Page 17 of Savage Spades

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“Jen!” Cam yelled before slamming the front door of the house shut. Why did Jen think it was okay to tell people about her loan to Venom? It wasn’t some small-town gossip. This was her life.

Jen bolted out of her bedroom and into the living room. Cam stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

“What’s going on?” Jen asked, her eyes wide in panic. She was dressed in pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt, which meant she was staying home tonight. Cam was too annoyed with her to be surprised that Jen was actually staying in on a summer night.

“What’s going on? You told your one-night stand about Venom. Now, I have a man-bun wearing bodyguard stationed at my bar.”

Jen shook her head. “Wait, slow down. What happened?”

Cam sighed and went into the kitchen to sit at the table. Jen followed and sat in the chair across from her. The bar closed early on Sundays, so it was only midnight. She took a deep breath before starting to explain. “One of those motorcycle guys came into the bar. The one with the bun--”

“Kit,” Jen chimed in.

“Huh?”

“His name is Kit. Hugo filled me in.”

The same way Jen filled Hugo in on all her personal business. Cam fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Right, so Kit came in and told me that you told Hugo about Venom.”

Jen put a hand to her mouth. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry, Cam. I was tipsy last night. Hugo and I were just deep in conversation. It must have just slipped out.”

When wasn’t Jen tipsy? She loved her best friend, but she couldn’t help being annoyed. Jen got to live carefree, always doing what she pleased. On the other hand, Cam constantly felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, getting heavier and heavier with each passing day.

“Well, now we’ll have one of their club members at my bar twenty-four seven. According to Kit, I’m not supposed to pay Venom any money.”

“Um, this is a good thing, right?” Jen asked.

“No, it’s not a good thing!” she hissed. “Venom is not someone I want to mess with. They are just making everything more complicated.”

Why couldn’t Jen see that? Not paying money you owe to a very dangerous man was not a good idea. He’d come after her. The only question was when, and would the motorcycle gang be there to protect her when all hell broke loose?

“Listen, you don’t have the money to pay Venom anyways, and now, you have an entire motorcycle club looking out for you.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

Jen waved her off. “Just relax. Maybe Venom won’t want to bother with the bar once he sees that he’d have to go to war with the Savage Spades.”

“Savage Spades?”

“That’s the name of the motorcycle club.”

“How long did you and Hugo talk for?" Cam asked, her anger starting to melt away a little bit.

Jen smiled. “A long time. I’m going over to his place tomorrow night. I think he lives at this big clubhouse that they all hang out at.”

Cam scrunched up her nose. “What, like a frat house?”

“I guess I’ll find out when I go. He said there’s a bar inside.”

Cam threw up her hands. “Then why don’t they drink at their bar?”

Jen shrugged.

Cam shook her head. “I need to get to bed.”

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