Page 8 of Barker

Eight

Barker

I’ve restocked the bar and mopped the floor. Now, I’m wiping down the counters when Talon, who looks worried or distracted, comes in. I actually forgot he was on the schedule tonight. “Hey man,” I greet him as he comes in. He nods his head, but doesn’t say anything which is odd. I don’t push him though, because maybe he’s had a bad day. If he’s anything like me, he probably wants to be left alone.

We’re halfway through our shift and on Talon’s fifth mistake of the night, when I finally have to ask. “Man, are you okay? You seem distracted as hell.”

Talon sighs and tosses the rag he had tucked into his back pocket onto the counter. “I’m sorry. I’m just stressed.” He runs a hand roughly through his dark hair.

“Well, if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen,” I offer, because I’m not sure what else I can do about it.

He nods. “It’s just Annistyn.” Of course, at the drop of her name my interest is piqued. Problem is, over the last few days, I’ve tried to ask around and see if Annistyn and Talon are an actual thing or not. I mean, maybe they are just friends, but it’d be odd. Most girls that look like Annistyn don’t havejustfriends of the male gender. No one really had an answer for me, which was disappointing. Most assumed they were just friends but none could actually confirm that. “She was going to come and apply to work here, but then something came up, and now she’s not going to. I just wish I could do more to help her out, you know?”

I see an opening and I’m going to take it. “Maybe she did a good thing by not taking this job. I mean, from what I’ve heard, working with your girlfriend is like relationship suicide for most.”

Talon’s dark brown eyes get large. “Annistyn isn’t my girlfriend.”

“She’s not?” I ask, sounding surprised.

I listen to him laugh. “No, she’s my best friend. Just my friend, always has been, always will be.”

“Gotcha,” I tell him, and for whatever reason his answer makes my heart sing with joy. The moment I realize that, I try to kill it out. There’s no way my heart should be that happy over hearing they aren’t a couple. Get yourself together, Barker.

****

When Talon’s phone starts singing. I notice the look on his face change instantly. A moment ago he was laughing and flirting with a redhead. His earlier look of concern had passed but now… he looks worried again. His brows are pulled together as he pulls his phone from his pocket. I watch as he answers it and see the concern and then anger fill his stance. I walk over to find out what’s wrong. “I’m sorry, I need to go. That was Annistyn. Her dad had an issue and was rushed to the hospital, and her jackass of a boss won’t let her leave.”

I hold up my hand and grab my phone dialing Zayde. Zayde hasn’t been around much but I know he’ll cover. His dad used to run Sons of Sin but it was completely different back then from what it is now. He has a twin sister, Zoey, that is engaged to Drake. “Hey, can you or Wilder or Stryker get to the bar? Talon has a problem he needs to take care of, and I’d like to ride with him. It’s kind of an emergency.”

“Yeah, give me ten and I’ll be there and I’ll get someone to back me up,” Zayde says into the phone.

After I hang up, Talon looks at me. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but that’s the thing about the club. We have each other’s backs. If you have a problem, it’s technically all of our problem. So, I’m going. I’ve got your back.” Eight minutes later Zayde, Drake, and Wilder all come rushing through the door to hold down the fort. “Thanks, guys,” I tell them, as Talon and I rush out to our bikes. I follow Talon’s lead until we pull in front of the hospital. He rushes to the desk and asks about Gabe Tarantino, whom I’m guessing is Annistyn’s father. The lady at the front asks his relation and when he falters for a second, she catches it.

“Only immediate family can get back to see him or find out his condition,” she says, in a no-nonsense tone.

Talon turns around and runs his hands through his hair while letting out a string of curses. “Look, we’ll just go get Annistyn.”

“We can’t. Jeff won’t let her go. He’ll fire her and she can’t afford to lose the job; that’s why she didn’t come to work at Sinner’s Den,” he says.

At the name Jeff, my mind starts to possibly connect some dots. “Wait, Jeff Folsom? As in Vixens Strip Club?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Annistyn was a stripper? I mean, yeah, she had the body for it, but I just couldn’t picture her on a pole. It was clear she needed the money or otherwise, she wouldn’t be working there. The idea of her working at that place made my skin crawl, and before I could think anything through, I was rushing out to my bike with Talon on my heels. Annistyn wasn’t going to be working there anymore. She could come work at the clubhouse or hell go to work for one of the Sons of Sin brothers, Brayzen, down at Daughters of Darkness. At least his strip joint had some class. I hear Talon’s bike roaring behind me as I navigate to the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Just seeing the black and red sign announcing Vixens Strip Club makes my stomach churn. Annistyn doesn’t belong in a place like this. I throw my kickstand down and toss my helmet on the seat before rushing inside. I stomp past the bouncer and scan the area looking for Annistyn. I spot her at a table, tray in hand, serving drinks. She looks as amazing as she did the last time I saw her, but she’s all dolled up like the night at the races. I let out a sigh of relief because I had it all wrong, she’s not a stripper.

I close the distance between us, before I grab the tray, toss it on the bar, and slip my hand around her forearm. “What the hell?” she asks angrily, as she whips around toward me. When her eyes land on me, she looks stunned and then quickly moves to scan the rest of the area. The minute she sees Talon, she starts to tremble all over. “Is he…?” she asks, unable to finish the question.

“We don’t know. They won’t let me back because I’m not immediate family,” Talon says apologetically.

I watch as tears spring into Annistyn’s eyes. She takes a deep breath to try and control her emotions and that small gesture pisses me off. “We’re going there now. You’re coming with us,” I tell her, as I start to pull her with me. For a moment, she follows behind me but then she stops.

“I can’t,” she says sternly.

I turn around to face her, but I notice Jeff approaching us—his greasy slicked-back hair, protruding beer belly, and beady eyes. Everything about him disgusts me. “A Sons of Sin boy in my strip club. You’re crossing enemy lines, aren’t ya?”

I shrug. “Not the way I see it. I’m coming to help a friend out who you should be allowed to leave to check on her dad.”

“She’ll be off in a few hours and free to go then,” he says coldly.

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