by Jayne Blue
I didn’t like it. Unscheduled meetings were almost never about anything good. Then again, maybe I was just gun-shy about how things went under the last regime. Before Colt came along, meetings like this usually had to do with some new criminal investigation or rival club shit. We were past that now. Thank God.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” I said. And fuck it, I thought, and grabbed a beer. It was just five. We opened in a half hour. I told Jeanette and the two bartenders to look sharp. Colt trusted me with his life and our business, but I wanted tonight to go perfectly while he was here.
“Relax,” Brax said. That damn Viking could practically read my mind. “We’ve thought of everything. It’s going to be a good night. Quit worrying about everything.”
I heard the rev of a Harley engine outside. Colt and the rest of the crew had arrived.
***
Colt looked grim when he walked into the bar. His dark eyes looked almost black as he said hello to Jeanette and nodded toward Sonny and Lou, our new bartenders. They were both prospects and looking better and better for potential membership. We’d culled the herd when Colt took over and if we were going to survive, along with financial stability, we were going to need numbers. Soon.
“You got things under control out here for a little bit?” I called to Jeanette. We needed the back room.
Jeanette smiled and nodded. She was pert, pretty with short blonde hair and a pair of the deepest blue eyes I’d ever seen. Brax had a little bit of a crush on her and I hoped like hell he wouldn’t make a problem of it. Finding good, responsible help wasn’t easy. As he passed her, I saw him trail his fingers across her back and figured that ship might already have sailed. Jeannette’s face colored and her smile widened. Fuck. He had a long reputation for breaking the hearts of good girls like her. She was great at her job and we didn’t need the turnover on top of everything else that could go wrong. I was thinking of promoting her to head hostess even. Looks like I was going to have to have a talk with Brax soon.
The second I thought it, Mallory flashed in my mind again. If she showed up tonight, if her band impressed the rest of the members as much as they had me, I might need to remind myself of that little talk before anything else happened.
Colt slapped a hand at the center of my back as he walked by. “It’s good to see you,” he said. I had to agree. Over the last year, we’d both been busy as hell getting the gym and the bar off the ground. It didn’t leave us much time to hang out the way we should. But we both knew it was for the good and the future of the club. Turning these businesses into real money makers was all that mattered. Between the two of us, we held the financial future of every member of this club by the ball sack. I didn’t take that responsibility lightly.
We gathered around a long table in the back room we used strictly for club business. I was in the process of building a proper office for myself but for now, I had shit stacked in the corner, including a small desk and computer. Colt gave me a look. I smiled and flipped him off.
“Give me a break,” I said. “It’s still taking me some time to get used to the idea of us being a corporate franchise. Catman didn’t exactly make us keep receipts, you know.”
Catman, our past president, kept us in the black using off-book tactics. Together, Colt and I ended that shit, but I was still getting used to the transition. White-collar shit wasn’t my strong suit. Leather and army fatigues were more my style.
Colt took his place at the head of the table and I took mine on his right side while the rest of the crew filed in. As sergeant at arms, Brax sat across from me. Filling out the rest of the table were Joker, E.J., Mac, and Tate. We’d lost three other guys during the bloody regime change. Necessary, but it left our numbers small. Recruiting was our next priority after we got the businesses firmly off the ground. While Colt was here, I had a mind to talk to him about Sonny and Lou.
“So what’s up?” I said, rapping my fist on the table to get the rest of the guys to quiet down. I still didn’t like the grim look on Colt’s face one bit.
“Maybe nothing,” Colt said. “Hopefully nothing. But there’s been some rumblings at the docks down by the gym. There’s some stuff I need to make sure everyone’s aware of.”
“Like?”
Colt ran a hand over his day-old stubble. He had a thick head of black hair and dark eyes to match. When he scowled like that, it made him look like a damn pirate. Chicks went crazy for it. He’d settled down now and finally found a good woman willing to put up with his sorry ass, but when we were kids, the guy had tail chasing him day and night.
“Like I said, it might be nothing, but it might be something. There was that shooting near The Shires last week. Shook Ricky and the rest of the bar owners up pretty bad. Last night, a couple of the businesses had their windows busted out.”
“Okay? I mean, but that’s not out of the ordinary for that part of town. Before we came in with the gym, the place wasn’t exactly thriving.”
“I know,” Colt said. “And I get it. But there might be a pattern starting to take shape. At least, that’s what I’m hearing.”
Colt got quiet. He didn’t have to remind me who his source was. He had an identical twin brother on the Lincolnshire, P.D. Colt’s brother Jase never won points for having family connected with the club, but he had our back and had occasion to prove that time and again.
But I didn’t like where this was going. “Look,” Colt continued. “We knew there was a risk of this. When we gave up the dirty shit and went clean, you gotta expect there might be a power vacuum down there for a while. Certain people were going to start thinking they could move in on territory we used to control.”
“Which people?” Tate said, but we all knew. Although we hadn’t been involved in an all-out club war in decades, the Devil’s Hawks M.C. had a pretty firm foothold in Detroit. Forty miles over the Michigan line maybe wasn’t far enough to keep them from trying to take a piece of Lincolnshire.
“I’m not saying it’s the Hawks behind this,” Colt said. “At least not yet. We’re gonna just have to watch and wait.”
“What’s going on, Colt?” I said. “There’s a reason Jase sat down with you on this one. What’s he know?”
Colt chewed on his bottom lip. I knew the line he walked bringing information from his brother to the table. There was a time that even the mention of Jase would have sparked mistrust. But the old days were gone. Everyone at this table knew exactly where Colt’s loyalties lie. He’d proven it in a big way not so long ago.
“He sees some fire power in the city that’s new.”
Shit. “And he’s hoping we might be able to figure out where it’s coming from.” That was a fine fucking line indeed. Club rule number one, protect the brotherhood at all costs. Club rule number two, we don’t rat. Not even against another club.
“Look, there’s no reason to assume anything. But we watch our backs and keep an eye out. That’s all I’m saying. If we get solid information that the Hawks or some other outfit is trying to move in on Lincolnshire, then we’re at this table having a different conversation. Everyone clear on that?”
Everyone at the table rapped their knuckles against the wood in assent. I met Colt’s eyes and did the same. Still, a cold, hard pit formed in my stomach. Things had finally settled down around here. We were getting a solid foothold on a real, legit future. I’d maybe been a fool to think things would stay calm as long as they had.
Colt’s face broke into a wide smile. But it didn’t reach his eyes and I knew him better than anyone else in the room. He was worried. Really worried.
The meeting broke up with a soft knock on the door. Colt yelled out and Jeanette poked her head in.
“I’m really sorry to interrupt.” The blush on her face deepened when Brax turned toward her. I gave him a sharp kick under the table that made him grunt. “That band you asked to audition? They just showed up. Are you ready for them?”
My heart flipped and all the blood in my body seemed to rush str
aight down to my dick. Apparently I had no fucking cause to give Brax an ounce of shit.
Mallory. She was here. She was just outside that door. Something must have shown on my face because I caught Colt’s eyes. He cocked his head and drew his brows together. Yeah, fuck. No way I was gonna get through the next half hour without him knowing exactly what was on my mind when I saw Mallory Rhodes again.
“Tell them to go ahead and set up,” I said. I checked the wall clock. The bar was open and I could hear the hum of activity outside. The meeting had run far longer than I’d expected. I got up and pulled back the blinds.
“Looks like we might get a decent crowd tonight,” I said. “It’s been like this for the past three weekends.”
My heart settled a little. We hadn’t even had our hard launch grand opening. Right now, we were just running on word of mouth as we tweaked the menus, the specials, and now the weekend entertainment.
“That’s good news,” Colt said. “Best damn news I’ve heard all day, actually.”
Brax was next to me and thumped me on the back. He beamed just like a little kid. Like a giant, Nordic little kid. His hopes were as wrapped up in this place as mine were. Other than Colt, I’d known him the longest since joining the club. We were true brothers and it did my heart good to see him smile like that. In a lot of ways, he’d had to take on the heaviest load to usher in our new leadership. Two members were in the ground because of him. There’d been no other choice. Colt’s life had been on the line. Still, taking a man’s life takes a toll. Brax had done it twice. He deserved something good more than anyone.
“Let’s go show off our hard work,” I said. Brax gave me a knuckle knock and we all headed out to the main bar.
We’d installed a platform way in the back for the membership. We sat a little above the fray in two large round booths that faced the stage. I had Sonny dim the lights back there so we could watch everything happening on stage and in the bar without drawing any attention to ourselves.
I sat on Colt’s right, Brax sat on the other side of him. Jeannette sent two waitresses up with bottle service. But I was too amped up to even bother with it.
We had a good crowd for this early. Things didn’t start getting rowdy until after nine. Tonight though, the place was packed. I had a feeling someone had gotten the word out we’d have live entertainment.
My heart thundered behind my rib cage as the lights went up on the stage and Jeanette stepped out. She looked cute and pert with her Wolf Den tank top and sequined logo across her chest. She shielded her eyes from the spotlight and looked in the direction of our booths. I knew she was searching for Brax. I felt him stiffen beside me.
If it were any other night, I would have ribbed him hard for what was happening between them. I couldn’t though. Not now.
I don’t know what Jeanette said. Something witty. She had the crowd laughing and eating out of her hand. She worked that place like she was born to emcee. But I couldn’t focus on her words. I was too keyed up thinking about the show we were all about to see.
“So, here’s a little something special for you guys,” she said. “Let’s give a warm Wolf Den howl for Mallory and the Malcontents.”
There were some whistles and applause, then the lights on the stage came up and Mallory stepped into it. If I thought I could just forget about what almost happened between us, I was about to find out how wrong I was.
Chapter Five
We were in a crowd full of people, but they all fell away. Mallory stepped to the edge of the stage and held her mic low. With the raw power of her voice, she didn’t need the thing. They opened with a Stones cover. A smart choice for the mix in this crowd. We had twenty-somethings looking to hook up. We had gen exers looking to wash their week away of work or kids or whatever the fuck with some booze and good food. We even had a few baby boomers who remembered what this town used to be and liked the fact we were trying to bring it back.
Mallory worked magic on all of them. She stalked the stage, letting her voice drop to a low, almost sexual growl. Then she’d attack a note in a way that sent a chill straight down my spine. Me and everybody else in that bar.
Everything she did, every note she sang, every look she gave to the crowd was polished, timed to perfection. She knew exactly how to rev her audience up and keep them there. She had them singing along with her. She had them speechless when she threw her head back and let loose on some riff that left me quaking.
She worked magic with that mic. My eyes stayed glued to her perfect, red lips. I wanted to be that microphone. I wanted her to hold me like that and run her fingers along my skin in just that way. She’d be good. Rough and gentle all at the same time. I wanted to run my thumb along her luscious, bottom lip and have her part them for me as she kept her eyes locked solely on mine.
For a fraction of a second, I looked away from her, afraid if I stared any longer I wouldn’t be able to hide my growing need for her. She picked that moment to pop down from the stage. She held her wireless mic gently between three fingers as she weaved through the tables. Every eye stayed trained on her. Goddammit. It was like a strip tease she was doing. Except she did it all with her voice and her eyes. Everyone wanted a piece of her.
Fuck. She was really doing it to me. She was doing it to all of them. There wasn’t a guy in the place who wasn’t thinking the same thing I was. What would it feel like if she wrapped her legs around me? What would she taste like? Except I already knew. She tasted sweet like honey and strawberries with a hint of her own lust. If we’d had just a few minutes more, I would have made her mine right there behind the boat house under the light of a full moon.
Colt stirred beside me. “Holy fuck,” he whispered. “Where did you find this chick?”
I changed my mind and reached for the bottle of Jim Beam one of the girls had set down. I did a straight shot. Then another. “That place on the lake you heard about.”
I kept my eyes toward Mallory and from my periphery, I saw Colt’s posture change. He leaned in and grabbed me by the shoulder, turning me so I had to look at him instead of her. His pirate eyes glinted in the dim light. “Kel? You got something going with this girl?”
I shook my head. “Not gonna lie and say I wouldn’t like to, but no.”
He nodded. “Then you’ve got a hell of a lot more restraint than I would have had before my life took a turn.” He thrust his ring finger in the air; the gold wedding band shone.
I smiled. I had expected him to warn me to steer clear of her. We both knew we saw something special. This girl. This band was everything we needed to take this place to the next level.
“Oh, my brother,” Colt slapped me on the back. “There but for the grace of God. Just keep your dick wrapped.”
I faked a punch toward his jaw. Colt squeezed my shoulder and we settled back into the booth and turned our attention back to Mallory and the band. She’d just launched into their Radiohead cover again. She had the crowd mesmerized like she held each and every heart in the place in the palm of her hand. When she let loose and practically screamed through the chorus, it felt like she could squeeze every one of those hearts and make them love her. Fuck. They already loved her.
She came down from the stage again and walked toward the back of the bar. Sonny worked the lights like a pro and kept the spotlight on her. Swaying her hips, she came to the edge of the platform. The light touched us and Mallory looked up. There was just a brief instant when her sultry mask fell. It was the moment when her eyes met mine and she recognized me.
My heart stopped beating as her eyes widened. She drew a deep breath to hit her next note and her mask fell back into place. She kept her eyes on me. Sang the song directly to me. If I thought she had power over the whole crowd, when she had me in her eyes, it felt like a fuse lit somewhere deep inside me. Everything else faded to nothing. There was just Mallory and me and the sway of her hips. Her tongue darted out as she licked her bottom lip.
Fuck. Just, fuck. I needed her. Bad.
She too
k three more steps, putting herself at the edge of our table. I thought she might slide right in. Her guitar player let loose a wailing riff that drew the crowd’s attention away from Mallory. Whoever he was, he had the women in the audience drooling over him the way Mallory had the men.
As the reverb filled the room, the guitar strains seemed to pull Mallory back to him. She turned and charged back to the stage. They finished the song together, her belting out the last note back to back with the guy. I had the same jealous twinge I had the other night. They were intimate with each other in a way that made my fists clench at my sides. They fed off each other’s rhythm and energy and I kind of fucking hated it. Hated that every guy in this place was eyeballing her right in front of me. I needed some fucking air.
Just when I was about to lose it, the song ended. The lights went dark then Sonny brought them up again. The crowd went to its feet. The applause and whistles drowned out everything else. This night, she owned the place. Owned this crowd. If she could do this every weekend, we’d have them lined up down the block just to catch a glimpse of her. It gave me mixed feelings I hadn’t expected. It was everything I wanted for this joint and our club. And yet, I knew I wanted that girl all to myself.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Brax said, leaning in so we could hear over the crowd. Clapping and his eyes still on the stage, Colt nodded. Then they both turned to me.
“Get them signed. Like yesterday,” Colt said. “Do they have formal management?”
I shrugged. “That seemed to be up in the air. I’ll lock it down though.”
“Do it,” Colt said. “Tonight if you can. We’d all be idiots if we couldn’t see the future of the bar tonight. They’re perfect. She’s perfect. That kid she’s with has probably melted every pair of panties in the place tonight too. That’s lightning in a bottle, Kel. Great find.”
He slapped me on the back and hopped down from the platform as the lights went up. Mallory raised a hand and blew a kiss to the crowd. Her guitar player took a bow. When he straightened, he caught my eye. Up until now, the spotlight had kept us hidden from him. Now though, he saw me and no doubt recognized me. His face went white and his eyes stone cold. He tore the guitar strap from his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered something in Mallory’s ear that made her lips go tight and she flicked her eyes in my direction. Then just as quickly, she fixed her smile back in place and waved to the crowd. Her guitar player narrowed his eyes and stormed off the stage.
