Page 11 of Courting the Consequences

Kevin shrugged, “All I’m saying is she might surprise you.”

“Alright, Rockstar,” Johnny nodded, using Kevin’s road name. “Let’s make a bet. First to get in her pants gets to ask if she’d do the three of us.” Johnny was dead serious. His blue eyes were stony as he took in his best friend across the table.

Derrick watched as Kevin’s whole demeaner changed. He glared at Johnny immediately. “Fuck no. No bet.” He shook his head vehemently. “She’s not some club whore. She’s special, and if you can’t see that, stay the fuck away from her,” he growled, his dark eyes black as night.

Derrick froze as his friend paused with a fry halfway to his mouth, waiting for Johnny to fly off the handle. He was too used to always getting his way. Vice president of their motorcycle club, second only to his father, owner of Taylor Construction and Mechanical: he was used to giving orders. Taking them? Not so much.

Kevin didn’t back down, though. His usual easygoing nature didn’t land him in many fights. He and Johnny had been best friends since they were kids. They grew up together in the club. They didn’t disagree often, but when they did, it was anyone’s guess as to which way it would go.

“You’re already in love with her,” Johnny stated. He dropped his fry and leaned back in his chair to assess his buddy.

Derrick whipped his gaze back to Kevin. Rockstar didn’t deny it.Thiswas not how Derrick had expected the conversation to go.

“Son of a bitch.” Johnny sighed and shook his head. He ran a hand through his short blond hair, already disheveled from a day of wearing a hard hat.

“Look,” Kevin sighed as leaned forward in his chair and rested his forearms on the table, “in the three years I’ve worked here, we’ve become friends. She has more in common with us than you think.”

Derrick would have laughed if he’d been told that a week ago, but after talking to Kara, however briefly, and learning about her being raised by a single mother, he wondered. She clearly hadn’t had the gilded lifestyle that he had imagined, growing up with an über-rich father in some mansion. Meeting a parent as an adult was not easy. And after seeing her break down the other day? It was clear she had a rocky relationship with her father.

“Are you going to claim her?” Johnny asked.

Kevin recoiled, as if he’d been hit. “Fuck no. She’s better than this life. Better than all of us.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t drag her into our BS.”

Derrick glanced at Johnny, who was looking at Kevin almostcautiously. Derrick furrowed his brow, once again waiting for Johnny’s reaction. “I guess I need to come clean about making a move on her in her office that first day,” Johnny admitted.

Kevin’s glare was arctic. “What. The. Fuck?” he growled, his voice low.

Johnny nodded, almost looking contrite. “Yeah. After I talked to you, I went back to her office. She had brought back the ice-queen mask, and after seeing her lower her defenses, it was a punch in the gut to see that wall back in place.” Johnny sighed and ran a hand over his hair again. He glanced away uncomfortably before he looked back at Rockstar. “I accused her of forcing you into something against your will, and she slapped me.”

Derrick’s mouth dropped open in shock. A surprised laugh left him before he could stop it.

Kevin wasn’t laughing, though. Kevin was raging pissed. Derrick hadn’t seen Rockstar that pissed in a while.

Johnny continued before Kevin could speak, though. “She was so fucking sexy man, so I thought I’d rile her up and make her drop the ice-queen bit.” He trailed off and shrugged. “I’m sorry, bro. I kissed her. More than kissed her. It was a pretty hot make-out session until she put a stop to it.”

Kevin growled low.

“Shit,” Derrick muttered, glancing around. Thankfully no one was sitting close enough to hear what was happening.

“Look man, I didn’t know how you felt. I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known.” Johnny put his hands up in surrender. “I just thought you should know what happened. I’ll stay away if that’s what you want.”

Kevin stood up and towered over Johnny, both hands flat on the table as he got in his face. “I’ll see you in the ring tonight.”

“Alright, brother,” Johnny agreed, no questions asked.

Derrick let out a low whistle as Kevin stormed away, anger radiating off him in waves. “I guess that’s a no on the sharing,” Derrick mumbled under his breath.

Johnny snorted and shook his head.

TheRavagerKnights’sclubhousewas located on the south side of town in the industrial district, far enough away from residential homes with sound ordinances. It was good planning on their founder’s part.

The compound, as they referred to the large lot with multiple buildings on it, included their clubhouse, a sprawling three-story building with multiple dorm-like bedrooms upstairs and a full bar and restaurant downstairs. They served the public, but you had to be a friend of the club to continue to come back.

Also in the compound were the garage where they ran their legit auto-repair shop, a long and sprawling storage shed, half of which they rented out to tenants, and at the back of the lot, the holy grail: the Pit. It was aptly named, for it was originally a fighting pit where the bystanders would stand above to watch the fight take place below.

Over the years, and with a little cash injection, it had transformed into what it was today: an octagonal building that housed a regulation mixed martial arts octagon. The octagon itself was set lower in the middle of the room, with concrete risers surrounding the pit, like stadium seating but there were no chairs, only concrete platforms that raised the crowd above the ring so everyone had a great view no matter where they stood. It was a massive building that held MMA fights twice a year.

Tonight, though, nothing legal was going down.

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