Chapter 29 #2
“I need to get changed and get to the bar. That’s his only work, right?”
“It is.”
“I’ll drive you down,” Feral said from the living room.
“Really?” Maeve asked.
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
“Do you?” she asked Alison.
“Why would I mind? I’ve been secretly hoping you and Niko would work this out,” Alison said.
“Okay. Okay, then. I’m going to go hurry and get dressed, but I only have jeans.”
“I got you!” Alison said. “Let’s go see what you like from my closet.”
~~~
Maeve walked through the door of the bar about an hour later. She didn’t see Niko at first, so stayed where she was for a few moments, searching the people for anyone that might be him.
She saw a couple of the males she recognized from the Pride, and gave them a polite little wave before she finally headed over to the bar.
“Hey, surprised to see you here,” Jett said.
“Decided to come see what the bar is all about. Bonnie is watching my son for me, so I figured why not.”
“Glad you decided to come down. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Ummm, Amaretto and Pineapple juice?”
“Coming up,” Jett said.
Maeve noticed the music was kind of fading in and out. “Trouble with the speakers?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. Some idiots got into a fight last night and punched through the wall where some of the wiring is. Every time we think we’ve got it fixed, it starts fading in and out again.
Niko’s up there in the DJ Booth checking power coming off the mixer to make sure they’re all the same before he traces it from the other end. ”
“Oh, okay. That must be why I didn’t see him.”
“He’s very rarely in one place when he’s here.
Always overseeing or in the middle of something.
And when there’s nothing to be in the middle of, he’s working the bar,” Jett said, as he slid her drink to her.
“Enjoy!” he said, as he moved down the bar to where another customer was trying to get his attention.
Maeve picked up her drink and started sipping it as she looked around the place, getting a feel for the building and the crowd.
~~~
“Yep! That’s her. That’s the one! I see who I’m going home with tonight!” the DJ said.
“Oh, yeah?” Niko asked, without his usual enthusiasm from where he lay beneath the mixing board.
“Hell, yeah. Beautiful girl. New to this place. Slinky black dress, huge blue eyes, auburn hair. Legs for days, I wonder how they’re going to feel wrapped around my waist?”
Niko shot out from under the mixing board as quickly as he could when he heard the description of the female the DJ had his eyes on, and jumped to his feet to look out over the crowd below.
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the female his DJ was referring to.
He grabbed the man by his collar and yanked him up off his feet, smashing his nose against the DJ’s nose.
“She’s mine! You touch her and they’ll never find your fucking body! You understand me?”
The DJ held both his hands up. “Hey, how was I supposed to know that? I didn’t touch her, I just said I wanted to!”
“Don’t say it! In fact, don’t even fucking think it! Don’t even look at her! Looking at her can get you fucking beat down!” Niko yelled as he dropped the man and left the DJ booth. “And fix your fucking sound! It’s your goddamn board causing the issues.”
Niko started through the crowd toward Maeve, pretending he didn’t hear or see the regulars that tried to get his attention.
Maeve, of course, saw him coming toward her and just as he broke free from the crowd and strode right for her, she slid off her bar stool with her drink in her hand to face him.
Niko stopped for a second, his eyes moving from her face to the toes of her high-heeled sandals and back. “Why are you here?” he asked a little bluntly though he was trying to keep his tone even.
“I wanted to apologize.”
“Dressed like that? In a bar, alone?”
“She’s not alone. I’m keeping an eye on her,” Jett called from halfway down the bar.
Neither acknowledged Jett. “I was wrong. I tried to catch you to say so, but you were already gone.”
“I had work to do, especially since I had no other plans.”
“I’m sorry. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt and I didn’t. Is there any chance I can get a rain check on that dinner?”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because when I look at you, I feel the same thing you do when you look at me. Only I didn’t run from you screaming no and trying to wipe off your touch.”
“You saw that, huh?”
She nodded.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“It hurt. When I first looked at you, I thought, finally, and you thought, oh hell no. So, I didn’t want to trust you. I didn’t want to feel not good enough again when you run from me the next time. But it’s hard to keep you at arms’ length. So I have to get snippy to make you stay away.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. I don’t want to be like that. I don’t like me when I’m like that.”
“Hmpf, I like you all the time. Though I admit tonight you did make me question my life choices.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing?” she asked.
“Maybe, but there were reasons.”
“That’s what Alison said. And Rance, too. That’s why I’m here.”
“This isn’t easy for me,” he said after an awkward silence filled couple of minutes of him looking anywhere but into her eyes.
“I can see that,” she said. “And it’s not easy for me either.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, finally allowing himself to look at her, to see what emotion her eyes might be holding.
Maeve nodded, her eyes begging him not to let her down.
He reached out, his hand palm up, waiting for her to put her hand in his.
Maeve looked at his hand for a second, then very slowly lifted her hand and laid it on his before looking up and meeting his gaze.
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently. “Jett!” he called out, without looking away from Maeve.
Jett looked his way.
“I’m leaving.”
“Don’t know why you came in anyway,” Jett said. “I got this.”
Niko stepped back and let go of her hand as he gestured for her to precede him. He stepped up right beside her, his arm around her shoulders to hold her close against him. A few times people would get in the way, so he ended up putting his other arm out ahead of them to keep people away from her.
They finally reached the door and Niko pushed it open, took her hand again, and led the way out into the parking lot. He got her settled in his car, leaned over her to buckle her in, then walked around and got into the driver’s side. “Anything in particular you want to eat?” he asked.
“Whatever you had in mind to begin with would be fine,” she said.
“It’s about a half hour away. Very quiet. White table cloths, candles…”
“Sounds nice,” she said.
Niko nodded, but didn’t say too much.
“Maeve?” he asked a few minutes after they’d gotten on the road.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Thank you for giving me this chance. I promise I’ll tell you everything.”