Page 81 of Renegade Ruin

I nod, loving that little touch and how it makes me feel like a sleuth discovering a secret hide out every time I’ve visited.

Opening the door wide, I lift my hand and gesture for Carson to enter first. As he does, I send up a silent prayer I’m not fucking up by bringing him here.

He hesitates, but ultimately pushes past the short foyer through two hanging black curtains.

“Holy shit,” he mutters as I join him, eyes wide and mouth gaping. “What is this place?”

My lips twitch upward, and I want to tell him it’s home. Because that’s the immediate feeling that slams into me the moment I step foot on these hallowed grounds.

The establishment isn’t very big, maybe twenty feet deep and another sixty wide. Nestled at one end is a bar with every liquorimaginable and a tap that is stocked with local brews and a few of the team favorites. There are a few tables scattered throughout the room, as well as a pool table, and shuffle and dart boards. At the far end is a tiny stage set up with a karaoke machine and projector to play music videos or games that might be on.

Overall, it’s a typical bar. What makes it special are all the things that adorn the walls. From neon signs to framed photos and memorabilia, every inch is dedicated to the Renegades.

“It’s about fucking time.” A voice I’d recognize anywhere hollers from behind the bar.

I wince, mentally preparing for the verbal lashing I’m about to receive.

Lou rounds the bar and heads toward us.

The man stands at a whopping five foot five and has more muscle than Carson and I put together.Coupled with his slicked back, jet black hair and leather jacket, Lou looks like he could be the bouncer instead of the owner. He’s intimidating any day of the week until you get to know him and realize he’s got a heart of fucking gold.

Lou shakes my hand and pulls me into a hug, his deep baritone voice whispering, “I’m so fucking sorry, Bishop.”

My chest tightens the same way it does anytime someone gives me even a hint of condolences. I never know what to say to them. “Me too” doesn’t convey what I feel because I’m not sorry they died. I’m fucking livid. Though I’ve learned I can’t say that either, because then I’m the bad guy who can’t move on. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

When Lou pulls away, I give him a tight-lipped smile and nod. Thankfully, he doesn’t push the topic any further.

Instead, he turns to Carson and grins, lifting his hand with flair as he nods to the bar behind him. “To answer your question, Mr. Whitmore, this is The Guardian. Spring training home of the Renegades.”

“Fucking shit,” Carson breathes, his voice dripping with reverence as he continues to take in every inch of Renegade haven. Then he turns and punches me in the arm. “You mean to say you knew about this, and we could’ve been here weeks ago instead of that shitty hotel bar?”

My shoulders slump at the same time Lou erupts in laughter. “Come on, I’ll pour you a drink and put it on Lawson’s tab.”

“Water for me, Lou,” I say as we head toward the bar.

“One water and a?—”

“Coors light.”

Lou scrunches his nose and tsks. “It’s a good thing you’re a phenomenal pitcher because your taste in beer is abysmal.”

Carson grips his chest as if he’s been wounded as he slides onto a barstool, but the smile on his face says otherwise. “Give me Coors or give me death.”

I clap him on the back and take the seat next to him. “If Lou has any say, you’ll be a beer snob before you know it.”

Carson belts out a laugh and it settles in my chest, warm and welcomed.

The next hour passes with Lou telling stories of Renegades’ of the past and Carson savoring every debauchery filled detail. Meanwhile, my gaze drifts from photo to photo, lingering longer on the ones that hold the memories of the team I lost.

Tommy belting “Living on a Prayer” at the top of his lungs during karaoke.

Jackson dancing with Norah in the corner, like no one else was in the room.

Celebrating a hard win.

The Rookie talent show.

Folston proposing to his then girlfriend because he didn’t want to go a whole season without her being his wife.

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