Arsen rushes them forward, pinning Beretta’s chest to the side wall of the garage, and he holds him there, his chest to his back.

I grin, waiting for what comes next, unsure of what Beretta will attempt in order to get free, but neither of them moves, and then Arsen’s hold loosens.

The moment his movements become lax, Beretta spins. First, it’s only his shoulders and his upper torso, his abs constricting and showing their strength as he does. His lower half comes next, and then they’re chest to chest.

Arsen doesn’t back away, and Beretta doesn’t force him to. They stay right where they are, eye to eye, grin to grin, and... I mean—

“Done?” Ransom’s quick shout makes my eyes snap toward him.

I quickly look back to the others, but the boys are already headed this way, both reaching out to tap their knuckles together.

“You’re getting faster,” Beretta recognizes with appreciation.

Arsen’s smirk is all too cocky, but he keeps it to himself, turning away as he drinks from his refilled water bottle.

I take a moment to glance around the yard, the entire perimeter lined with cactus plants of some sort, all different shapes and sizes. Some have large chunks broken off, others are cut clear across the tips in what seems like random fashion.

Beretta drops beside me. “Looks a lot different than your back yard, huh, Trouble?”

My eyes flick to his, but there’s no mockery or anger there, only an easy grin on his lips, so I nod. “We don’t even have real grass, let alone plants.”

“No shit, turf or what?”

I shrug. “I guess, and a whole bunch of rock and cement.”

“And a fat-ass pool.”

I nod. Of course he knows this, you can see it from the beach below, just like Cali’s.

“You ever tried it?” he asks.

“Tried what?”

His forehead wrinkles with amusement. “Cactus.”

“I don’t exactly have a green thumb.”

The boys chuckle and I glance around.

“Take that as a no.” He smiles, finishing off his water. “Stay here a couple more hours, and you will.”

“So, this is your home, then?”

Nobody offered the information when we got here, and it didn’t make a difference, so I didn’t bother to ask. That, and I wasn’t sure they’d tell me anyway. Especially since I assumed we were trespassing on someone’s land when we passed the large home at its front and followed through to the back of a property line; where they had to get out to lift and move a metal gate by hand in order for Arsen to drive his car up to the house.