Chapter 10
Flynn
It was just after six when I got to the pool hall.
The guys from Redemption Road sat around two tables pushed together near the bar. There were a few older guys at the bar nursing beers, but it wasn’t too busy yet.
There was a clear view of the pool tables, so I saw Bailey right away. I stared, caught by surprise. Did his brothers even know he was in town?
“Yo, Dozer!” Hollywood called. “You have to get us a pitcher since you’re late.”
“And you’ve got the best job,” Knight added. “We’re just poor schmucks trying to get by.”
I rolled my eyes but detoured to the bar to order the pitcher.
Leo nodded. “Did they call you Dozer? Thought your name was Finn.”
“Flynn,” I corrected. “Just ignore those assholes. It’s what I try to do.”
He gave a rusty laugh as he pulled the taps to fill a pitcher with pale, watery-looking beer. Nothing but the cheapest for those assholes.
“You work with the brothers, don’t ya?”
He didn’t need to get any more specific than that. We both knew who he meant. They were a little infamous at the pool hall. Axel told me the story of how he and Gray had both been involved in bar fights. Then, to top it off, the guys after Shiloh had confronted him and Holden here.
“Yes.” I paused. “But please don’t spit in the beer.”
Leo grinned, displaying one missing tooth on the upper right. “I like you.” He shook his head. “I like those brothers too, even though they’re huge pains in the ass. Anyway, it won’t be my problem much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m retiring soon. Gonna sell this place.”
“Oh. Will it stay a pool hall?”
He shrugged. “Up to the new owners, I s’pose.”
Damn. Bailey loved playing pool here. Of course, there were probably pool halls closer to Thurston. He wouldn’t have to come back here. Which begged the question: Why had he?
Maybe he wanted to see you.
I silenced the thought. It was wishful thinking, and I didn’t have any business wishing for that.
Leo plonked the pitcher on the bar top, and I dug out a twenty to hand over. “Thanks.”
“Watch Bailey,” he said.
My heart stuttered. “What?”
“Keep an eye on him, okay? You know how that kid stirs up trouble at the tables.”
“Ah. Yeah. I will.”
Knight joined me at the bar, picking up the stack of glasses as I grabbed the pitcher. “Any word on the roommate thing?” he asked.
“Maybe. I got a couple of contacts from the guys. I’ll text them to you.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
When we made it back to the table, Bailey had switched pool partners. The big, scary-looking dude was gone, and a skinny, intense-looking guy had replaced him. I wasn’t sure if that was good or not, but at least this one would be easy to take out if trouble started up.
Not that I’d try to hurt him. My size and strength could do more harm than intended if I let loose. Luckily, I intimidated most people enough that I didn’t have to lift a finger.
“Surprised you showed up, Flynn,” Tex said as I took a seat. “You’re usually too busy kissing your bosses’ asses.”
This was not an official meeting of the Redemption Road, just a casual hangout some of the guys had to blow off steam. I often missed it because work kept me late.
“Tex,” Knight said warningly.
Snake laughed like Tex was hilarious. “I think you meant sucking his parole officer’s dick.” He made crude sucking sounds. “You love that dick, don’t you, Flynn?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Ghost growled. “Before I make you shut up.”
“What? It’s true—”
Ghost stood suddenly, chair skittering back, and slammed his hands down on the table. He leaned in, eyes narrowed on Snake. “I won’t say it again,” he said in a low, threatening voice.
Holy hell. Ghost was so quiet at the meetings that this side of him was surprising. I could see the man he’d been in prison, and that man wasn’t someone you fucked with.
After twenty-five years in prison, he was the most hardened of us all. No one knew much about his crime. He didn’t talk about it, and he wasn’t the type of guy that invited many questions.
“Okay, ease up,” Snake said. “Just joking with my old pal, Dozer. He knows I’m not serious. Right, man?”
I nodded, because I wanted to defuse the situation. “Sure, Snake. I know exactly how you meant it.”
Not as a goddamned joke. But that was okay. I had people here who had my back. I could handle Snake’s bullshit.
Ghost caught my eye, nodded once, then pulled his chair in and sat again. I wasn’t sure how to feel about his defense of my honor. But I’d rather he be with me than against me.
“Everyone is so damned uptight,” Tex said with a shaky laugh.
“Or you’re a dick,” Knight said with an easy smile.
“Or that,” Tex agreed.
Hollywood laughed. “Such a dick.”
I poured beer into cups, handing them out. Ghost waved me off, content with his glass of water.
The conversation moved away from me, thankfully.
Hollywood, the youngest of us, was fighting with his girlfriend over visitation rights to his daughter. She wanted nothing to do with him.
“It’s not like I’m some hardened criminal,” he complained. “No offense, guys.”
“None taken,” Knight said dryly.
“I ripped off a bigoted billionaire. I should have gotten a fucking medal for it.”
“So you were really sincere about your remorse in the parole hearing, I take it,” Knight said with a laugh.
“I bought her a fucking house.”
“Didn’t it get seized when you were arrested?”
“Not the point. All I did was try to provide.”
“You’re totally the victim here,” Tex said with a smirk.
“Fine. I fucked up. Yeah. But I should still get to see my daughter!”
There was a round of commiseration. A lot of ex-cons had stories like that. One of my ex-cellies had two grown kids who wouldn’t speak to him.
Matteo’s dad still didn’t treat him the same, despite all he’d achieved, and Tex’s whole family had written him off.
I was lucky to have Aiden in my life. My mom had basically been out of the picture since she’d remarried. She’d been a victim of my stepdad’s abuse, and when she finally got out, she didn’t look back—not even for her sons.
Aiden had written letters and visited me every weekend until I insisted he focus on school and not me. He’d finally relented to visiting once a month.
But I’d never been alone. Not like some of these guys. I always knew I’d have my brother when I got out. If not for Matteo and the Redemption Road program, I’d have moved straight to Maple Grove to be near Thurston University.
I didn’t want to be a distraction to Aiden, though. Not when he was so close to entering residency.
Thoughts of Thurston made me think again of Bailey. That and he was difficult to ignore while bending over the pool table, his lean body strong and graceful. There was an intensity to his face that I recognized. He got that same look when he was diagnosing a tricky mechanical problem.
His hair fell over his forehead, shielding his light blue eyes from view, but I already knew they were stunning. He drew the pool cue back, gliding it through his fingers, and damn, that shouldn’t be so hot.
I shifted a little.
Hollywood leaned in. “I didn’t know you were such a fan of pool.”
“Or pool players,” Knight said in a teasing tone.
Busted.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, I’m not. That’s Bailey Steele. He’s one of the Forrester brothers.”
It sounded weird to say it that way, but everyone in town knew them as the Forresters because of their former foster parents, even though they all had different last names.
“Bailey’s the young one?” Hollywood asked.
“He’s the pretty one,” Tex said. “Kinda like you, Hollywood. He’s got star quality.”
Hollywood scowled. “I hate this stupid nickname. I’m a badass.”
Everyone laughed at that. I breathed easier since they were less focused on me. Most of them, anyway.
Knight nudged me. “He’s not hard on the eyes, huh?”
My neck heated. “That’s not why I’m watching him.”
There was more razzing, but I didn’t hear it. Bailey’s opponent threw his pool cue on the table, face turning red.
“Fuck you!” he shouted loud enough to reach the table. “You smug little pissant!”
“Oh, shit,” I muttered, my excuse for watching Bailey suddenly a legitimate one.
Bailey held up his hands, talking animatedly, but there was a sharp grin that told me he wasn’t exactly calming the asshole down.
I jumped from my chair, shoved past Hollywood, and ran for the pool tables.
I was too late. The guy took a swing. Bailey managed to duck the first punch, but as he came up, he got a second fist right in the eye.
He flew backward, hitting a table on the way down. Chairs skittered away as the table slid into them. Shouts went up from the nearest patrons.
The asshole who hit him drew back his foot, ready to kick him in the ribs.
I stepped between them and placed my hand flat against his chest. “Back off.”
“Little shit ripped me off!” he spit.
“I did not,” Bailey said hotly behind me as he got to his feet. “You saw me play Teddy. You knew what you were getting into.”
“Teddy beat you!”
“Because Teddy doesn’t suck donkey balls like you!”
The man tried to get past me. I shoved him back. He stumbled, tripped over his feet, and fell to the ground. He popped right back up, balling his fists.
“Don’t try me,” I said. “If I hit you, you won’t get up.”
It wasn’t a threat. It was a warning. I tried to avoid fights at all costs, and when I did get pulled in, I tried to avoid punching anyone.
I was too big and too strong. It wouldn’t end well for any of us.
A big biker came rushing into the fray. I tensed. Fuck, was I going to have to fend him off too?
He and Knight both arrived on the scene at the same time.
“Need backup?” Knight asked.
“I’m his backup,” Bailey said defensively. “Or maybe he’s mine? Either way, we’re all set here.”
Luckily, the big biker—Teddy, it turned out to be—dragged away his angry friend.
“You’re just too good, kid,” Teddy said with a playful smile that rubbed me wrong. He was too old to be looking at Bailey like that.
“Tell him to learn how to lose gracefully!” Bailey called.
That enraged the loser all over again. He lurched toward us. Teddy wrestled him back. “CJ, stop letting him bait you! Jesus. That big guy can break you in half.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” CJ snarled. “Let me teach the brat a lesson.”
“Not happening,” Teddy said, holding him back with some effort.
“Maybe you should go,” Knight told Bailey. “That little dude is gonna force a fight, and we can’t get caught up in that. We’re still on parole.”
“Fuck,” Bailey cursed, his eye red and beginning to swell. “Yeah, okay. Sorry, Flynn. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”
He skirted around Teddy, giving a cheerful wave while CJ fumed.
I turned to Knight. “I better make sure he’s okay. His eye is swelling shut.”
Knight raised one eyebrow, but he didn’t comment.
He could think what he wanted. They all could. I had a duty to watch out for Bailey. He was my bosses’ little brother, and he was young and injured.
I broke into a jog, catching up with him as he slipped out the door.
“Bailey,” I called.
He turned toward me, shoulders sagging, one hand pressed over his face, all the devil-may-care and brash confidence gone now that he wasn’t facing off with anyone. “No lectures, please. I’ve heard them all before.”
“No lectures,” I promised. “Just want to make sure you get home safe. Need me to drive you?”
“No, I’m fine,” he said. “Besides, I can’t go home. Can you imagine if Holden sees this?” He lifted his hand to display his shiner. “He’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
“Then where will you go?”
“I’ll just drive back to campus. I never should have been here. I just…”
He trailed off with a headshake.
“You can’t drive all the way back there at this hour,” I said, appalled. “You’ll hardly be able to see with that eye.”
He shrugged. “I’ll make do.”
“No,” I said firmly. “No, if you won’t go home, then you can spend the night with me.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “If I knew you’d invite me to spend the night, I’d have gotten punched in the face sooner.”
I snorted. “Not funny, Bailey.”
“A little funny,” he argued.
“My house is only a few blocks away. You can follow me over. I’ll get you some ice for that eye.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ve got a killer headache kicking in.”
“No fucking wonder,” I grumbled. “That asshole decked you good. I just hope you don’t have a concussion.”
“He didn’t hit me that hard,” Bailey said. “I’m just dehydrated. I skipped dinner, and I’ve had one soda all night.”
Shit. He really wasn’t taking care of himself, was he? Good thing he was coming home with me. I’d treat him to a sandwich, some water, and some painkillers. With any luck, he’d be in better shape in the morning.
“You need a keeper,” I told him as he opened his car door and slid inside.
“You volunteering?” he asked, looking up at me through a fall of hair.
If only I could. Because this guy clearly needed someone watching his six. Bailey was trouble and temptation all wrapped up in one irresistible package.
But resist him, I would. There was no other choice. Not after what I’d done.
Bailey deserved far better than the likes of me.