Page 15 of Sully
Something primal roared to life inside me.I was across the room before I realized it, grabbing the man by his collar and slamming his head repeatedly into the thick wooden support next to a booth.
I turned back to Darby just in time to see her recover from the hit to her ribs.Despite the pain evident in her tight features, she grabbed a pool cue from the rack and swung it like a baseball bat into Jenkins’ midsection.As he folded, she brought her knee up into his descending face.Blood erupted from his shattered nose, painting her jeans with crimson droplets.
Jenkins struggled to his feet, blood streaming down his face, and reached inside his jacket.I moved to intercept, but Darby was faster.She slammed her brass-knuckled fist into his temple.He didn’t get up.The last man standing took one look at his fallen comrades, then turned to run.
“Well, I guess I’m calling it a night,” Mike said as he shut and locked the door.He surveyed the damage, which wasn’t as bad as it could have been but was bad enough.
“I’ll get Knuckles to pitch in to help pay for damages,” Knight told Mike.“Darby’s one of us and we take care of our own.That means she comes in here alone, you let one of us know and you watch over her while she’s here.”I raised my eyebrow at Knight.I hadn’t officially claimed Darby and, more importantly, she hadn’t let me.My brother just grinned at me.“Being proactive, brother.Lookin’ out for my family.”
Darby bent double suddenly, one arm wrapped protectively around her ribs, the other braced against the bar for support.I was at her side instantly, one hand arm going around her to help support her if she needed.
“Where’s the worst of it?”I asked.
She straightened with visible effort, her breathing shallow but controlled.Her eyes met mine.
“I’ve had worse,” she said, wiping blood from her split lip with the back of her hand.“You’re not bad in a fight, Sully.”
“Not bad yourself.”
“I doubt they came alone.”Knight looked pointedly at Darby and raised his eyebrows.“DarbyMiles?You’re in trouble, little girl.”
She winced.“Do we really have time for this now?”
I glanced at Knight before shaking my head, even before the other man said anything.“No.We don’t.But we will definitely continue this conversation when we get to the clubhouse.”
“Am I allowed in a place like that?Because while I’m not opposed to wild sex, now ain’t the fuckin’ time.”
Knight snorted at Darby’s comment, but his face quickly turned serious as he pulled out his phone.“We need to get you both out of here.More will come looking for their friends when they don’t report back.”He pressed a few buttons, then held the phone to his ear.“Tiny?Need you atThrottle.Bring the cage.”He paused, listening.“And get someone to bring Sully’s bike back home.We’ve got an injured woman and six assholes who just tried to grab her.”Another pause.“One’s still conscious and he’ll be our guest for the foreseeable future.”
“Whoa,” I said, surprised, glancing over at Knight.“We’re taking one of these fuckers with us?”
Knight nodded grimly.“This one.”He pointed at Jenkins, who lay groaning on the floor, blood still pouring from his nose.“I want to know who sent them and why they’re so interested in our girl here.”
“I’m not your girl,” Darby muttered, but there was no heat behind her words.She looked pale, her breathing still shallow as she leaned against the bar.I kept my arm around her waist, supporting more of her weight than I think she wanted to admit.
“You are,” I countered softly.“Whether you like it or not.”
Mike came around from behind the bar, shotgun still in hand but pointed at the floor.“You know I gotta call the cops eventually.”
Knight nodded.“Give us fifteen minutes.When they get here, tell ‘em these guys came in looking for trouble and got more than they bargained for.Self-defense, clear as day.”
“And the one you’re taking?”
“What one?”Knight asked innocently, his tattooed face impassive.
Mike barked out a laugh, scrubbing a hand over his face but nodded.“Fifteen minutes.Then I’m calling this in.”He looked at Darby.“You really okay going with these guys, darlin’?I can take you to the hospital instead if you want.I’ll protect you.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted, though the way her fingers gripped the edge of the bar told a different story.“Just need to catch my breath.”
I studied her more carefully now that the immediate danger had passed.The bruise on her cheek had darkened, and dried blood crusted at the corner of her split lip.She held herself carefully, favoring her right side.Broken ribs, maybe, or at least badly bruised.And those were just the injuries I could see.
“Who are these guys, Darby?”I asked quietly, making sure the others couldn’t hear.“And what did they mean about your father?”
She flinched, her eyes darting to Jenkins’ prone form before meeting mine.“My biological father is Antonio Miles,” she said, her voice flat.“Biggest crime boss in Nashville.Found out about my existence a few months ago and decided he wanted to play Daddy.”Her laugh was bitter, strained.“I wasn’t interested in the role.”
Antonio Miles.Everyone in Nashville knew the name, even if few had seen the man.He controlled most of the illegal activity in the city, from drugs to protection rackets.He was the most influential man in Nashville, under the table, and a man Kiss of Death was very closely associated with.Also, apparently, he was Darby’s father.
“These guys work for him?”
