Page 66 of Iron Hearts

“Got plenty, what’s your poison? We’ve got Black Cherry, Mango, Watermelon, Peach, Blackberry, or it looks like Green Apple.”

“Oo, I’ll try the green apple if you don’t mind,” I replied and he brought a can up out of a cooler and set it on the bar, popping the top for me.

“What about you, Boss?” he asked Striker.

“Gimme an IPA,” he said and Adrien nodded his glossy head of slicked back hair, and pulled up a pint glass and drew a beer for Striker from the tap.

“Thanks, man,” Striker said and took it, dropping a few bucks into a tip jar for Adrien who grinned and said, “Thankyou!”

Striker put a hand to the small of my back and I shivered with the delicious sensation of his rough fingertips against my skin.

“You’re not cold, are you?” he asked, dipping low to murmur in my ear and I shivered again.

“No,” I said on a laugh, blushing deeply.

“Good to know I have that effect,” he said straightening back up and saying, “Darts, pool,obviously– ladies’ room in the back corner here behind the pool table, and men’s room here,” he indicated each. “Don’t go in this room without me – ever, okay?” he indicated the door halfway between the bathrooms and the open windows leading to the deck.

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“Kinky fun times,” he said – “I just don’t want anybody getting any ideas that you’re up for fun with anyone but me.”

“Gotcha,” I said sipping out of the cold can of seltzer in my hand. “Thanks for the warning.”

“The door on the other side of the bar that we skipped? That’s the Chapel – don’t go in there, either.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

He led me to the stools up by the windows leading outside and I slid up onto the one he pulled out for me.

“Striker, who’ve we got here?” a man called and I put on a polite sort of half smile, and looked to Striker.

“Shadow, this is Rarity. Rarity, this is our Vice President of the St. Augustine chapter, Shadow.”

“Hello, nice to meet you,” I said and extended my hand. Shadow took it across the cement countertop and rather than shaking it, leaned over it and kissed the back of my hand, his light brown eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief as I blushed to the roots of my hair. His was swept back, barely long enough to pull half up, but he managed it enough to keep it out of his eyes. He was windswept and while decent looking enough, was easily lost in a crowd. He crooked a grin at me and straightened and said, “Welcome in, Rarity. Is that your name or a nickname?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s my actual name,” I said laughing. “I was my parent’s miracle baby until the boys came – now I’m still the only girl.”

“Very cool,” he said. “Everybody c’mere and meet Rarity if you haven’t. She’s here with Striker,” Shadow called over his shoulder.

That’s how I met Skull, and Bones, who were a pair of Cajun brothers and who I recognized as the ones who helped Striker lead me and Gemma down the stairs and out of the fray at the big bar fight.

Skull and Bones were an interesting pair, and funny. Not as in funny ‘ha ha’ but funny as inweird.Definitely a pair of guys that if they were out on their own, I may have crossed the street to avoid them. They were mostly silent or spoke in their native Cajun-French, but they liked tostareand it was a fixed look that felt predatory and not in the thrilling sort of way that may have come from Striker, but in a way that creeped me out.Thoroughlycreeped me out.

There was one girl back here, seated on the other side of the cement counter and all the way down toward what looked like a barbecue grill and smoker combo on the other end of the deck.

She was on her phone, raven haired and not paying anyone any mind and she looked to be my age, if a little younger.

“Dusty, come meet Rarity,” Striker called.

“Hi,” she called flatly, raising a hand in greeting but she never even looked up from her phone.

I raised my eyebrows and Striker laughed.

“Don’t mind Dusty, she’s Renegade’s daughter. Renegade is our President and still isn’t here, yet.”

“Gotcha,” I said.

“Sorry not sorry, I’m trying to book an appointment and this damn website is giving me the run-around,” Dusty said frowning down at her phone.

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