Page 69 of Claim Me

Zoot appears from the back hallway and begins making the rounds. He ends up where we play pool. His gaze lingers on Tack and me. The day on the road when the mercenaries got close to stealing away Hunter, Tack and I used our bodies to keep her safe. Since then, Zoot’s been especially “concerned” about Tack and me. He shows it by frowning at us a little longer than he does other people.

“Who here is wasted?” Zoot asks as he looks over our group.

Golden raises his hand while the rest of us shake our heads.

“Look at all these responsible family men,” Zoot sneers at a smiling Noble strolling over. “They’re turning into duds.”

“When I joined this club,” Bear announces, “I did it with the understanding that I could punch people and play a lot of pool. No one said anything about being drunk all the time.”

“I’m not drunk all the time,” Golden mutters. “I’m barely drunk now.”

“Parker dying was a good thing,” Noble says while Zoot frowns extra hard at me. “But let’s not pretend our lives just got simple. We still have plenty of enemies.”

“With the press losing interest in Banta City,” Zoot mutters, “every fucking asshole with a grudge against us will crawl out of their hiding place to start trouble.”

“Or,” Tack says immediately, “they might see how we survived the attack on the Kovak Syndicate’s convoy. No way would all the Kovak family have gotten out of that alive without our help.”

I glance at Bear who is definitely remembering the night he thought he lost Natasha forever.

“Then, when Parker sent those mercenaries,” Tack continues, “we kicked their asses. Didn’t lose a single person, either. Hell, we even played nice with the feds. They say Viktor Kovak is unkillable, but I figure the club looks damn indestructible right now, too.”

Zoot focuses his dark gaze on Tack and shakes his head as if the man is an idiot. “Never be optimistic about anything in life. You’re just setting yourself up for disaster.”

Pork Chop rolls his eyes and readies another game of pool. “You always say that, but Elvis is optimistic, and he has a good life.”

“And where is Elvis right now?”

“In the corner booth, weaving fantastical stories about his dick to the prospects,” Sync says as he joins us. “The thing can apparently part the Red Sea. It’s a damn marvel of science.”

“What happened to the redhead?” Bear asks.

“I blew her mind. Then, I explained how the place might get rowdy soon, so she best head home,” Sync explains and takes a pool stick. “I’m a gentleman that way.”

Golden looks at me to see if I’ll complain about how sex is sacred. When I don’t react in any way, Golden smiles.

“What’s happening here?” Zoot asks, pointing between Golden and me.

“I’m not hassling him about his sluttiness anymore,” I reply. “So, he no longer mentions my mom.”

“Why the fuck were you mentioning his mom?” Zoot barks at Golden.

“I don’t have good manners.”

Noble chuckles at Golden’s whiny voice before patting Zoot’s shoulder.

“We’re heading out.”

“Already?” Sync asks. “Seems early even for men your age.”

“Does Caveman know you’re tired already?” Golden adds, and I suspect he feels special when Zoot yells at him.

Noble pats his brother’s shoulder before Zoot can lash out. “We have a meeting in the morning. Our bellies are full, our dicks got wet, and our livers were doused with enough booze to bring us closer to death. It’s time to go.”

Zoot scans our group and asks, “Which one of you fucks wants to stay overnight to make sure everyone gets home in one piece?”

“I can’t sleep here,” Bear says when Zoot eyes him. “I feed the baby at night.”

“That seems like a bullshit answer, but I’ll allow it just to avoid hearing more about your kid. Who else has to run home to his ball and chain?” Zoot asks before gesturing at Pork Chop and me. “I already know you two fucks need to get home to my nieces. I can see your leashes from here.”

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