Page 54 of Royally Lucky

Hose stopped walking, turning back to face them. His throat worked as if he tried to swallow. “Ah, let me get you a fresh one.”

He reached for the one in Duke’s hand.

“Nah, this one is fine. You didn’t spit in it, did you, Sutton?” Duke asked, winking at her.

She shook her head, thinking he’d lost his mind since his tone had gone hard.

“I didn’t touch it, swear.”

“How ’bout you, Hose, did you spit in it?” Duke set the entire bottle down onto the wood surface with a bang, making liquid splash over his hand.

Hose backed up until he hit the wall behind him. “I didn’t have a choice, man. He’s got my ole’ lady and kids.”

T-Rex moved in on Hose’s right while Hollywood boxed him in on his left.

“Someone took your family, and you didn’t think to come to me or Duke, or fuck, one of the others in the brotherhood? You’re a fucking prospect. You know how shit goes around here. We protect our own, and you, by extension, are one of us. We’d have protected your family. Instead, you were ready to sell one of ours. For what reason? Do you actually think they were going to let your woman and kid go? You’re a fucking idiot,” King roared.

Hose shook his head back and forth. “I got a picture of her and my kid tied up two hours ago, man. Fuck, I didn’t know what else to do.” He fell to his knees.

“Bring him to the conference room. Keys, you get that?” King’s cell rang. The President pulled his phone out, talking quickly as he and the others walked away. Sutton fell onto a barstool, stunned.

What the hell just happened?

“I need to go with them to see what’s going on. Stay here with T-Rex, please.” Kendrick kissed her temple.

“Don’t worry, she won’t leave my sight.”

“Are they going to help his family?” she whispered.

T-Rex grunted. A nonanswer if there ever was one.

“Did he drug that drink?” she asked, nodding toward the beer on the counter.

The big man pounded his fist on the wood surface until another bartender scurried over. “Dump this down the drain. Try not to touch the liquid or lid, then toss the bottle into the trash. Get our girl here a glass of orange juice, would ya?”

“You’re really good at taking care of women who fall apart. Tell your wife thank you for me.”

He grunted. “You can tell her yourself. Here she comes.”

“There you are. Always off at the bar, hitting on hot women. Hey, lady doc. How you doing?”

The woman settled between T-Rex’s legs. If Sutton hadn’t already known, then the display by the other woman would’ve told her he belonged to her.

Sutton picked up a glass of orange juice, hiding her grin before responding. “Hi, Lux. You’ve trained him well.”

Lux rolled her eyes. “He’s still a work in progress.”

T-Rex lifted Lux off her feet, setting her on the counter. She squealed, making several heads turn. “You keep running your mouth, ma chérie, and I’ll have to put something in it,” he warned.

Lux bent forward, her long dark hair hiding half her face from Sutton. She turned away, giving them a semblance of privacy to study the crowd. A song she recognized began playing by Bad Omens, The Death Of Peace. The words resonated deep within her soul. Hell, one of her favorite lines made her think of Kendrick.The way you fuck, the way you taste.Like in the lyrics when it sayswhen the curtains call the time, she knew they would both be satisfied. Kendrick wasn’t a man who left a woman wanting, in or out of the bedroom.

“Want to dance?” Lux asked.

She jumped. “What?”

“Come on. We can request anything we want.” Lux tugged her toward the DJ booth. “What’s your poison? Some country shit or PINK? Please don’t tell me you’re a Britney fan.” Lux stopped in front of the setup with speakers on each side. The guy looked down at them, his eyes going to Lux first, then Sutton.

“Do you have Falling In Reverse, Bad Guy?” Sutton yelled over the music he was blaring.

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