Page 11 of Huge Dynamite
“So? What’s the new idea, Nick?” Harry starts pacing by the door. Thank god he’s changing the subject. “Some of us have places we want to go with people who look a lot better than you.” He grins. “We’ve gone through every bit of Tess’s plan, and her ideas are solid.”
Nodding to Harry, who’s still hovering by the door that’s the entrance to the bar, I point to it. “Wanna crack the door? Get some air in here?”
“I got it.” Avery stands. “I’m gonna get some beers, anyway.”
As he walks out of the back room and into the bar area, he leaves the door open for me, giving me a direct view of the front windows and the darkness of the night sky. Little jolts of energy rush up my spine. Nighttime always gives me hope—maybe she’ll decide to drop by for a drink.
Fuck, Dynamite. Let. It. Go.
Glancing at the door, I try to will Avery to hurry up with the damned beer.
Looking out at the bar area, I scan the small section of the bar I can see from back here. Tonight is about one random woman. Someone to take home who can help me forget Holly, but so far, there seem to be slim pickings—a woman with long, wavy blonde hair who’s already drunk and hitting on poor Travis, who’s now joined the other guys at the bar, and a woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair in a too-tight shirt. I guess, if she’s interested, she’ll have to do.
Avery finally comes back with another round of domestic beers. Thank god. Grabbing a beer, I nod my thanks. Taking a long drag from the cold bottle, it does little to quench my thirst and nothing to quell my desire, but I’ll take it. Like that brunette in the skin-tight Harley shirt.
She turns just then and glances back at me and we lock eyes. Raising one shoulder and then dropping it, she gives me a tiny wave. She’s cute. Yeah, she’ll be fine. Christ. It has been a freaking long month.
“So, Nick. What’s your idea?” I ask.
“You know how Tess had quotes for several locations and we picked the best for us?”
“The one farthest from Dogs’ turf,” Harry adds, glancing at me.
I shift in my seat.
“Right. Well, her plans, as we know, have an office for each of the officers, a club room, some secret rooms…” He taps on the new blueprints I’ve drawn up as he speaks. “And our favorite part was the bar for ‘Regulars and Friendlies only.’”
“Yeah?” He’s got my interest now.
“Well, all of it is great. But I’d like to propose more. This piece of land will allow us to build a bunker. Underneath.”
“What do you mean, Nick?” Furrowing my brows, I lean closer.
“A bunker. Like a safe house. It’ll be a secret room in addition to the private rooms. But this would be underground…”
“A place to hide?” I can hear the disdain in Harry’s voice. “Nick. We can’t give the impression that we’re scared. I know the fight with the Dogs on our turf cost you your only son, and indirectly, your daughter, too, when she left. But this will make us look weak.”
“Only if people know about it,” Nick adds. “The point is to have a place to house our weapons and ammo. A bunker where we can collect and regroup if we need.”
“Nick.” Avery shakes his head. “I’m not sure on this one. It sounds a little risky.”
“What if any one of you needed to protect the woman you love? Avery? You know about this more than any of us. I’m sure your connections in New York have a safe house. Most people who run with fringe organizations do. It doesn’t make us weak, it makes us stronger.”
Sighing, I glance at Bullet and Bullseye. It’s clear that Nick is finally on track to be happy again, and he’s going to do anything he can to protect it, which includes all of us. Then, tonight, I might have let my damned impulsivity ruin that for all of us.
“But, Nick,” I add. “There’s no way we can keep this build secret. The Dogs will find out, and we will risk looking weak.”
Nodding, Nick stands. “All I ask is that you consider it. Especially now.”
Ouch.
With that, the meeting is over. That’s good, because the damn tension was getting so high, I didn’t know how much more I could stand. Harry and Avery stay at the table, muttering as Nick slides out the backdoor. Probably to cool off, which is exactly what I need to do.
Reaching my hands above my head and taking one long stretch, I leave the back room and head to the now-crowded bar area. Damn, when the Knights leave Hoppa’s Taphouse, business is gonna take some hit.
There are people everywhere now, three-deep at the bar and still filing in from the parking lot, but Harley girl finds me. She bounces up to me and, taking me by the hand, she leads me to the bar and plops herself down on a stool she had reserved. Looking at her—with her full lips and bright blue eyes in a heart-shaped face—she’s even cuter than she looked from a distance.
“Hi.” She taps the now-empty stool next to her.
