Chapter 40
CHAPTER
FORTY
DARE
Lifting my shot glass, I move it from side to side, signaling for the prospect to bring me another shot.
He does. I lift the glass to my lips, and the liquid slides down my throat easily—too easily.
I’m drunk, borderline trashed. Reaching for my beer, I decide to drink some of this for a while and lay off the shots.
“I’m heading home,” Wrath announces, tapping his hand on the scarred bar top.
Slowly, I swing my gaze over to meet his. My head shifts to the side, then my eyes follow. I can’t do anything in a fluid movement at this point. I am certain that my body can’t move simultaneously any longer. Only one thing can happen at a time.
Head first, then eyes.
“Home?” I ask. “Pussy.”
He chuckles. “I’m good with that, and if you were even the slightest bit sober, you’d be good with it, too.”
He’s right. I would. But I can’t imagine going home to Chassis this tanked. I’m over fifty fucking years old, and I’m drunk as fuck. I’m also stressed the hell out. “We’re going to have a chat with that fucker tomorrow,” I slur.
“When you sober up and sleep it off, yeah, that’s what we’re gonna do.”
He slams his palm against my back a few times, then he’s gone.
I shift my focus back to the bar and wonder: if I took another shot, could I even walk?
Probably not. I’m pretty sure I’ve reached my absolute limit.
I don’t even know how many shots I’ve had at this point.
More than six, but less than twenty—somewhere in the hangover middle.
Then I feel someone slide up on my side. I turn my head slowly, my gaze slides down her body, and I clear my throat when I see her. She’s naked, as is her typical state these days. I don’t want to fuck her.
I’m happy with Chassis, especially now that we’re really together, but as I sway in my seat, I know it makes me an asshole, but she’s still sexy as fuck. “Minty, you should not be standing here,” I state.
She hums and leans forward, curling her fingers around my bicep as she places her lips against the shell of my ear. “She’s not here, and I know you miss this, miss us,” she purrs.
That’s where Minty is wrong.
I don’t miss it. Not a single fucking part of it. I got what I want at home. And now I regret drinking so much, because I won’t be able to get back there to see her. A voice clears in the distance, and I turn my head a little more, ignoring Minty, who is hanging on my side.
I don’t have the energy to push her away right now and deal with whatever bullshit she’s going to try to feed me. The voice speaks again, my body jerking as my eyes slowly lift to meet the person on the other side of Minty.
It’s Hippie. His brows are furrowed together, his lips pressed into a thin line. He is not happy. I don’t know why he wouldn’t be happy. It’s a good night to hang out and party a bit. I watch as he stands and moves closer to us.
“Repeat that,” I call out, probably louder than I should.
“You might want to head to bed,” he states. “Alone.”
My lips twitch into a smirk. “That’s what I plan on doing. Hey, Hipp?”
He jerks his chin, his lips twitching into a smirk. I don’t know if he finds this funny or maybe he’s trying to keep from telling me to fuck all the way off. He doesn’t say anything immediately, his eyes searching mine for a moment, then he clears his throat again.
Hippie normally doesn’t get involved in a goddamn thing. He keeps his head down, does his job, and lives his life the way he wants. This weighs heavily on him, whatever it is, if he’s coming to me about this right now. He jerks his chin before he stands and walks over to the hallway.
I follow behind him, leaving Minty where she is, but only after I scrape her away from my body. She was holding on to me like I was a goddamn lifeline or something. I am not that for her. Couldn’t be—wouldn’t be.
Only one woman I want hanging on me, and that’s my woman.
Following Hippie, I sway with each step I take, and it feels like I’m walking through goddamn chocolate pudding. The air is so thick, or rather, I’m just that goddamn drunk. I stop when I see him standing with his back against the wall.
Leaning against the wall opposite him, I plant my feet wide in an effort to stabilize myself as I cross my arms over my chest, because I’m ready to fall the fuck over at any given moment. I hope that whatever this conversation is, I remember it in the morning.
“Everything good?” I ask Hippie.
“Aside from that girl being plain fucking trouble?” he asks.
“Yeah, aside from that. Minty wants to be the big bitch in charge. She thinks if I keep her as my personal whore, it’ll happen. Rocky thought the same shit, and see how well that worked out for her.”
Hippie shrugs a shoulder, then clears his throat. “I just got a feeling. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got one, and I want to go through our weapons stockpile, do an inventory.”
“This is a serious conversation for me right now,” I slur.
He chuckles, then lifts his hand and wraps his fingers around my shoulder before he jerks me slightly. My attention snaps up to meet his again. My gaze focuses on his as much as I can. Granted, I do see three of him right now, so I try to pick the one in the middle.
“It’s not that serious. I just wanted to let you know what would be going on tomorrow. Is there something happening with the club I need to worry about?”
“Yeah,” I hiss. “I’m afraid I’m going to start a war.”