Page 9 of Coty

Jack’s hand slaps hard against my chest. “That’s my Nana.”

“I know.” I nod once and quickly add, “And I love her.”

“What are you going to do?”

“You know how to talk without talking?” I twist the top off the beer and take a sip.

Jack looks back toward the bar at his ole' lady. He grips his chin and lazily runs a finger over his lip. After a long moment, he turns to me with a split-eating grin. “Oh, yeah. I do.”

I shove him to the side. “I can’t do that.”

My best friend is as crazy as his grandmother. I’ll never say those words out loud. But yeah, his way of talking without words would be great, really great. I’d happily do that if I could. However, I can’t get close enough to Kayla to touch her, let alone kiss her, or other things. Whenever I get near her, she puts as much distance between us as possible. Speaking to her gets me yelled at or spoken to like I’m an idiot.

I look up at the TV screen again. Kayla is no longer behind the bar—just my luck. The moment I look away, she disappears. It’s a busy night. She probably needed a break.

“Jack.” Nick walks up with a small tablet in his hands, as usual. “We might have a problem.”

Jack and I are instantly on our feet. He takes one step toward the bar and stops. Lily is sitting on a stool between Granddad and Pops, laughing. The two old-timers are founding members of the club. We glance around the Den. Nothing is out of place. It’s loud. People are drinking, playing pool, or out back with the live band. We rang in the New Year a few minutes ago without any issues. It’s a normal club party.

If the trouble isn’t here? I snap my head toward the TV screen again. Hendrix is forcing one of the college guys out. The guy’s buddies jump up and follow them. A moment later, Bankz storms out the front door. That’s not good. The next movement on the screen paralyzes me. Emily and a woman I don’t know help Kayla onto a barstool. Parker pours a shot for Kayla while the woman lifts her shirt sleeve. Anger explodes within me like a bomb going off. College dude is mine.

“Rodeo, wait!” Jack calls out.

Nope. Too late. I’m already running to the side parking lot. I jump into my truck and jam the key in the ignition. Nothing happens. The key doesn’t fit. What in the world?

Jack opens the passenger door and climbs in. “Keep your head, man.”

“No!” I try the key again. Still nothing. “Ah, come on!”

Jack dangles a set of keys in front of me. “Wrong truck, man.”

Seriously? I glare at him and snatch the keys from his hand. Getting a truck almost exactly like my best friend’s was a mistake. A mistake I can fix later. Right now, I need to be at the Roadhouse.

I start the engine and back out. The front gate opens before we get there. Jack salutes Ross as we pass the guardhouse. He took over five minutes after midnight. Jack’s dad wants trusted patched members watching the gate during big parties.

“Whatever you do, don’t wreck my truck.” Jack pulls his phone out.

I glance over just long enough to catch Bankz’ picture on the screen. The call rings out. He tries Hendrix next. No answer. Somebody should answer their phone. This can’t be good. I press my foot harder on the gas pedal.

“You heard the part about not wrecking my truck. Right?”

“Yeah. I got it, man.” Driving fast, I can handle. My temper is another thing.

We’re in town in ten minutes. I pull up in front of the Roadhouse and slam on the brakes. I toss the keys to Jack and run for the door. Nobody is guarding the entrance. Bankz is slacking tonight. Hendrix is supposed to be at the door.

Ten feet inside, my eyes land on Kayla, still sitting at the bar. I come to an abrupt halt. There’s a large bandage on her arm. That’s more than a bruise. Anger turns to boiling rage. Nick can use the security footage to ID this guy. College dude will regret every touching my girl.

Chapter 5

__________

Coty

Jack slaps a hand on my back, moving me forward. Kayla’s eyes widen a little more with each step I take. She sits on the stool with her back against the bar. I stand less than a foot in front of her. This is dangerous territory. It’s hard not to reach out and touch her. Emily’s on her left, and the lady who helped earlier is sitting on her right. She can’t flee like she usually does. She has nowhere to run from my presence tonight.

My eyes drop to her arm. “What happened?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. You can leave.” She tries to turn her back on me.

---