1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  The door swung open. Apparently Bone had known they were coming, because the smaller tables had been shoved together to make one long surface, and the boxes that’d been in here yesterday were gone.

  Shade caught my hips in his hands, gently pushing me to the side as his biker brothers filed in past him. I waited for him to let go but he didn’t. He decided to run his thumbs up and under the side of my tank instead. I shivered.

  “I’ll be right back with your drinks,” I said, hoping Bone knew what they wanted because my brain had stopped working. The last thing I needed was a bunch of Reapers pissed off at me for fucking up their order. Shade didn’t drop his hands, just loosened his grip and lowered his head, taking in my scent.

  My nipples went tight and he gave a low chuckle. Then he dropped his hands, brushing past me without a second glance.

  “Sounds good, babe,” he said, stepping into the room. “Shut the door behind you.”

  The evening got weird after that.

  The Reapers stationed a guy with a “prospect” patch on his vest outside the door, and every time I came back with more booze he would knock on the door, check, and then let me in like a scene out of The Godfather. It would’ve been funny as hell if they hadn’t gotten so quiet every time I walked in. You know, the kind of quiet you get when you’re talking about where to bury bodies. Not that I had any reason to think they had bodies to bury, but…well, there was that whole rumor thing.

  Oh, and Shade watched me every second, every time I was in there. Like, watched me. Enough to creep me out. I’d gone to Bone and asked him if I could swap out with Sara now that she was off break.

  “Suck it up,” he’d said, crossing his big arms over his chest. “This is your job. Do it. If you’re a good girl, you’ll get a real nice tip at the end of the night.”

  “What if I’m not a good girl?” I’d asked, unnerved. “I’ve never actually been very good at being…well, you know. Good.”

  Bone grinned at me.

  “Then you’ll get an even bigger tip.”

  Somehow that didn’t make me feel much better.

  “Now go back in there and make sure nobody runs dry. If the Reapers are happy, we’re all happy. That’s the way this thing works. Unless you want to find a new job?”

  I shook my head quickly, unnerved.

  “No, I need the work,” I assured him.

  “What a coincidence, because I need a waitress who follows orders.”

  “Stop scaring her,” Sara said, butting in. Bone glared at her and she glared right back, cocking her hip belligerently.

  “Fucking women,” he muttered, turning away. Sara laughed, flipping him off behind his back.

  “There’s a mirror behind the bar, remember? I saw that,” he muttered. “You’re both fired.”

  “You love us and you know it.”

  Bone growled something, then reached for a beer glass, deliberately ignoring us.

  “He’s right about one thing—you need to get in there and make sure those boys don’t run dry,” Sara said, lowering her voice. “We can’t afford to piss off the Reapers.”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  “Then start moving,” she replied, snapping me with the bar towel. It caught me off guard and I laughed, because no matter how scary Shade and his buddies might be, I really liked my job. It certainly wasn’t boring, and that was good, right?

  Trevor wasn’t boring either, and look how that turned out. Remember how bad jail food tastes?

  Ah, shit. I did remember. It tasted bad. Real bad. I’d just have to stay focused and not let myself get sucked into anything dangerous. Shouldn’t be that hard—it wasn’t like serving drinks was all that complicated. All I needed to do was pay attention and keep my nose clean.

  Easy as pie.

  Chapter Two

  Rebel showed up around eleven, looking a little rough around the edges. He’d gone on an epic drinking binge with his buddies the night before, and while I wasn’t sure how late they’d been out, he hadn’t made it to bed yet when I’d texted him good morning. He was still cute, though, and when he walked in the door and grinned at me with those bright eyes of his, I felt that same happy tingle that’d attracted me to him in the first place. Not quite the same dance my girl parts did when they saw Shade, but it was still good.

  Mostly.

  Okay, so Rebel was a jerk and a dumbass—oh, and there was the whole potential cheating thing—but somehow he always managed to charm me out of my pants anyway. And it wasn’t like I was looking for someone serious anyway. No more real relationships for me.

  Not after the Trevor debacle.

  “Hey, baby,” he said, hooking his good arm around my waist, pulling me in for a kiss. Bone leaned forward on the bar, glaring at me pointedly.

  Bone didn’t like Rebel.

  This was funny because it’d been Rebel who’d helped me get the job here in the first place. Or at least, he’d been the first one to bring me in. I got the job on my own. We’d all been hanging around one afternoon when a group of nearly forty riders showed up out of nowhere. I’d seen the panicked look on Sara’s face—it was just her and Bone in the place—and felt terrible. I’d waited enough tables in my life to know she was fucked without more help.

  Then I’d gone to the bathroom and found pee all over the floor.

  Bone was slammed at the bar, Sara was running her ass off just trying to get everyone water, and I didn’t feel like wading through piss to get to the toilet, so I’d found a mop in the back and gone for it. Then I’d taken out the garbage (because it was disgusting) and things kept going from there.

  Half an hour later, Bone noticed and offered me a job.

  Now I worked here about thirty hours a week, which was almost enough to pay the bills, but not quite. On the other hand, the Pit had the distinct advantage of being fun while not being my old job at the gas station. The gas station where my sister’s ex, Handsy Randy the drug dealer, was the manager.

  (Don’t even get me started on that one.)

  The bar might be rough and tough, but I felt safer here because I didn’t have to worry about Randy’s wandering fingers. Oh, and Bone wasn’t a passive-aggressive cheating fuckwad who’d abandoned his family.

  That was a big plus, too.

  “How’s your night?” I asked Rebel. He leaned down and gave me another quick kiss. I pulled away from him because I’d already pissed Bone off once.

  “Good,” Rebel said. “But I’m horny as hell. When’s your next break?”

  “Why, you think I’m gonna blow you in the parking lot or something?”

  “I’d settle for a hand job,” he replied, grinning.

  “Mandy!” Bone shouted. “You got customers waiting in the back. Move your ass.”

  “Boss man is calling,” I said, giving Rebel a wink. Rebel frowned.

  “Who’s in the back room?”

  “Reapers.”

  “Really?” he asked, perking up. “Is Shade with them? He’s got a bike for sale that I’m interested in. I’ve given up on mine.”

  “Oh, it would be great if you got something new,” I said, trying not to sound too excited. Rebel’s bike had been out of commission for nearly two weeks now, which meant no riding for me. We still hung out with his biker friends, but showing up in a battered pickup truck to a motorcycle rally felt sort of weird.

  “Yeah, it looks really good,” he said. “You think I can go back there, maybe talk to him?”

  “Don’t pay you to play with your boyfriend, Mandy!” Bone yelled, and I pulled away from Rebel.

  “No idea, I just carry the drinks,” I told him. “I gotta run.”

  Back at the bar, Bone shoved three more pitchers of beer at me, scowling across the pass-through as I grabbed a tray to carry them.

  “You can do better than him,” he said, jerking his head toward Rebel.

  “We’re just having fun,” I told him. “Got distracted, though.”

  “Keep your focus,” Bone said, then his face sof
tened. “The Reapers are important customers, babe. They own this state. You piss them off and I really will have to fire you, no matter how much we like having you around.”

  I turned away, then remembered Rebel’s question.

  “Hey, Bone,” I said, catching his attention again. “Not to push, but Rebel’s interested in a bike that Shade’s selling. Do you think it’s okay if he goes back there and tries to talk to him?”

  “Don’t get involved,” Bone replied, his tone final. “Bring them drinks. Take away empties. That’s it. Trust me on this.”

  I raised a brow because that sounded ominous, especially since Shade was trying to sell something. Wouldn’t he want to talk to a potential buyer? Then again, what the hell did I know? I’d been dating Rebel all of two months. Before that I’d never been on a bike in my life, let along hung out around a real motorcycle club like the Reapers.

  “Okey-dokey,” I said, carefully balancing the sloshing pitchers as I headed down the hallway. The prospect knocked on the door when I arrived, poking his head in and then nodding for me to go through. The men were more relaxed now, lounging around the table while they laughed and talked. There weren’t any women with them tonight. This was unusual. I set one pitcher on each end of the table, then started snagging empty shot glasses. Shade’s eyes followed me, dark and hungry.

  I tried to ignore him but it was hard.

  His sandy hair was pulled back in a ponytail streaked blond in places from the sun. His arms were tan, and while I spotted the hint of a tattoo peeking out from under one arm of his ragged T-shirt, he wasn’t as marked up as most of the bikers who came in. His face was craggy, with just the faintest of lines at the corners of his eyes. They looked good on him. Shooting him a sideways glance, I tried to guess his age.

  Early thirties, maybe?

  A few years older than me, but still well within my range.

  You’re not interested in him, moron, so stop thinking like that.

  Avoiding his end of the table, I filled my tray and started toward the door.

  “You missed one,” Shade said, his voice a low rumble. I looked over to find an empty tumbler sitting in front of him, remnants of a whiskey on the rocks I’d served earlier. To grab it, I’d have to either lean across the table and show off my boobs or squeeze in next to him. Neither option was comforting.

  Not that he’d cop a feel.

  Nope, not Shade.

  He was above those kinds of games. But just being in the same room made me feel all weird and unsettled. It was one thing to joke with one of our usual customers or brush a hand across his shoulder. That was just casual flirtation—it didn’t mean anything. Shade made promises with his eyes, though. Promises I was afraid he’d keep.

  You’d be welcome on the back of my bike any time, babe.

  “Tray is full,” I told him, offering a tight smile. “Give me five and I’ll be back to take care of it.”

  Turning away, I decided that I needed some air. Wasn’t it time for my break? Yeah. I’d tell Bone I needed a break, maybe go make out with Rebel in the parking lot for a few minutes. That’d set me right. Not that he’d be getting his hand job, because I had standards.

  Low standards, but they still existed.

  I stepped back out into the hallway to find Rebel standing next to the prospect, looking all eager.

  “I’ll check and see if he has time,” the prospect told him, passing me as he ducked into the room.

  “Is he in a good mood?” Rebel asked me hopefully.

  “Who?”

  “Shade,” he replied. “Who else?”

  Jesus. He really did have a man crush on the guy.

  “How would I know?” I said, annoyed. “Hey, I’m gonna go talk to Bone, see if I can take my break now.”

  “Wait for a minute,” Rebel said. “Until after I finish talking to Shade. I’ve missed you.”

  He glanced down at my chest pointedly, and I flushed. He had this thing for fucking my boobs, squishing them together around his dick. It wasn’t as much fun for me as some of the other games we played, but I loved watching him come. I also loved it when—nope, don’t go there.

  Still, thinking about crawling into bed with my sexy (if annoying) boyfriend was enough to improve my mood. Orgasms will do that for a girl. Balancing the tray against my side with one hand, I ran the other down his chest, glancing down the hallway to make sure we were really alone before giving his dick a quick squeeze. He groaned and I felt tinglies run down my spine. The door opened and we jumped apart.

  “Shade says he’ll talk to you,” the prospect told him. Then he turned to me. “He also says they’re good on drinks, at least for now. You can check back in about half an hour.”

  Rebel pushed past me so fast I nearly dropped the tray of empties. So much for his boob fetish. The tinglies evaporated and I sighed, heading back down the hall. Rebel might be fun to hang out with, but the guy was never gonna be my soul mate. You don’t have to marry the man to enjoy each other, I reminded myself, mentally adding “find soul mate” to Future Me’s list.

  Then I mentally crossed it off, because fuck soul mates.

  My sister and I had both struck out once already, and that was enough. Future Me would probably do better to stay single. I should add that to her list.

  Bone put me to work washing glasses. The bar crowd had thinned out and Sara had already gone home for the night. Suz was doing surprisingly well handling the customers on her own. I’d just finished draining the sink when I saw that the garbage was getting full. I decided to be proactive and go dump it. Lifting it out of the can, I ducked through the side door and jogged down the steps and across the gravel toward the dumpster. I caught a flash of motion from the corner of my eye and looked over to see three men standing next to the building.

  One leaned casually against the wall toward the back of the bar. Next to him was a second, his stance vigilant, while a third stood in front of them, waving his hands and talking. Then I caught a familiar voice in the breeze.

  Rebel?

  Holy shit, that was Rebel out there. Was he talking to Shade? I squinted my eyes, thinking I really needed to get myself some new contacts. Yup, that was Shade, and another one of his biker buddies whose name I couldn’t quite remember. I made a point of letting the dumpster lid slam down hard after tossing in the garbage. That way they’d know I hadn’t been trying to spy on them. Then I went back to washing dishes, hoping Rebel wasn’t getting himself in trouble.

  He came back inside about ten minutes later, looking distracted but pleased. I caught his gaze and raised a brow, silently asking him how things had gone. Rebel grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant in practical terms, but at least he was happy.

  “Can you grab Bone? Shade needs to talk to him.”

  I looked up, startled to find the prospect standing in the open walkway at the end of the bar.

  “Um, sure,” I said. “Give me a sec.”

  Bone was at the far end of the bar, flirting with a very drunk, very friendly girl whose tank top was so tight it might as well have been painted on. I caught my boss’s arm. He turned to me, frowning.

  “Sorry, but Shade wants to see you in the back.”

  “Won’t be long,” he told Drunk Girl. She pouted as he started down the hall, then narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Are you with him or something?”

  “With who?” I asked, confused.

  “Bone.”

  I burst out laughing, then shook my head.

  “Nope, I don’t think I’m his type.”

  She looked me over, and I couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t look so drunk now. Interesting. Someone was playing games, trying to catch Bone’s attention. “And what’s his type?”

  “Drunk and pretty,” I said, offering her a smile. “Keep up the good work and he’ll be all yours.”

  That seemed to make her happy, which felt nice. It’d be interesting to see if Bone went home with her. He lived in an apartme
nt right over the bar, but I’d never seen him take a woman there. I’d asked him about it once and he said it was too hard to get rid of them when he was done.

  Yeah, my boss was classy like that.

  One of the regulars shouted for beer, and I’d just finished pulling his pint when Bone showed up again, looking pissed. He stomped over to me, glaring.

  “You’re done for the night,” he said. I stared at him, confused.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Grab your shit and punch out,” he replied. “Your shift is over.”

  This made no sense.

  “You’re going to close by yourself?”

  “Suz is here,” he snapped.

  “But Suz has never closed before.”

  And I need the hours…

  “Not your problem. Leave. Now. And watch your ass, okay?”

  The warning confused me even more.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Not a Goddamned thing,” he muttered. “Just me running my bar all by my fucking lonesome. Christ.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated as he glanced toward Drunk Girl, then sighed. Okey-dokey. Whatever was happening here, it was way over my pay grade. I turned to leave, then thought about my poor drowned cell phone. Turning back, I asked, “Can you give me an extra shift this week? I mean, since you’re sending me home early?”

  “We’ll see,” he replied, looking even more frustrated. “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On how many more fucking questions you ask.”

  Well, that was confusing and bizarre all mashed together. Great. Trying not to scowl, I headed for the office, untying my apron as I walked. The prospect was gone and the back room had been abandoned. Had the Reapers gone out the back door? I stepped in, looking at the table. It was covered with empty glasses but no money to pay for their booze. Not even a tip.

  Fuck.

  I knew Bone sent them drinks on the house sometimes, but they’d always left something for me. Now I’d lost my hours and gotten stiffed.