Page 24 of Jacob

Disgusting.

“This is Roughneck territory!” Tut announced, jabbing his finger at Jacob as he yanked the bartender up against him again. “You’re our fucking guest. Remember that.”

Pin-pointed pupils and wild eyes stared back at him. This was what Monty wanted to make nice with. This was what Bowie didn’t want to stomp into the ground. This was what Monty wanted to respect.

The urge to pull his gun and shoot Tut in the fucking face had Jacob balling his fist while the other hand remained on the butt of his gun. He could do it. It’d feel fucking good too.

Stop being so damn impulsive. His father’s words echoed in his head.You gotta stop and think about how others are gonna see what you’re doing.

A thick hand slapped on his shoulder and Jacob stiffened, holding his breath. Someone had seen him. Someone knew what he’d planned. One of Tut’s brothers. He’d just fucked everything up for Odin’s Fury.

Fuck.

He’d just fucked it up for Dash, for himself. They might not walk out of this alive.

“Sweet ass tattoo, man.” Dash shook Jacob’s shoulder and his hand fell from his gun to his side. “I think your man is gonna do mine.” All smiles, he smiled before cutting a knowing glare to Jacob.

Tut narrowed his eyes at the Odin’s Fury members. The bartender looked terrified, wide-eyed, tight-lipped, with her eyes darting between the two men with one of Tut’s arms crossed over her chest, holding her against him, and the other stuffed in her half pulled down drenched jeans. It was almost as though he were using her as a petite human shield.

“Can I get an Allagash?” Dash asked with a jerk of his chin as he pulled his arm off Jacob, placing his empty beer bottle on the bar top.

With a heavy sigh, Jacob slid off the stool. Taking his cigarettes from his cut, he shook one loose and stuck it between his lips. “I gotta get going,” he announced. He didn’t wait for a reply.

Lighting the cigarette on the way out, he felt dirty. The Roughneck Riders were grimy. They were everything wrong with one-percenters—out of control, unpredictable tweakers. They were one stupid mistake away from disaster.

Hanging around with them made Jacob no better. He’d gotten caught up and almost given in to the impulse and gone against his president. Monty wanted a peaceful takeover. No matter how fucking disgusting they were, Monty was president and he saw the bigger picture. Jacob wasn’t even an officer and tonight proved why.

Flinging his leg over the bike, he jammed the key in the ignition and turned over the engine. Twisting the throttle, he savored the sound of the engine roaring to life. The power of the engine between his thighs traveled up through his body as he pulled his legs up and the bike rolled forward. He needed to ride to clear his head and get centered.

Ohio fucked with him.

Chapter 14

Sparrow

Finally, the mixed chatter in the bar, which had blended into an incoherent buzzing noise most of the night, had dissipated to pockets of smaller conversations as the bar emptied. Sparrow could actually hear Stone Sour’sZzyzx Rd.as she reached over the table collecting the empty bottles.

Her back ached. Her feet begged for relief from the miles she’d walked circling the bar. Her biceps screamed from carrying tray after tray of light beers. She grinned as Corey Taylor sang about being tired. “Me too, buddy. Me too,” she murmured.

Crouching down, she shimmied her overloaded tray toward her shoulder and grunted as she lifted. To steady it, she used her fingertips to find the center of gravity. Sure she had it balanced, she turned and headed toward the bar to get rid of the trash. Thankfully, this time of night, she wouldn’t have to dodge grabby hands getting around the floor.

She wasn’t sure if she should credit her excellent evasive ability on her Brazilian heritage and her innate dancing ability, or if having to learn to avoid being groped at the bar had made her a better dancer. The chicken or the egg conundrum amused her as she purposely, and unnecessarily, swiveled her hips to evade a table right before she got to the bar and put down her haul of empty beer bottles.

Kimber dropped a steaming rack of freshly washed pint glasses onto the back rack for drying. As the bartender started wiping down the glasses, Sparrow tossed the beer bottles into the trash can enjoying the tinking, and occasional breaking sound they made as they landed. “So, are you going to share your little bouquet?”

“What bouquet?” Dixie asked as she sauntered over toward the bar. Apparently, that had been her mother’s purse reserving her seat while she’d been in the bathroom. “You got flowers?” she asked with a wide grin as she moved her bag and slid her ass on the seat.

Shooting her co-worker a glare, Sparrow lifted a shoulder. Her tongue ran along the rough gum just peeking from beneath the smooth sugary sour apple candy of the lollipop she rolled in her mouth.

“No,” Kimber chimed in as she put glasses away. “Sparrow got apology lollipops in an arrangement like flowers. A bouquet of candy. Let me get it!”

“No,” Sparrow protested, but it fell on deaf ears because the bartender had already sprinted to the back room.

Slumping her shoulders, she didn’t want to have to explain this. Everyone that’d seen it already made the assumption it came from Pipes. Her mother would too. He didn’t deserve that.

The problem was, she didn’t know how to give the credit to the guy who deserved it or why it mattered that anyone knew who they really came from.

Mere seconds later, Kimber trotted from the back room. Holding the bouquet of lollipops in both hands, she smiled so wide her face barely contained it. She plopped the arrangement on the bar between the three women. Scooting beside it, the bartender gave an exaggerated sigh before she fell over the bar, leaning on her elbows and cupping her chin in both hands. When she batted her lashes, she focused on Dixie. “Isn’t it the most romantic thing ever?”

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