by K. D Clark
He smiled. Maybe this babysitting thing could be fun. He grabbed a stool and rested his elbows on the wooden bar.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, flipping the notebook over and grabbing a white towel from underneath the bar.
“Can’t a guy just come in for a drink?” he asked.
She wiped down the already clean wooden surface. “Okay, what can I get for you?”
“You have Coke?” he asked.
She tilted her head. Her ponytail swished to one side, and for a second, he imagined what it would feel like to grab it. Fuck, he should have taken one of those girls down to his room last night so he wouldn’t be fantasizing about someone he didn’t even know. He was like a twelve-year-old boy seeing tits for the first time.
“Seriously, why are you here, and where is the rest of your gang?” she asked.
“The Savage Spades heard about your little problem.”
Her face instantly drained off all colors. “I...don’t--”
“Your friend spilled the beans, and lucky for you, Gunner decided your bar was worth protecting. Either Zeke or I will be here at all times.” He winked at her.
To his surprise, she jutted her hip out and rested her hand on it. “I didn’t ask for anyone’s help or pity. I’ve been taking care of everything on my own, and this is not your gang’s bar. It’s mine. So thanks for the offer, but you can go back to your group and let them know I don’t need anyone’s help.”
He took a moment to let his eyes roam over her body. He should have expected this amount of feistiness from her. It was the same attitude he got when he tried to apologize that first night when he’d stupidly knocked into her.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You’re dealing with a mean motherfucker. Venom is not someone you wanna mess with.”
“It’s a little too late for that. Listen, we have an agreement. I’m slowly paying back the loan once a month, so there’s nothing to be worried about.”
“Can you afford the payments?” he asked.
She swallowed and lifted her chin. “Yes.”
He scoffed. “Even if you weren’t lying to me, you’re a terrible liar. By the way, in our town, we don’t let people like Venom come in and offer loans to business owners. So you won’t be giving that piece of shit another dime of your money.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you out of your mind? You just told me how dangerous he is, and then you tell me I’m not supposed to pay him the money I owe him.”
“You don’t owe him shit. Your dad did. That’s not on you.”
She snapped her mouth shut at his words. They stared at each other for a second, having a silent staring contest.
He got up from the stool. “I’ll be over there if you need me. Can I get extra ice in that Coke?”
He walked away to the booth in the corner of the room, feeling her eyes burning a hole in his back the entire time.
Chapter Eight
Cam
She tried her best to concentrate on the homework, but she could feel his eyes on her skin. Leaning against the bar, she stared at the sketch. It was a butterfly, but inside of the beautiful wings, she’d put different images that represented the butterfly’s life. So far, she’d drawn the butterfly and a single piece of grass. She’d replicate the image on the computer when she got to school in the morning. It would be helpful if she had her own computer. The one in the back office was too old even to install Photoshop. She’d tried.
“That one is good to go. You can call him to pick it up.”
Her head snapped up at the sound of Kit’s gruff voice. He spoke into the phone, giving orders to someone. It was probably something illegal that she shouldn’t listen to. He looked even better than he did the other night despite the bruises that covered his face. Another sign that the motorcycle club was trouble. Were they really trying to help her or was she just getting into another bad situation? Being in the middle of a war between a motorcycle club and a drug dealer wasn’t her idea of fixing the problem. Why would they volunteer to help her when they didn’t even know her? His tattooed arm flexed as he lowered the phone away from his ear. Her body started to heat up as she stared at his broad shoulders. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t bothered to look at a guy in months, and now, she was practically drooling on the counter.
“Beer,” Ernie grunted, breaking her from the trance she was in.
Kit turned his head towards her and gave her a knowing smile.
Fuck, she was caught. She turned away from his piercing eyes and cocky grin before she poured a mug of beer for Ernie. The front door creaked open as she set the beer down. The man looked to be in his early thirties. He was leaner than Kit but with just as much muscle definition. Slicked back, jet black hair covered his head. She let out a sigh of relief; this must be Zeke. The guy Kit said would be watching over the bar too. Zeke had to be better company than Kit.
Zeke smiled at her before walking over to the booth Kit was in. They slapped hands before swapping places. Kit came up to the bar and set his empty glass down.
“See you around, sweetheart.”
She glared at his back as he walked out. She was going to kill Jen.
*****
“Jen!” Cam yelled before slamming the front door of the house shut. Why did Jen think it was okay to tell people about her loan to Venom? It wasn’t some small-town gossip. This was her life.
Jen bolted out of her bedroom and into the living room. Cam stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What’s going on?” Jen asked, her eyes wide in panic. She was dressed in pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt, which meant she was staying home tonight. Cam was too annoyed with her to be surprised that Jen was actually staying in on a summer night.
“What’s going on? You told your one-night stand about Venom. Now, I have a man-bun wearing bodyguard stationed at my bar.”
Jen shook her head. “Wait, slow down. What happened?”
Cam sighed and went into the kitchen to sit at the table. Jen followed and sat in the chair across from her. The bar closed early on Sundays, so it was only midnight. She took a deep breath before starting to explain. “One of those motorcycle guys came into the bar. The one with the bun--”
“Kit,” Jen chimed in.
“Huh?”
“His name is Kit. Hugo filled me in.”
The same way Jen filled Hugo in on all her personal business. Cam fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“Right, so Kit came in and told me that you told Hugo about Venom.”
Jen put a hand to her mouth. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry, Cam. I was tipsy last night. Hugo and I were just deep in conversation. It must have just slipped out.”
When wasn’t Jen tipsy? She loved her best friend, but she couldn’t help being annoyed. Jen got to live carefree, always doing what she pleased. On the other hand, Cam constantly felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, getting heavier and heavier with each passing day.
“Well, now we’ll have one of their club members at my bar twenty-four seven. According to Kit, I’m not supposed to pay Venom any money.”
“Um, this is a good thing, right?” Jen asked.
“No, it’s not a good thing!” she hissed. “Venom is not someone I want to mess with. They are just making everything more complicated.”
Why couldn’t Jen see that? Not paying money you owe to a very dangerous man was not a good idea. He’d come after her. The only question was when, and would the motorcycle gang be there to protect her when all hell broke loose?
“Listen, you don’t have the money to pay Venom anyways, and now, you have an entire motorcycle club looking out for you.”
“I didn’t ask for that.”
Jen waved her off. “Just relax. Maybe Venom won’t want to bother with the bar once he sees that he’d have to go to war with the Savage Spades.”
“Savage Spades?”
“That’s the name of the motorcycle club.”
“How long did you and Hugo talk for?" C
am asked, her anger starting to melt away a little bit.
Jen smiled. “A long time. I’m going over to his place tomorrow night. I think he lives at this big clubhouse that they all hang out at.”
Cam scrunched up her nose. “What, like a frat house?”
“I guess I’ll find out when I go. He said there’s a bar inside.”
Cam threw up her hands. “Then why don’t they drink at their bar?”
Jen shrugged.
Cam shook her head. “I need to get to bed.”
“You have class in the morning?”
“Yep, don’t forget you’re opening.”
She said goodnight to Jen and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Despite the hot, stuffiness of the house, the hot water felt great as it ran across her tight muscles. She never noticed when she was bunching her shoulders up until she finally had a chance to relax them. After getting out of the shower, she walked to her bedroom in a towel. She pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.
As she lay in bed, her mind wandered to her future. What did she want out of all this? All the stress and tiredness couldn’t last forever. How long was she going to hang on to the bar? What about when she graduated school? Her father would have wanted her to sell it as soon as he died. But she couldn’t think about that in the midst of the funeral and her grief. The bar never brought in much money, but at least she had enough to live off of.
For a moment, she let herself dream of what it would feel like to not have to worry about anything. To have a life like Jen’s, where she could go to work and come home without having to think about inventory or bills. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and went to sleep with that fantasy dancing in her head.
*****
“Do you need help?” Cam yelled to Jen over the loud rock music. She’d come in early, planning on getting some paperwork done before taking over for Jen. But with the way it was crowded with their new regulars, she might have to push paperwork to the side. Again.
Jen shook her head. “I got it. Do what you have to do.”
If this was going to become a regular thing, she might have to hire another bartender...and cook. Cam bit down on her lip, deciding if she really should sit in the office, or if she needed to help out.
“Go, I got it,” Jen said, shooing her away.
“Thanks. I’ll be done as soon as I can.” She walked to the back office and sat down to start working on the liquor order for the week.
The deposit also had to be prepared to take to the bank tomorrow morning. An hour later, she counted out the last of the cash and stuffed it into the deposit envelope. It was the most money she’d deposited in months. The teller at the bank would probably think she stole it. The money would just be taken out soon to pay the bills and make payroll. At least she could enjoy the sight of money in her bank account for a little bit. She stuffed the deposit envelope back in the safe. As she closed the safe door, a loud crash echoed through the building. Jumping up from her chair, she dashed out of the office.
On the floor of her bar, two men rolled around, throwing punches. The sound of skin hitting skin made her stomach turn. The rest of the motorcycle club stood around in a semicircle, watching the fight unfold. Her nostrils flared, and her muscles tensed up. This was funny to them?
“Are you fucking serious, right now?” she snapped, but no one seemed to be paying her any attention.
The bigger man now had the smaller one in a headlock. She took a step towards the fight, ready to break it up. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, preventing her from taking another set. She looked over her shoulder to see that Kit was holding her back. Her nose filled with his woodsy scent, and she hated to admit that being this close against his body gave her a sense of calmness.
“You’re going to get yourself hurt,” he said.
“Get them the fuck out of my bar. I’m not having it.” Her face was hot and probably bright red.
He nodded. “Okay.”
He let go of her and waved his hand at Jen’s new boy toy, Hugo. On cue, Hugo stood up and pulled the men apart.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Hugo said, stepping through the circle and standing next to the two men. That didn’t stop the bigger man from laying another punch on the smaller one. Hugo grabbed the bigger man and hauled him off of the smaller one.
“If you’re going to fight, take it outside!” she added, putting her hands on her hips.
An older man in the back of the group stepped forward. “You heard the lady, take it outside.”
Both guys stood up on their feet. Hugo gave them a push so they would walk outside. After a moment of silence, everyone went back to their drinks. She turned to Kit, who was still standing behind her with a smug grin on his face.
“You think that’s funny?”
“You could thank me.”
She turned on her heels and walked back to the office, his footsteps following behind her. Her fingers itched for a cigarette.
“Thank you? Why would I thank you?” she asked, continuing her walk into the office and sitting down in the black office chair. She looked up at Kit. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was leaning against the wall. If she wasn’t so annoyed with him, she might acknowledge the fact that he looked good tonight. Under his leather cut, his black t-shirt squeezed his biceps.
“Because if I hadn’t waved Hugo over, they probably wouldn’t have stopped until someone tapped out.”
Is that what happened at their bar? At this clubhouse that Jen had told her about? She wouldn’t be surprised.
“Is that how you got that?” she asked, tilting her head towards the bruise just below his eye.
“Something like that.”
She smiled. “I bet you got your ass kicked.”
He chuckled. “Not a chance.”
They stared at each other for a moment. Fuck, he was good looking. It had been so long since she’d gotten close to a guy. The smell of Kit’s cologne alone could turn her on. Too bad he was an arrogant jerk, or she might go out with him. What was she thinking? She had enough to focus on without the added stress of a relationship.
He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to the punch. “You should go unless you want to see me go through paperwork for the next hour.”
He nodded and walked back to the floor, leaving her alone.
Chapter Nine
Cam
It was nearly closing time when she finally came up for air. Jen had offered to stay for the rest of the night and manage the bar. Cam’d tried to argue with her, but Jen had insisted.
“I’m going to the clubhouse tonight anyways. I might as well make some money while I wait around for them to finish drinking here,” she’d told Cam.
It’d given Cam the chance to catch up on all the outstanding stuff she’d meant to get done.
“Hey,” Jen greeted her.
Cam smiled at her and grabbed a cup before pouring herself a Coke. “It looks like everyone’s leaving?”
“Yeah…well, going back to the clubhouse.”
Amire came around the corner in the midst of untying his apron.
“Hey, Amire, you’ve been quiet tonight,” Cam said.
He followed her action and grabbed a cup to fill with soda. “The new customers keep me busy. Those guys can eat. Oh, by the way, we’re running low on a few things.”
“Shit. Make a list, and I’ll try to see if we can get an early delivery.”
She also made a mental note to see if she could afford to hire another person. She didn’t want Amire and Jen to feel like she was working them to death. Plus, if one of them were out sick, there’s no way she’d be able to handle the bar and kitchen alone with as many guys that were here tonight.
“So…I was thinking...” Jen started.
“Oh no,” Amire said before taking a sip of his soda.
Jen stuck her tongue out at him. “I would really like some company tonight…”
“Oh, fuck no. Hugo is your company,” Cam
said. There was no way she wanted to spend her night sitting around at a bar across town with the same people who were just here. If she wanted to do that, she would have kept her bar open longer.
“Come on, Cam. You’re going to let me go somewhere alone with a bunch of big motorcycle guys?”
“You want to go!”
Jen puffed out her bottom lip.
“Ha!” Amire said. “Guess that means you’re going. You two have fun. I’m going to finish in the kitchen.”
Amire walked away as Jen continued to stare at her with those big, puppy dog eyes.
“Jen, come on. I want to go home and get some sleep,” she said. Her body was so achy, all she wanted to do was get in a hot shower then curl up under the covers.
“Just come out for a little bit. We don’t have to stay long.”
“You’re not spending the night?” Cam asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Jen shook her head. “No, I have plans for breakfast with my mom in the morning.”
Jen’s parents lived about an hour outside of town, so she was able to see them often. Jen raised an eyebrow at her waiting for an answer. God, she was tired, but she knew Jen would return the favor if she had asked.
“Fine, but just for a little while.”
Jen squealed and pulled her in for a tight hug. “You are the best! I owe you.”
“Yes, you do. Now, let’s clean up so we can get this over with.”
Jen cleaned behind the bar while Cam took care of the lobby. Amire finished before both of them and left. Once they finished, Cam locked the door and followed Jen out to her car.
“We can get your truck after I get back from breakfast with my mom,” Jen said as they climbed into her small, silver car.
“That’s fine.” She wanted to sleep in tomorrow anyways. Her class didn’t start until eleven o’clock, so that meant if they got out of the bar early enough, she might get seven hours of sleep.
She leaned her head back against the headrest as Jen followed the GPS. If she allowed her eyes to flutter closed, she’d be asleep in a matter of minutes. As they traversed onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, her eyes flickered to Jen. “Are you sure this is the right address? There’s nothing out here.”
