Page 49 of Old Flame

“A gang member had his arm wrapped around her neck, holding her against him, while guns were pointed all over the damn place yesterday, and then she got his blood sprayed on her when Lick put a bullet in the man’s head, and he fell dead at her feet. She’s peachy keen, Tex,” Pepper replied sarcastically.

When he shifted his focus to her, she cocked an eyebrow, as if to challenge him.

“You got a problem?” he asked her, frowning.

She sighed heavily, her shoulders rising and falling. “Just too early for stupid questions.”

“I wasn’t aware she was in there until after the fact,” he snarled at her.

Pepper took a drink of her coffee, ignoring his comment.

“Wait,” Goldie said, and then she wagged her pointer finger between Rome and me. “What difference would it have made if you’d known she was in there? You knew Pepper was and other people. Why make that comment about Salem?”

Nina leaned a hip against the counter and studied him. “Yeah, we’d met her already at the bar when we went to have drinks with Pep a couple of weeks ago. But you weren’t there.”

I felt Rome’s eyes on me, but I didn’t meet his gaze. I decided to stare at my biscuit again.

“We were friends when we were younger,” Rome told them.

Friends. I wanted to laugh at that description. He’d labeled it friends for a time back then too. It had become a joke between us. Because nothing had ever been just friendly when it came tome and Rome. Not back then.

“You were friends,” Nina replied, drawing out the last word as if it were one she had never heard. “To a female who looks like a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Demi Moore.”

That was flattering. My bottom lip began to sting, and I realized I had been biting it and let it go.

“It was a long time ago,” he drawled, sounding annoyed.

“That foul mood at Lick’s lack of clothing makes a little more sense now,” Goldie piped up.

I heard the door swing open, but didn’t look up to see who it was. I preferred not to make eye contact with anyone. Not when it felt as if everyone was waiting on me to say something.

“Church,” a deep voice called out. “Liam’s in there, waiting.”

“Can I have a biscuit with bacon to go?” Rome asked.

“Sure,” Nina replied.

“Hurry,” the deep voice said at the same time.

“I’m fucking coming, but I’m getting a goddamn biscuit,” Rome snapped.

“He’s pissy because Lick lost his shirt, Butch. Don’t push him,” Goldie said in an amused tone.

“What?” the man asked, sounding confused.

“Just give me the biscuit. Jesus,” Rome grumbled.

I could see Nina hold it out to him, but kept my eyes downward.

“Thanks,” he told her.

“Uh-huh.” Her voice sounded as if she wanted to laugh.

No one said anything else as his booted footsteps faded away. When the door closed behind him, I glanced over at Pepper, who was watching me. She raised both her eyebrows.

Nina plopped her elbows down on the counter across from me and rested her chin on both her hands, grinning. “All right, tell me all of it. Start at the beginning because the friends thing is bullshit. The tension was so thick between the two of you that Icould almost reach out and grab a chunk of it.”

“Nina,” Pepper said, “her day was bad enough yesterday. Don’t ask her personal stuff.”

---