Page 79 of Spinner's Luck

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, pulling off my gloves and shoving them into my pocket. “We just keep lookin’”

The words came out strong, but they felt like hollow promises.

Inside the clubhouse, the noise hit me like a wall. The energy that usually felt like home now felt stifling, suffocating. A few of the guys were already halfway through their bottles, loud and careless, their laughter vibrating off the walls. The tension from the failed run sat heavy on my shoulders, a weight that wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Brenda was behind the bar, wiping down glasses, her eyes scanning the room with the sharpness of someone who missed nothing.

I headed straight for the bar, nodding at her as I slid onto a stool.

“Whiskey?” she asked, her tone knowing.

I nodded. “Make it a double.”

She didn’t say another word, just poured and slid the glass across the counter before moving on. I picked it up, staring into the amber liquid like it might give me answers I didn’t have.

But all I saw was her.

Lucy.

Her voice kept ringing in my head, sharp and cutting:

When the truth slaps you in the face.

She was right. I let Fang’s lies crawl under my skin and didn’t fight hard enough to keep her here. Didn’t trust her the way I should’ve. I didn’t go after her when she walked away. If I had, she’d still be here—mad as hell, maybe—but safe. With me.

The whiskey burned on the way down, but it didn’t touch the ache in my chest.

“You look like you could use some company.”

The voice was soft, too sweet, and exactly what I didn’t need.

I glanced to my left and saw Ashlynn sliding onto the stool beside me. Her smile was coy, but her eyes were sparkling—calculating. The top she was wearing barely covered anything, and she leaned in just close enough for her arm to brush mine.

“Don’t start, Ashlynn,” I said flatly, my patience already running on fumes.

She pouted, tilting her head like she thought it made her look cute. “Come on, Spinner. Why sit here and look so sad when you could have a little fun?” Her fingers brushed my arm, testing the waters.

“I said no,” I snapped, jerking my arm away. My tone was angry, but I didn’t care.

Her smile faltered for a second, but then it came back, sharper, meaner. “Still thinkin’ about her, huh?”

My whole body tensed, and my hand tightened around the glass.

“Lucy’s gone,” Ashlynn continued, her voice softer now, almost pitying. “And not comin’ back. Why waste your time?”

“Don’t talk about her,” I said coldly, my jaw clenched tight enough to hurt.

“I’m just sayin’,” she pressed, leaning closer. “You deserve better. And you know it. That night you proved it by choosin’ me.”

I turned to her then, slow and deliberate, my patience hanging by a thread. “Shut. Up. Now. Or I swear, you’re gonna see a side of me you don’t want to.”

Her eyes narrowed, the coy act slipping completely. “Fine,” she said, sliding off the stool with a huff. “Might as well be chasin’ smoke. She’s gone.” Her heels clicked against the floor as she stalked away, her words lingering in the air like a bad smell.

Brenda came back over, arching a brow as she set another glass in front of me. “That girl’s gonna be a problem,” she said, her voice dry.

I let out a short, humorless laugh, shaking my head. “Not tonight, Brenda.”

Her lips twitched into a smirk. “Tomorrow might be too late.” She leaned against the bar, her sharp gaze fixed on me. “Listen, Spinner. We all mess up. But what you did with Ashlynn? That lit a fire under her, and now she’s not hearin’ you or me. She’s got her sights set, and you’re the bullseye.”

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