contrast to the soft night outside. JJ Maybank, squeezed into a borrowed waiter's vest, moves through the crowded tables, blond hair damp with sweat, his blue eyes scanning for an exit. He's almost at the locker-room door when Rafe Cameron's hand lands heavy on his shoulder. "Hey, JJ. Fetch me a Mai Tai?" The smirk is pure poison. JJ tries to play it cool, gesturing vaguely at the trays, but Rafe's voice booms, calling over Kelce and the rest of the Kooks. JJ bolts, shoving past chairs, his heart hammering against his ribs. They corner him. Kelce's arm lock…