Page 16 of Savage Spades

She wiped down the already clean wooden surface. “Okay, what can I get for you?”

“You have Coke?” he asked.

She tilted her head. Her ponytail swished to one side, and for a second, he imagined what it would feel like to grab it. Fuck, he should have taken one of those girls down to his room last night so he wouldn’t be fantasizing about someone he didn’t even know. He was like a twelve-year-old boy seeing tits for the first time.

“Seriously, why are you here, and where is the rest of your gang?” she asked.

“The Savage Spades heard about your little problem.”

Her face instantly drained off all colors. “I...don’t--”

“Your friend spilled the beans, and lucky for you, Gunner decided your bar was worth protecting. Either Zeke or I will be here at all times.” He winked at her.

To his surprise, she jutted her hip out and rested her hand on it. “I didn’t ask for anyone’s help or pity. I’ve been taking care of everything on my own, and this is not your gang’s bar. It’s mine. So thanks for the offer, but you can go back to your group and let them know I don’t need anyone’s help.”

He took a moment to let his eyes roam over her body. He should have expected this amount of feistiness from her. It was the same attitude he got when he tried to apologize that first night when he’d stupidly knocked into her.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You’re dealing with a mean motherfucker. Venom is not someone you wanna mess with.”

“It’s a little too late for that. Listen, we have an agreement. I’m slowly paying back the loan once a month, so there’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Can you afford the payments?” he asked.

She swallowed and lifted her chin. “Yes.”

He scoffed. “Even if you weren’t lying to me, you’re a terrible liar. By the way, in our town, we don’t let people like Venom come in and offer loans to business owners. So you won’t be giving that piece of shit another dime of your money.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you out of your mind? You just told me how dangerous he is, and then you tell me I’m not supposed to pay him the money I owe him.”

“You don’t owe him shit. Your dad did. That’s not on you.”

She snapped her mouth shut at his words. They stared at each other for a second, having a silent staring contest.

He got up from the stool. “I’ll be over there if you need me. Can I get extra ice in that Coke?”

He walked away to the booth in the corner of the room, feeling her eyes burning a hole in his back the entire time.

Chapter Eight

Cam

She tried her best to concentrate on the homework, but she could feel his eyes on her skin. Leaning against the bar, she stared at the sketch. It was a butterfly, but inside of the beautiful wings, she’d put different images that represented the butterfly’s life. So far, she’d drawn the butterfly and a single piece of grass. She’d replicate the image on the computer when she got to school in the morning. It would be helpful if she had her own computer. The one in the back office was too old even to install Photoshop. She’d tried.

“That one is good to go. You can call him to pick it up.”

Her head snapped up at the sound of Kit’s gruff voice. He spoke into the phone, giving orders to someone. It was probably something illegal that she shouldn’t listen to. He looked even better than he did the other night despite the bruises that covered his face. Another sign that the motorcycle club was trouble. Were they really trying to help her or was she just getting into another bad situation? Being in the middle of a war between a motorcycle club and a drug dealer wasn’t her idea of fixing the problem. Why would they volunteer to help her when they didn’t even know her? His tattooed arm flexed as he lowered the phone away from his ear. Her body started to heat up as she stared at his broad shoulders. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t bothered to look at a guy in months, and now, she was practically drooling on the counter.

“Beer,” Ernie grunted, breaking her from the trance she was in.

Kit turned his head towards her and gave her a knowing smile.

Fuck, she was caught. She turned away from his piercing eyes and cocky grin before she poured a mug of beer for Ernie. The front door creaked open as she set the beer down. The man looked to be in his early thirties. He was leaner than Kit but with just as much muscle definition. Slicked back, jet black hair covered his head. She let out a sigh of relief; this must be Zeke. The guy Kit said would be watching over the bar too. Zeke had to be better company than Kit.

Zeke smiled at her before walking over to the booth Kit was in. They slapped hands before swapping places. Kit came up to the bar and set his empty glass down.

“See you around, sweetheart.”

She glared at his back as he walked out. She was going to kill Jen.

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