Page 90 of Apex of the Curve

“I told you, you disrespect my woman one more time I was gonna knock your ass out. I meant it. Get your ass up.”

“Fen, please,” I said, frightened. Not for Fenris, but for Tic. He wasn’t any match for Fenris in size and I’d been insulted much more heartily than someone refusing to trust me because of my background. “It’s alright,” I said. “I’m not that fragile and I can take it.”

“Not how it works with us, baby,” Dump Truck called out. “Tic is disrespecting you, you’re Fen’s property, for all Fen hasn’t made it official.”

“That means that shit cannot stand,” Maverick said with a wink at me.

“Please, I don’t want anyone fighting because of me,” I said.

“Ain’t fighting over you, hon,” Dahlia said from the front door. I turned to look at her. She blew a plume of fragrant smoke into the air and handed a joint over to one of the men there looking on in interest.

“They’re fighting over Tic being a royal fucking disrespectful dumbass.” She gave Tic a flat, unfriendly look and turned on her heel, reaching behind her and grasping one of the men’s hand.

“Mav, I’m going to borrow your office if you don’t mind,” she said lightly. “Pool table is occupied.”

Tic looked murderous, and she gave him a meaningful look before towing the guy whose hand she had a hold of into the club.

“Help yourself, Dahlia,” Maverick said, but his expression was thoughtful. Thoughtful and, dare I say, disappointed somehow.

“Fenris, please. Give him one more chance, for me?” I asked.

Tic made a disgusted noise and got up, stalking around our table and going in the front door to the bar.

Fen sank down, staring holes in the other blond man’s back.

“He needs to figure his shit out,” Fen growled.

Mav, who was staring after Tic as well, said, “I don’t disagree. He opens his mouth again in your lady’s direction, I got no problem with you settling things the good old-fashioned way.

“Should I just go home?” I asked softly. “I really don’t want to cause any trouble.”

“No,” Maverick said unequivocally. “It’s nothing on you, honey. It’s all Tic and whatever issues he’s got going on in his head. We don’t do drama, Tic knows that. He’s just asking to get his ass kicked.”

“I’m gettin’ happy to oblige,” Fenris declared, cracking his knuckles.

I sighed and nodded.

We ate the rest of our food in relative peace and had a nice conversation with Maverick – one that Dump Truck and Little Bird joined us for.

Maverick asked a lot of questions, but I got the impression he was genuinely just trying to get to know me for himself and his own peace of mind, and so I did my best to answer them honestly and truthfully… even if some of them did happen to feel quite personal or strayed into uncomfortable territory.

They weren’t very trusting. I understood that. I also understood that I was wholly an outsider. A law-abiding citizen, through and through… even if or when I disagreed with a particular law. It wasn’t because I was any sort of particular goody two-shoes, I just had always been raised to follow the rules. Not just follow the rules, but to not make waves. I had always been raised to worry incessantly about what other people would think if I did this or that. My mother had always been hard on me, extremely judgmental, while Copper being the male of the family had been allowed to do whatever he wanted.

I hadn’t been lying when I said my mother and I had a contentious relationship. I had never been good enough, really. Had never stood up straight enough, had never been pretty enough or thin enough, a million little flaws of mine and more pointed out at every turn. Not thankful enough, not gracious enough, not appealing enough… very rarely had I made my mother proud.

In short, I was used to being a disappointment. I was certain that no matter what I did, no matter who I encountered, I would always in some way be disappointing.

Which is why I had worked so hard to be precisely what Charles and wanted and needed me to be. Which was why his betrayal had been all the more devastating. I’d done everything right. More than right. I knew that to the bottom of my soul. It had, in its own way, been a sort of revelation.

Then there was Fenris, who lifted me up, who looked at me as though I were some sort of queen, and I have to admit… I loved that despite the feeling that I’d done nothing whatsoever to deserve it.

“Hey.” Fen looked up and Dump Truck too, beside him. I looked up myself and turned to find one of the other bikers standing behind me.

Mav’s smile lit the night as he asked the man, “You doin’ good brother?”

The man rocked slightly on his booted feet, eyes glassy and bloodshot with too much weed and drink.

“Good food, good booze, and even better pussy. Dahlia hooked me up. I’m right as rain now, man!”

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