Chapter 6
Chapter Six
CORA
The inside of Lost City Bar and Grill wasn’t much better than the outside. I suspected the health inspector completed his inspection with a salute and cash bribe as he drove past.
Leather-clad men were gathered around worn tables, and a couple of waitresses were flirting more than they were working. I mean, I got it. Good tips required flirting, but some of them were overachievers.
Bars weren’t really my thing. I did go out from time to time, but I really didn’t have a ton of friends. Maya and I shared friends. She was my baby sister. Where I went, she went. Once she started spiraling, all my attention was on her. One by one, they got tired of Maya’s drama.
When I moved to Chicago, I tried to make new friends, but I didn’t want to party. I didn’t want to date. Plus, it was way more expensive than I realized, and I spent most of my time working. Getting a job at Georgiou was great, but I don’t know… maybe I was just checked out at that point.
Someone brushed against me, and I looked up. A bearded man, maybe in his sixties, glared at me. Based on his patches, he was a Grave Son. A cranky, creepy one.
I hugged myself and moved closer to Jason. Now I wished he hadn’t told Thomas to stay in the car. He’d argued with Jason with good reason, but Jason had reasoned that he didn’t want anyone to have the impression that he’d brought muscle for a fight.
Jason told Thomas tonight was about honoring my sister, not an ego fest. It was sweet and thoughtful, and I could have hugged him.
I didn’t. But I sure could have.
It would have been a horrible thing to do. I don’t know that I ever would have wanted to let go.
Movement caught my eye, and I froze.
A massive, dark-haired man with a clean-shaven face pushed away from the table where he’d been standing.
His sleeveless white T-shirt and leather vest showed off arms that could probably bench press a motorcycle.
He seemed to recognize me and headed over, extending his hand when he reached us.
“I’m Kane Black. You must be Cora.” His voice was deep and gravelly. It seemed to match his size.
Up close, the left side of his face bore the unmistakable scars of an explosion—puckered, twisted skin that ran from his temple down to his jaw.
I shook his hand. “Hi.” Next to him, I felt like a runt of the litter of Oompa Loompas.
“Your sister was a friend. She was sweet and kind and funny. I’m sorry you lost her so young.” He was giving his condolences, but nothing about this felt like a funeral.
The bar was dingy and dirty and dark. Maya had her problems, but she was full of laughter and light. Then the darkness that was Colter had eaten her alive.
“You knew her well?”
“Colter is my best friend, so Maya and I hung out quite a bit.”
Best friends? “Oh.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “We’re friends, not twins. Maya didn’t—”
Before he could finish, the back door opened, and the loud bar somehow grew louder.
Another large man walked in, vest stretched over a black T-shirt. He wasn’t quite the mountain Kane was, but people still parted like the Red Sea to let him through.
The moment he saw me, his lip curled, then flattened into a weird smile.
He crossed the room and landed next to Kane.
Weird tension filled the air. I had to wonder if Colter was aware that Kane wasn’t a fan. Not with the way his lip curled. I wouldn’t say I was the best at body language, but I had a feeling if Colter were on fire, Kane wouldn’t put it out.
“Giving your condolences, Saint?”
Disgust twisted his lips. Clearly, the nickname wasn’t one he appreciated. He cut a glance at Colter and back to me. “Again, I’m sorry about Maya.” Kane strode off and returned to the table he’d been holding up.
Colter laughed before he turned his attention to me again. “Well, look at you.” His gaze raked from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. “You’re looking good, Cora.”
Yuck. An involuntary shiver ran down my back. I wanted to find the largest paper bag in the world and put it on. “Hi, Colter.”
He shoved a hand in Jason’s direction without taking his eyes off me. “Nice to meet you. Y’all together?”
“We’re friends. Good friends,” Jason answered as he slipped his arm around my waist.
His lips curved up further as he raked his gaze over me again.
As if! What an arrogant, narcissistic, pompous creep. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and he was used to people asking how high they needed to jump when he barked.
The last two times I’d met him, I’d felt a darkness about him. Part of that I attributed to my genuine dislike of him because of Maya, but here, in this bar, the man’s soul was black as tar.
“What do you say we find a table and talk?” Colter drawled.
I wanted to scream no. No, no, no. I’d rather be chained to a cinderblock and dumped in the ocean than sit at a table with this guy. Jason seemed to sense my hesitation, and his fingers tangled with mine.
It was such a small gesture, but it meant the world to me. I squeezed his hand. “Sure.”
As I took a step, Colter’s gaze dropped to our hands, and that snarl returned. “You can leave the muscle here. I won’t bite.”
Ew. The very idea of being alone with him gave me the heebie-jeebies.
“I like having him with me. Besides, whatever you tell me, he’ll hear it anyway. This way, it’s not second-hand knowledge.” I smiled because it was true. I wouldn’t have kept anything from Jason.
Colter worked his jaw. “You sure you’re just friends?”
I nodded. “Yes. We are.”
“Fine.” He turned and stalked toward a nearby empty table.
We followed behind him. We’d barely reached the table when a dark-haired waitress stopped at our table with a huge grin. “Hey Colter, the usual?” The twang was strong with her.
He hooked his arm around her waist. “As long as that includes you, Lanie.” His tongue darted out, wetting his lips.
Good thing we weren’t eating.
She laughed. Not obnoxiously, but I did get the feeling she was being extra agreeable in the hopes of a good tip. “Maybe. My shift ends at midnight.”
“Midnight? Such a long time to wait.”
This was supposed to be a funeral… for my sister. His wife. And he was flirting with the waitress? What a pig of a man.
Jason would have never treated me like that and we weren’t even married. The thought stopped me short as I wrestled with the question of why I was even comparing them. Jason and I weren’t together. We’d definitely moved into friends’ territory, but that was it.
Another giggle punctuated with a wiggle. “It’s only six hours.”
Colter took a deep breath, letting it out like he was tired of her already, and dropped his arm from around her waist. “All right. Yeah, the usual.”
Lanie looked at Jason and then me. “What are you having, sweetheart?”
“Uh, anything non-alcoholic.”
Her eyebrows lifted toward her hairline.
Colter rolled his eyes. “Aw, come on. Drink something. We’re celebrating your sister’s life.” He grumbled something else, but it wasn’t loud enough that I could catch it. I’d almost say he was calling me a Goody Two-shoes, but with more colorful language.
“I’m allergic to the hops. I break out in hives.” The absolute truth. I’d learned that the very hard way when I was a junior in high school. I’d been invited to a party at a senior’s house, and the beer was flowing.
One allergic reaction and a hospital visit later, I was grounded. Needless to say, my days of being invited to cool parties were over when everyone found out the party host had also found themselves in trouble.
Jason looked at me, puzzled. Yep, that was a story I’d be telling him later.
Lanie looked at him. “You allergic too?”
“No, I just don’t drink.”
That was totally not true. I’d seen Jason consume Scotch late at night after a long day. Not a lot, just a finger or so. Enough to take the edge off. I’d never seen him drunk, though. I guess he just didn’t want to take the chance of impairment when we were in the middle of a biker bar.
“So… two Cokes.”
Jason smiled. “That’ll work.”
“Henry cleaned out the fryer earlier today. The oil is fresh, and our cheese sticks are pretty tasty.”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
“All right. I’ll be back with your drinks in a minute.”
Colter didn’t wait for the waitress to walk away before leaning forward, eyes on me. “So, it’s been a while. I take it you got a new job.” His gaze darted to Jason for a quick second and back to me.
“Yep, and it’s a job I love.”
“Still in that tiny apartment?”
Under the table, Jason’s hand found mine, and he squeezed it. A reminder that he was here for me.
These questions weren’t the innocent “let’s catch up” type of inquiries. We had a court hearing in the morning, and Colter needed all the ammo he could get. Anything he learned, he’d be passing on to his lawyer.
“For the time being,” Jason said. “My realtor is already looking for a bigger place.”
Colter glared at him. “I’m talking to her.”
“Yeah, I’m aware. You’re fishing for information you can use against her tomorrow.”
A smile stretched on his face and he looked at me again. “He’s not dumb.”
Why was Colter doing this? “Are you really trying to get custody of Elias? I thought you didn’t want kids.” According to Maya, he hadn’t. Had I known she was even pregnant…
Grief and guilt mixed in my stomach. Maybe I could have done something. Been there for her. I was a crummy big sister and I’d let her down. I wouldn’t let Elias down.
Colter shrugged and leaned back. “I didn’t, but he’s my kid. I’m not going to just let you take him and cut me out.”
“And what about the club? You being president? Wouldn’t a baby get in the way of that?”
If what Maya told me was true, Colter had played dirty to get this club too. The club president at the time didn’t even see it coming when Colter took him out.
Lanie returned with our drinks and set a pitcher of beer down with Colter’s glass. “Is there anything else I can get you guys?”
“Beat it. We’re talking,” he snarled.
She tucked her chin against her chest and scurried away without saying another word.
“As I was about to say. No, it won’t get in the way. He’s my kid.” He worked his jaw side to side. “Of course, you could make me go away for the right price.”
Was he saying what I thought he was saying? I looked at Jason, who seemed equally disgusted as I was. Not only was he a creep but he was a loathsome creep.
I bit back my first response and fought the urge to kick him in the shin. “I’m sure the judge will be fascinated to hear you tried to sell my nephew to me.”
He gave a clipped growl. “And it’ll be your word against mine.”
Jason scoffed. “No, it won’t.”
“And I’ve got an entire bar who will testify otherwise.”
I shot to my feet. “There’s a reason my sister wanted me to have guardianship.”
Kane must have sensed trouble because he appeared at our table. “Everything okay here?”
Colter’s smile was all teeth. “Everything is great. She’s just being a good aunt. Maybe if she stays in town, I’ll let her babysit.”
“Let me babysit?!” My voice pitched higher with each word.
I could feel myself coiling like a spring, ready to launch myself at him. Before I could move, Jason was on his feet, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me back. “I think we’ve honored your sister’s memory enough for tonight.”
“Smart man,” Colter said, taking a long pull from his beer. “You should get her home. Let her rest up. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
Kane stepped closer. “Yeah, I think that’s best. I’ll walk you out.”
I could feel his presence looming behind us all the way to the door. Once we stepped outside, he pulled it shut and kept his hand on it, like he was making sure we couldn’t go back in or anyone could interrupt us.
“Listen,” he said quietly, “Maya wanted you to have that baby.”
My breath caught. “She told you that?”
Kane nodded. “You can tell the judge tomorrow.”
I took half a step forward. “You could help me. Tell the judge that tomorrow.”
“No.” He shook his head quickly. “I can’t get involved. It’s not a good time for me to be in court. I just… I can’t.”
“Of course.” Jason shook his head.
Kane stepped into Jason’s face. “It’s more complicated than that. I would, but…”
I squeezed between them. “Kane.”
He leaned back, his gaze slowly lowering to mine.
“It’s okay. I understand complicated.” I palmed Jason’s chest. “And Jason is just trying to support me. Colter can’t have Elias.”
So much conflict and pain reflected in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Things have a way of working out like they’re supposed to.”
His eyebrows knitted together and then smoothed out. “Sometimes.” With that, he stepped back, yanked the door open, and disappeared inside.
I sighed. “I can’t believe Colter wanted me to buy Elias. What a sleezy thing to do.”
“It would have helped if Kane were willing to testify for you.”
“I know, but they do have Maya’s written directive. I mean, I can’t see how his testimony could hold more weight than something concrete like that.”
Jason looked like he wanted to say something and then thought better of it. “I hope you’re right.”
I was too. I was sure Valle Perdido was a nice place to live, but I wanted to get Elias and get as far away as possible from Colter Briggs.