“So, you said he made you guys quit early?” I break the silence, wondering what my brother’s up to.
It’s not like him to quit work early.
“Yeah, he wanted to get a quick nap in before dinner. Apparently, we’re going into town tonight to some bar.” Mick frowns. “I can’t remember the name.”
“Ah, Rif’s, huh?”
“That’s it!” He snaps his fingers. “I guess we’re meeting up with Jake and who knows who else.”
“Well, as luck would have it, that’s where I’m going to be tonight.” I smirk.
“Really?” He raises a brow.
“Mmhmm,” I hum. “I’m meeting up with Kaylee, Jake’s sister. We get together every Thursday for drinks. It’s the one day a week she comes out from behind the bar aside from Sundays.”
“Ah.” Mick nods in understanding. “Life of a bartender.”
“No, life of a bar owner.”
“My mistake.” He cringes, then frowns. “Wait, why have I heard the name Kaylee before?”
“Probably because Josh is in love with Kaylee, and her with him. Only instead of admitting it, they pretend to hate each other.” I smirk.
“So what I’m hearing is tonight has the potential to be a shitshow.” Mick rubs his chin, trying not to smile.
“Oh, it will be.” I laugh. “Especially since Josh hasn’t been home in over a year, but it’ll be interesting for sure.”
“I can’t wait.” Mick slaps the railing. “Well, I guess I will see you later then. Maybe you’ll have a drink with me?”
“I’ll be there. We will see about the drink.” I wink.
I should turn around and head up the stairs, but for some reason, I can’t move as I watch Mick walk away.
* * *
Mick
Striker,Jake and I are seated above the small dance floor, overlooking the entire bar. I picked this seat so I have a direct line of sight on Shane and her friend tucked into the corner close to the bar. I watch guy after guy approach the girls, greet them both, and then take Kaylee onto the dance floor for a quick spin.
But never Shane.
Why?
When she walked in tonight, I knew I was in trouble. Dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a halter top, she’s smoking hot. My dick stood at attention for her within a breath.
Fuck, this woman is going to be the death of me.
“I’m going to go grab a second pitcher, our waitress is taking too long,” Striker grumbles, grabbing the pitcher from the middle of the table.
“So you’re getting out soon, huh?” Jake asks, taking a drink of his beer.
“Much to my family’s pleasure, I am,” I say, making Jake laugh.
“Can’t fault them for not wanting to worry about you all the time.”
“Eh, the worry will always be there.” I shrug. “That’s one thing both” —I nod at Jake— “our professions have taught us. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Bad shit can happen anywhere, anytime.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” he sighs. “You never know what you’re going to see. We have a massive interstate that runs right through town. I-70 goes from Maryland to the west side of Utah. Hell, sometimes I can’t sleep at night worrying about what we might have missed. Did a sex trafficker drive through today and I never knew? What about that Amber alert child? You just never fucking know.”