Page 18 of Road Rash

“Right. Then let’s get you to the motel.” Brandi and Drake moved into a house when they started popping out kids, but they lived in a small apartment attached to the office first. I have a key because they let me crash there the nights when I tied one on and didn’t feel safe driving home.

Once we leave the solitude of the office and I hear all the loud voices from rowdy bikers, I get defensive over Jonesie, seeing as she’s in a fucking sleepshirt, and curl her tighter against me. I shouldn’t have worried. We’re joined by a large group of bikers who apparently have been waiting for us. The brothers from the different clubs, especially the Lords and the Outcasts, approach us. Even Rex, the Lords’ president, a man I know has already had a taste of her luscious ass, offers protection. I appreciate it. Though, I’m not sure I want Rex anywhere near her.

“Appreciate it,” I tell them. “Jonesie’s got me.” I make sure to put that out specifically for Rex. “But when I can’t be there, it’s good to know I can call on you.”

He nods. He gets my meaning. I wasn’t exactly being subtle. The Lords might not be the most upstanding citizens. I know they get into sometimes serious shit, but when you’re one of them, when they’ve claimed you, then they’ve claimed you. We, here at The Rash, had been claimed by the Lords years ago. So whatever shit they find themselves in on a regular basis, Rex doesn’t pull back his offer because he knows I’m with Jonesie now.

Just the opposite. He takes up a position to the front of us. Several of his men follow suit. The Outcasts follow behind us. I feel better having them here. I’m not a small man, nor am I weak. What I am is weaponless. Every one of these brothers carries.

We just reach the mouth of the hallway when the door to the bar opens and a group of Horde saunters in. The fucking nerve. I’m still unsure if Rage was behind the attack or not. Now he’s in my fucking bar again.

Rex cracks his neck. “Think yer in the wrong place,” he says to Rage and his tone can’t be mistaken for anything less than threatening.

Rage narrows his eyes. “Far as I know, everyone’s welcome at The Rash.” Then he shifts his eyes to me. “That still true?” he asks in challenge.

Fuck. I got no reason to turn them away. Just because I don’t trust them, doesn’t mean they’re guilty of anything more than being major assholes. “It’s still true,” I reply. The fuckwad smirks and I want to punch it off his face. “But you start shit and you’re out.”

There’s an empty set of tables in the section that all the servers on duty jump in to wait on the customers. Truth be told, with Jonesie and Brandi out, we’re short staffed. My girls have been real troopers.

As Remy had just dropped off a tray of drinks in her section, she wanders over to the three tables of Horde to take their orders. “What can I get you?” she asks, smiling but not the same way she smiles at the customers she actually likes.

“Now Remy…” Rage says. “We been coming here long enough for you to know.”

“Right,” she responds. “I’ll be right back.” She takes off over to the bar.

I keep my eye on her with Jonesie pulled in close to me. I wish there was a reason to bar them from my place. I don’t trust them. At all. I don’t like how they eye the girls. Remy walks back over to them with her first tray of beers. She has to lean over the table to reach a couple of the men and one of them, one called Bull, yanks her over the table to his side, knocking the freshly served bottles all over the place, spilling the amber liquid, to rest her in his lap.

“Hands off,” she protests. That’s when I move.

“Rage,” I bark. He turns to look at me. “I warned you.”

“Bull,” he says casually, waving his hand in the air like he’s being fucking magnanimous. “Let the lady go.”

Bull grumbles but does as his president orders. I send Clyde over to clean up the spilled beer while Remy refills her tray.

I need to get Jonesie back to the motel but I don’t feel comfortable leaving my girls to handle the Horde on their own.

It’s going to be a long night. Swear one of them does one more thing to disrupt the waitresses from doing their jobs—I see prison in my future after I fucking kill myself some Horde.

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