Chapter 15
Lynch
After another long week, several of us gathered around the bar at Stilettos to have a quick beer and let off some steam before the weekend rush.
Even though nothing had really happened over the past few days, we were all feeling on edge.
The girls had been attacked almost two weeks ago, and since then, there’d been nothing, and we were all troubled by the silence.
It felt like waiting for a fucking bomb to drop.
Widow voiced what we all were thinking when he asked, “Is it just me, or has it been awfully quiet lately?”
“Oh, it’s definitely been quiet.” Viper ran a hand through his hair as he added, "Too quiet.”
“Still no luck with Menace?”
“Nope.” Viper took a drink of his beer before adding, “Poor kid has spent day and night going over the camera footage from the club, and there’s just nothing to be found. Same holds true for the cameras over at Misty’s place.”
“What about the street cameras? Was he able to find anything on who ran Lisa off the road?”
“Nothing concrete. I’m telling ya, those guys were good. They knew exactly what they were doing when they didn’t leave any tracks.”
“Which makes you wonder what they’re planning next.”
“Who knows,” Country replied. “Maybe they’ve had their fill and aren’t planning anything at all.”
“I highly doubt that’s the case.” Viper’s tone grew fierce as he added, “I’m fairly certain that we haven’t heard the last of these guys, and if my gut is right, they’ve got something big coming.”
“So, what do we do?” Frustration dripped from Widow’s words. “Just sit here and wait?”
“We do the only thing we can.” He looked at all of us and ordered, “Stay alert and remain prepared for anything.”
No one was surprised by Viper’s answer. He expected nothing less than the best from all of the brothers, especially when there was a threat. We’d always managed to come through for him and didn’t doubt we’d do the same this time.
After finishing our beer, everyone dispersed, and I headed towards the front to cover the door with Country. I hadn’t been standing there long when Locke walked over. “You talked to Rae?”
“Not since this morning.” I glanced down at my watch and cringed when I saw the time. I’d planned on calling her, but with everything that’d been going on, I hadn’t had the chance. “Why?”
“Just thought you might wanna ask her to stop by tonight.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I invited Haleigh to come by and have a drink.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
Locke shrugged, “I figured it’s safer here with all the brothers than anywhere else.”
“I guess you got a point. You thinking Rae might wanna come along with her?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Even though I’d hoped Rae and I could have a quiet night alone, I told him, “Okay, I’ll talk to her and see what she says.”
“Good deal. Just let me know, and I’ll get things sorted with Haleigh.”
As soon as he turned to leave, I pulled out my phone and sent Rae a text:
Me:
Hey, beautiful.
How’s it going?
Rae:
It’s going great. I just got home and was about to change.
Me:
Hate I’m not there for that.
Rae:
Yeah, I bet.
Me:
You got any plans tonight?
Rae:
No, not yet.
Me:
Why don’t you come to Stilettos with Haleigh?
We can go to my place after my shift.
Rae:
Okay. Sounds like a plan.
Me:
Good deal. I’ll see you in a bit.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket and turned my focus on monitoring the door.
Although I was pleased that everything seemed to be running smoothly, it equally surprised me for such a busy night.
And to top it off, Country wasn’t acting like his typical self.
Instead, he was oddly quiet, which was cool for the first half-hour or so, but then it became concerning.
Eventually, I’d had enough and leaned over to him. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” His jaw clenched as he admitted, “I got into it with Kiersten before I left, and since then, she hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts.”
“Maybe she’s just got a lot going on at the Manor.”
“Maybe, but it isn’t like her not to answer.”
“Have you checked in with Braylon or any of the others to see if she’s there?”
“No, but that’s a good idea.”
He pulled out his phone and walked outside as he made the call. He’d only been gone for a second when I noticed a commotion at the middle stage where our girl Della was performing. I stepped closer for a better look and found a couple of guys were getting mouthy.
Something about their exchange had Della frozen in fear. I’d only taken a couple of steps in that direction when one of them hit the other, and that was all it took.
A whole slew of men jumped up and started throwing punches.
I picked up my pace and was getting close when suddenly, the crowd closest to the bar rushed back, trying to scramble away.
I kept moving forward, trying my damnedest to get to them before anyone did something stupid, and that’s when I noticed two of the men had drawn their weapons, and a third was about to join in.
In the past, we didn’t allow anyone into the bar carrying a gun, but with the state’s new conceal and carry laws, our hands were tied. We had to let them in or risk losing a shit-ton of business. Luckily, we rarely had any trouble, but nights like these could be tough to manage.
By the time I finally weaved myself through the crowd, Widow and Rafe were charging towards the brawl with Axel and Hawk following close behind. Knowing they had my back, I pushed forward and stepped up behind the man closest to me.
I placed the barrel of my gun at his temple and growled, “Drop it.”
“Not happening, man,” he argued. “This douchebag disrespected my woman, and he’s gonna pay for that shit, right here and right now.”
“Fuck you,” the other man roared. “I didn’t do shit.”
“That’s a goddamn lie, and you know it!”
“Look, I get that you two have a score to settle.” The guy was no small fry, but there was no question that I could overpower him. “But this isn’t the time or place.”
“Sorry, man, but I ain’t gonna let this motherfucker walk after he put his hands on my woman.”
I wasn’t going to take any chances with this dude, so I raised the butt of my gun and plowed it against the back of his head, knocking him out. He’d barely hit the floor when Widow and Rafe got a firm hold on the other two men and forced them both to the ground.
I’d like to say that put an end to the encounter, but it didn’t.
Instead, the whole fucking club broke out in complete mayhem.
I’d never seen anything like it.
Every guy in the place was throwing fists, and some of the women did the same.
Locke and Axel were doing what they could but were outnumbered.
Knowing we needed to give them a hand, Widow, Rafe, and I rushed to get our guys out the door.
We hadn’t gotten very far when the lights kicked on, and the music stopped.
Seconds later, Viper stepped up on the main stage and roared, “Enough!”
The entire room stilled, and only the sounds of panting breaths could be heard as Viper growled, “This bullshit ends now. Get the fuck out.”
He pointed to the door, and without a single protest, every troublemaker in the house started walking. It was moments like these that showed the magnitude of Viper’s power. The man was a fucking legend in our city, and everyone knew he wasn’t to be crossed.
The guy I knocked out was still trying to come around, so I tossed him over my shoulder and followed Rafe and Widow out the door. We each made it clear that they wouldn’t be allowed back, then aided the others to ensure the rest of the thugs were gone.
Once the chaos settled, the lights were killed and the music came back on, signaling to everyone we were back in business. I made my way back up front and found Country smiling like the Cheshire cat. He shook his head and snickered. “I can’t leave you alone for two fucking seconds.”
“Fuck you, Country. I had things under control.”
“Clearly.”
“You talk to Kiersten?”
“Yeah.” Looking relieved, he added, “She left her phone at her place, so she had no idea I’d been trying to reach her.”
“So, you two get things sorted?”
“I was working on it,” he cocked his brow as he poked, “but then you had to go and let all hell break out.”
I was just about to lay into him when I noticed Rae and Haleigh walking through the door. As soon as she spotted me, Rae rushed over, sounding concerned when she asked, “What happened? We had to wait for all those people to clear out before we could get close to the door.”
“There was an altercation, but it’s over now.”
“It must’ve been some altercation.” Haleigh sounded shaken. “People were running out of here like the place was on fire.”
“No fire.” I chuckled. “At least, not tonight.”
“Well, that’s a plus.” Rae glanced over at Haleigh, then back to me. “Is Locke here?”
“Yeah, he’s waiting by the bar.” I checked my watch, then told her, “You two go ahead and join him. I’ll join y’all in a few minutes when my shift is over.”
Rae smiled and nodded, and then she and Haleigh headed over to Locke. I watched as he led them to one of the private tables in the back and ordered their drinks. When Country noticed what I was doing, he leaned over and said, “Go ahead, brother. I’ve got ya covered.”
“Not happening. After the bullshit that just went down, there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you here alone.”
“Suit yourself.”
I did my best to keep my focus on the crowd and not solely on Rae, but it wasn’t easy.
She looked fucking amazing. Her hair was down and slightly curled, and she was wearing a short skirt with a fitted top.
She also had lots of silver jewelry around her neck and wrists that caught the light whenever she moved.
I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off her, and the way she was staring at me didn’t help matters.
I knew then it was going to be a long fucking night.