I waved my hand at her and laughed. “You’re not the first person I’ve heard that from. Now get out of here.”
Flo laughed and dashed out the door.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was half-past ten. I was done with my work for the night, and I knew Raelyn was hanging out at the bar while Memphis worked. Monk wasn’t at home, so I didn’t feel the need to rush back to an empty house. That was a new feeling. Normally, I was more than ready to leave the club behind and just find some solace at home.
It was different now that Monk was in my life.
It was crazy how quickly things changed.
I turned off the light in my office and wandered down the hall to the bar. Raelyn was perched on a barstool with Jinx sitting next to her.
“Hey,” Raelyn called when she spotted me. “I was wondering if you were going to come and hang out with me.”
I nodded to Onya behind the bar and sat next to Raelyn. “Just ice water for me. I need to drive home.” Onya filled a glass with water and ice, and set it in front of me.
“You’re lame,” Raelyn jested. “I already had three thingies and one of those other things.”
I leaned back and looked at Jinx.
He shook his head and held up five fingers.
Raelyn leaned back and tried to see what Jinx was doing. “Are you using your fingers about me?” she slurred.
Jinx shrugged.
“He was just telling me I should steal third base.” I took a sip of my water and tried not to laugh.
“Uh, what?” Raelyn asked. “Are we talking about soccer now?”
“And I think this is the point where we switch you to water now,” Jinx laughed. He grabbed her half-full glass and pushed it to Onya. “Raelyn needs to start being lame, too.”
Onya winked at Jinx. “You got it, handsome.”
I might have thought Onya was hitting on Jinx under normal circumstances, but her being behind the bar, I knew she was angling for the best tip she could get. Everyone became handsome, honey, or sweetie when you were bartending. The dancers made the big tips, and then it was a fight between the bartenders and waitresses to do what they could to get the rest of the customers’ money.
“Have you seen Memphis tonight?” Raelyn asked. “She looks super pretty. I bet she’s making bank tonight.”
“I think that’s every night, honey.” I laughed and turned on my barstool to look at the club. “And it’s pretty busy tonight, so I’m sure she’s raking in the tips.”
Raelyn managed to swivel around with the help of Jinx and ended up leaning into me. “Do you think I need to tip Memphis? She brought me all of my drinks.”
I patted her arm. “That’s up to you.” Only Raelyn would worry about tipping Memphis, her best friend.
“I has no money. I’m going to make Playboy give her a huge tip when he comes to pick me up.” She patted my arm. “It’s nice having a boyfriend.”
I glanced at Raelyn. “You came here with no money?”
She hiccupped and nodded. “I had money, but I forgot to grab it, and Playboy said not to worry about it. He parked me on this stool, and Memphis has been feeding me drinks all night.”
“I told you not to worry about it, Raelyn,” Jinx drawled. “I can see the tips Memphis is picking up, and I promise she’s more than fine.”
Raelyn waved her hand at him. “Don’t tell me I can’t pay for Memphis.”
Jinx shook his head with a smirk on his lips. “Ol’ ladies are a fucking trip.”
“What time do you think the guys are going to be done?” Raelyn asked. “I have to pee.”
Two thoughts that somehow came out together. Yeah, Raelyn was drunk.
I grabbed Raelyn’s hand. “I’ll take you to the bathroom.”
“Oh, yeah,” Raelyn cheered. “Sisters never go to the bathroom alone.”
I nodded to Jinx. “I’ve got her.” I managed to get Raelyn to the bathroom with only tripping three times and falling into an empty table.
“It’s so clean in here,” Raelyn gasped. “Are you sure we’re still in a strip club?” She grabbed the box of Kleenex and petted it. “You know, I never in a million years thought I would be hanging out in a strip club while my boyfriend is out being a badass.”
I grabbed the box of Kleenex from her and guided her into the stall. “Yet, here we are,” I laughed. “Living the dream.”
Raelyn plopped down on the toilet seat and looked up at me. “I like it. The only thing that would make it better was if Leona was here.”
Leona had left a huge wound in a lot of people. Raelyn was probably the worst because she had known her for a long time. “You know she’d be right here with you tearing things up.”
Raelyn smiled sadly. “I told her about you. Well, she knew about you, but I told her the other day when I went to go visit her grave that you were actually nice and not a bitch.”
That was the second time I had heard that tonight. “Well, I appreciate that. I tend to be a tough nut to crack, but I do have a heart underneath it all.”
“I’m gonna pee my pants,” Raelyn gasped. She jumped up from the toilet, and I slammed shut the stall door. There went our little heart to heart.
Raelyn peeing was not something I needed to see.
“Wow,” Raelyn gasped. “I have officially broken the seal.”
I leaned against the counter and tried not to laugh my ass off. “You do know you’re gonna pee about ten more times, right?”
“Maybe I’ll just stay here in the pretty bathroom then.” She sighed, and then I heard the toilet flush. “Memphis can come hang out in here, so she doesn’t have to be by that awful Rain.” She opened the door and stumbled back. She managed to hold onto the side of the stall and not sit back down.
“Rain’s days are numbered around here. And I know Monk is keeping an eye on her. Pretty sure if she even looks at Memphis the wrong way, she’s going to get fired even if we still need her.”
Raelyn walked out of the stall and turned on the faucet. “I doubt that. Monk doesn’t like Memphis and me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think you could have that any more wrong.”
Raelyn scoffed. “Girl, you didn’t see the way he looked at us when Leo brought us in.” Raelyn pumped a shit-ton of soap into her hands and lathered them up.
“Well, I’m sure he wasn’t exactly happy about that, but you gotta know he doesn’t hate you two. I think he just knows you two are…a slight distraction for the club who he does like at the end of the day.” Yeah, that was probably about right.
Raelyn burst out laughing. “I think that is the nicest way to say that Memphis and I are annoying.”
I mean, they weren’t annoying to me, but I’m sure they grated Monk’s nerves a bit. He was a more to-the-point guy than Playboy or Six-Gun were, so it was a good Raelyn and Memphis had found men who were such a good fit.
“What are you thinking about?” Raelyn asked. She turned off the water and wiped her hands on her pants.
I grabbed a paper towel and handed it to her. “Uh, I was just thinking that you and Playboy are a pretty good match. Same with Memphis and Six-Gun.”
“And now you and Monk.” She grabbed the paper towel and finished drying her hands. “You two go together so perfectly that it’s almost stupid that it didn’t happen sooner.”
“There is no Monk and me,” I replied.
Raelyn rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter next to me. “Still denying it, huh?”
“Denying what?” I laughed. I knew exactly what she was talking about.
“You and Monk being an item.”
“Monk and I are… we just are.”
Raelyn scoffed. “Are. That’s it. You’re are.” She laid her head on my shoulder. “Honey, I hate to break it to you, but I’m the drunk one, and I’m making more sense than you are.”
A knocked sounded on the door. “Yo,” Jinx called. “Playboy is here, and I’m supposed to follow you home.”
“Yay!” Raelyn
squealed. She darted out of the bathroom, knocking the door into Jinx.
“Jesus, woman,” he laughed. “Can you give me a second to back up before you come barreling at me like a deranged moose?”
“I’m not a moose,” Raelyn called. “I’m a gazelle.” She ran down the hallway and out to the bar.
“You coming out like a gazelle, too?” Jinx asked.
I stepped out and shook my head. “I need about ten drinks to get to that gazelle stage.”
Jinx shook his head. “Ol’ ladies are fucking loony. You ready to hit it?”
I nodded and led the way back to the bar. Raelyn was draped over Playboy like it had been five years since she had seen him, and not two hours.
“Byeee,” Raelyn called. “Have fun with Monkey.”
My steps faltered at the name, and even Jinx looked shocked.
“I am so calling him Monkey when I drop you off.” Jinx smiled wide. “You ol’ ladies sure are crazy, but you do make shit interesting.”
I didn’t argue with Jinx grouping me into ol’ ladies.
Monk and I were just starting out, but I had to admit it felt right. Nothing was forced, and he seemed to actually understand me. I wanted to be loved, but I didn’t want to be caged.
Jinx followed behind me on his bike, and I had my window rolled down with my hand floating along the breeze. I cranked the radio, and Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless' sounds blasted from the speakers.
Two miles from my house, I noticed Jinx flashing his lights at me. I turned down the radio, but the car pulled to the left abruptly, and I struggled to grip the wheel. All of a sudden, the right front of my car crashed to the ground, and I lost control. The car skidded to the shoulder, and then the world turned upside down.
One.
Two.
Three.
CRASH.
The car landed on its side, and I was smashed up against the door. My chest felt like it was crushed, and I struggled to breathe.
“Help,” I gasped. “Help me.”
My eyes struggled to focus, and I felt something dripping down my face. Pain flashed red before my eyes when I tried to move my arm, but it would move. A freight train of agony rocked through me, and then the world went dark.
*
Monk
“I thought you were on the way here,” I laughed. I bet Mitzy had decided to stop and get burgers for dinner, and Jinx was letting me know.
“Monk, Monk,” Jinx called.
The cup in my hand fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. “What? What is it?” I barked. A cloud of dread settled over me.
“It’s bad, brother. You need… you need to get here now.” His breathing was shallow, and he sounded like he couldn’t catch his breath. “Just get here.”
“Where? Where am I going?” I demanded. I was out the front door and halfway to my bike.
“Just drive. You can’t miss us.”
I heard Mitzy’s moan in the background. “Is she okay?” I demanded.
“I don’t know, brother. I got the ambulance coming, but you need to get here, now.”
I ended the call and shoved the phone in my pocket. I cranked up my bike, whipped the backend around, and blazed out of the driveway.
Something must have happened on the drive home.
Not even two minutes from Mitzy’s house, I saw sideways headlights in the field and Jinx’s single headlight pointed at the flipped car.
My heart pounded in my chest as I made it to Jinx’s bike and hopped off mine. It tilted into the ditch, but I didn’t fucking care. I raced over to the window where Jinx knelt.
“Get her out!” I screamed. I pushed Jinx out of the way, and my eyes connected with Mitzy’s frantic gaze.
“Monk,” she screamed. “Help me.”
I moved to reach into the car, and that’s when I noticed her arm was trapped under the frame.
“I can’t get her out, man. She’s stuck under the car, and I can’t move it,” Jinx babbled. “I’ve been trying, but I had to call the cops. We can’t get her out.” He sounded panicked, and his eyes darted around frantically. “Everything was fine, and then all of a sudden, I saw her wheel get shaky. She was in the ditch before she even knew what was happening.”
We had to get her out. I smelled gasoline in the air, and I didn’t know whether or not the car was going to catch fire.
“We gotta flip the car, Jinx. We have to get her out of here.” I didn’t know how long it was going to take for the fire department to get here, and the longer Mitzy stayed in the car, the worse the potential outcome could be.
I took off my cut and wrapped it around Mitzy. “Just try to hold that to you, Birdie. We’re gonna flip the car, and there’s glass everywhere.”
Mitzy grabbed the cut with her free arm and pulled it around her. “Okay,” she whispered.
“We’re gonna get you out of here, okay. Be strong for me, Mitzy.”
Her eyes connected with mine, and she nodded. “You need to get me out of here so I can kick whoever’s ass did this to me.”
Even in a crashed-up car with her arm trapped under it, Mitzy was a firecracker ready to kickass.
“Someone’s stopping to help,” Jinx called.
Thank God. I wasn’t sure if Jinx and I were going to be able to flip the car by ourselves. “Hey!” I called. The person who pulled up was on a motorcycle and parked next to our bikes. I didn’t say anything more because as soon as I saw the person step off their bike, I knew who it was.
“Holy fuck,” Jinx gasped.
Holy fuck was right.
Barracuda stalked toward us and kneeled next to me.
“Uh, are we going to flip the car over,” Mitzy called. The cut was pulled over her face, and she couldn’t see that a fucking ghost was kneeling next to me.
“Still leading with sass, I see, Mitzy,” Barracuda growled.
Mitzy dropped the cut, and her jaw dropped. “What in the fuck?”
“I guess all it took to bring you back was Mitzy flipping her car,” Jinx muttered.
I shook my head and tried to focus on right now. “We need to get the car off of her. Her arm is trapped, and it fucking reeks of gas.”
Barracuda nodded.
Jinx shifted down a bit, and Barracuda moved in between us.
Sirens sounded in the distance, but I wasn’t going to wait.
“One, two, three,” I called. “LIFT!”
My fingers dug into the side of the car, and I lifted with everything I had. Barracuda growled, and Jinx let out a muffled yell. We got the car up six inches, but then we weren’t able to lift it anymore.
“Get her out,” Barracuda growled.
“I’m not letting go,” Jinx grunted. “Get her, Monk.”
I didn’t have any other choice. I fell to my knees and wrapped my hand around Mitzy’s mangled arm. “This might hurt, Birdie.”
A shriek tore from her lips when I lifted her arm and quickly moved it from under the car. “You can let go,” I called.
Barracuda and Jinx dropped the car, and they both fell to their knees, panting.
Next, I carefully crawled into the car and was able to unhook Mitzy’s seat belt. Jinx helped me pulled her from the wreckage, and I carried her over to the side of the road. She cradled her arm in her lap, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Shh, shh, it’s going to be okay, Mitzy,” I cooed. I gathered her in my arms and spotted flashing lights headed our way.
“Did I hallucinate Barracuda?” Mitzy asked softly. She laid her head on my chest and sighed.
I thought I had to, but I looked over by the totaled car, and Barracuda was there on his knees with Jinx standing next to him.
Barracuda was back.
*
Chapter Eighteen
B.S.
Mitzy
“I think you’ve been in the hospital enough. I think it’s someone else’s turn.” Memphis laid her hand on mine. “Seriously, I’ve never known you to be this dramatic.”
Raelyn scoffed. “You think maybe we should wait until she’s out of the hospital before we start yelling at her for getting hurt?”
I rolled my eyes and squeezed Memphis’ hand. “I guess I’m just into having all of the attention,” I joked.
Memphis sighed. “I still can’t believe that happened.”
Neither could I.
Two nights ago, I had gone on the craziest ride of my life, right into a field.
One minute, I was just bopping down the road with my music cranked, and then the next thing I knew, I was flipped over on my side with my arm pinned. “I will tell you I will never drive with my windows down again.” I tried to wiggle my fingers on my injured arm but couldn’t. Tears welled in my eyes. The doctor didn’t know if I would regain full use of my hand. Everything was so swollen and banged up right now that they were just waiting to see what was going to happen. Every broken bone was set, and I was going to be in a cast for a good eight weeks, if not longer, if things didn’t heal correctly.
“Hey, no more making her cry,” Monk called. “What did I tell you two about that shit before you came in here?” Monk leaned against the door frame and folded his arms over his chest. “There is no fucking crying in here.”
Memphis swiped at her eyes and pasted a smile on her face. “No one’s crying,” she wheezed.
Raelyn laughed. “Come on,” she pleaded. “We’re girls and one of our sisters almost died.”
“Again with this sister thing?” I laughed. “I really think we need to come up with a better name. It sounds like we’re part of a convent.”
“Really?” Raelyn laughed. “I thought it sounded like we were a band of badass bitches who don’t take shit from anyone.”
Monk rolled his eyes. “Not at all.”
“But you guys call each other brother,” Raelyn replied. “It only makes sense that we’re sisters.”
Raelyn just wasn’t going to get it. We were going to be stuck as the sisters no matter what. “Maybe we could be Badass Sisters or something like that.”
“BS,” Monk called. “You would literally be BS. Bull. Shit.”
I flipped him off. He wasn’t helping at all. “We won’t go by initials. We’ll just be Badass Sisters.”
Monk (Royal Bastards MC: Sacramento Book 3) Page 10
