Page 99 of Cruelest Contract
Getty’s head whips from him to me and back again. He hisses out a string of guttural curses and stands so quickly that his chair topples. He moves in front of me with his gun drawn.
The older man raises both hands in a peace gesture. Then he throws his partner a dirty look, grabs him by the back of the jacket and hustles him out of the restaurant.
Painted on the back the older man’s jacket is a skull above a pair of pistols. When I squint, I see the words Lord Mountain Motorcycle Club.
Now that the tense moment is over, Tye flips his menu around and starts whistling. Getty is slower to relax and keeps standing with his gun in his hand until we hear the thunder of motorcycle engines fade in the distance.
My heart is still pounding as Getty jerks his chair upright and sits down. He leaves his gun on the table and takes a defiant scan of the room, daring anyone to argue.
“I think I’m gonna get the ribeye,” Tye says, already forgetting the incident.
I swallow and try to regulate my thrashing heartbeat. “Those men looked familiar.”
Katz drops off a trio of sodas and a basket of bread. He throws Getty a nervous glance but doesn’t order him to put his gun away as he takes our orders.
Tye waits for the waiter to retreat before saying, “Yeah, we saw some of the Lords the night we went to Laramie. Just a pack of trashy pests but we have an agreement. We let them carry on with their bullshit and they steer clear of Vigilance.”
“They’re getting pretty fucking bold,” Getty seethes. “Looks like they need a refresher on consequences.”
“You can take that up with Julian,” Tye says and passes him the bread basket. “But for now, eat a damn butter roll and behave.”
The tension in the air remains palpable. Getty stays intensely focused on the door in case anyone else he dislikes walks through it.
I tear a roll in half and search for a harmless topic. “This morning when I spoke to Julian he and Fort were at your uncle’s pizzeria. It’s nice that they get to see family while they’re in New York.”
“Too bad you didn’t get to meet Uncle Sal yet,” Tye says. “He’s pretty cool.”
“Your mother’s older brother, right? And he has just the two sons?”
“That’s right. Monte and Nico used to come out for visits during the summer. Wait, you met Nico at the wedding. Monte works with his dad now and he just got married recently so that might be why he didn’t show up.”
I smile. “I didn’t know Monte was a newlywed.”
Tye shrugs. “I guess it’s not so new. He and Sabrina got married last summer. Know what’s funny though? Sabrina was supposed to come out here and marry one of us but then Monte snatched her away first and-”
“TYE!” Getty roars.
He’s so loud that the men at the bar swivel on their stools to find the source of the noise. When they spot the Tempesta brothers in the middle of a stare down, they quickly turn their seats around.
My mouth goes dry and no sound penetrates my ears. There are so many emotions unraveling inside my chest and they are all painful.
Meanwhile, Getty and Tye are having a silent conversation. Getty’s eyes are narrowed with anger. Tye’s shoulders drop and I think he’d prefer to crawl under his chair. The look he gives me is full of sheepish regret.
There’s not much mystery about what just happened.
Tye accidentally revealed a secret piece of information, one that he was forbidden to share. Julian must have given hisbrothers strict orders not to tell me that other potential brides have been invited to Storm’s Eye Ranch before I showed up.
Getty’s eyes have now shifted to me and the anger has vanished. He leans forward like he’s on the verge of speaking but I’m about three seconds away from dissolving into tears.
“I need to use the restroom,” I mumble and push back from the table.
I’m in such a hurry that I fail to grab my purse as I streak toward the back of the restaurant, following the sign for the ladies’ room. Before I close the door I hear Tye say, “Fuck.”
The bathroom has two stalls and neither are occupied. I can’t lock the bathroom door from the inside so my only option is to sit on a toilet, flip the stall latch and hyperventilate alone.
Why couldn’t I have brought my phone?
I badly need to talk to Alice. Or Gabe. Or anyone who actually loves me.
