Page 2 of Patch's Bride
I pull up to the front gate and one of my fellow prospects waves me through. I park at the end of a long line of familiar bikes and take off my helmet as I gaze at the building. The Savage Legion’s clubhouse might be surrounded by darkness, but the inside is brightly lit.
Stepping through the door, I find the bar area full of brothers, their old ladies, prospects, club girls, and a few visitors. No one takes any notice of me as I wander over to the bar and grab a seat. If there’s one thing I’ve come to understand, it’s that the world doesn’t stop for prospects and I’m okay with that.
Larry is tending bar in his prospect’s cut. He glances up and grins at me. “Tough day at the office, bro?”
“Don’t start being an asshole right off the bat tonight,” I grumble.
“I was just joking around. You drinking draft tonight?”
I give him a swift jerk of my chin, “You know it, Larry.”
He chuckles, “Yeah, you always drink the same thing.”
He quickly pulls me a nice cold mug of Foster’s. Finding Foster’s on tap is no easy task in California. Supplies are spotty at best. Rigs arranged for us to get a consistent supply through a distributor, so we’re luckier than most. When he slides the mug across the bar, I grab it eagerly and take a long drink. “This is the good stuff.”
Crow drops down into the bar stool beside me. “What the fuck have you been doin’ to my old lady. All she talked about over dinner was that dude with the mangled hand. I think she’s traumatized by seeing that shit.”
I choke on my beer, thumping my chest to help it go down. Finally, I choke out, “Sharon’s the best nurse I’ve ever had. I doubt she’s traumatized. More like fascinated by a unique medical experience.”
Crow’s big hands wrap around his mug as he grins. “You might be right about that. My Ladybug’s one in a million. There was something about how her eyes lit up when she was talkin’ about it. She said you saved the dude’s thumb.”
I sigh and take another long drink of my beer. “I don’t know that I would go that far. We’ll have to see how it heals.”
Crow comes to his feet and pokes me in the chest with one fat finger. “Stop tryin’ to impress my old lady with your fuckin’ amazing medical skills. Nurses really dig that shit and I’m not havin’ it.”
I lean back against the bar and glance down at his mostly empty beer mug. “How many of those have you had tonight, my friend?”
He looks down into his mug and shakes his head. “I dunno, maybe three or four.”
Larry flashes me six fingers from behind the bar. I reach out and take the glass out of his hand. “You should probably sleep it off before you head home. Your old lady ain’t gonna want to hear the nonsense you just spewed, especially not in her condition.”
Crow wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve and glances at the line of empty bedrooms running down the hallway. Each contains a set of bunk beds and not much more.
Suddenly, Tusk is standing there beside him. “Come on, brother. I’ve had a bit too much tonight as well. We probably both need to sleep it off before heading back home. I’ll let you have the bottom bunk.”
“Yeah, alright,” Crow agrees. By the look on his face, I’m pretty sure he’s already forgotten his momentary episode of jealousy. Tusk shoots me a knowing look over his shoulder as they walk off. I realize he probably hasn’t been drinking much at all tonight. He’s just running interference, so Crow doesn’t get wound up over nothing. God, this is why I love the Savage Legion. The brothers have each other’s backs.
As usual, Larry tries to smooth over the whole awkward situation with a tasteless joke. “You want another beer or are you off to devise more clever ways to impress the ladies with your doctoring skills?”
I shove my now empty mug back across the bar and shoot him a disparaging look. “One day soon I’m gonna get tired of your sense of humor. When that day comes, don’t expect me to patch you up after I mess you up.”
He snorts a laugh as he draws me another beer. “Doctors don’t break people. They fix them.”
I take the beer he shoves my way and say lightly, “When did you become an expert on what doctors think?”
Larry leans across the bar on one arm and grins at me. “You, my friend, are not making friends and influencing people tonight. You know that, right?”
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but his eyes lift to look over my shoulder. He whispers, “Head’s up, my friend. You’ve got a whore incoming.”
I frown at him. Larry has been warned about calling club girls whores, yet he persists. It’s almost like he has a personal grudge against all of them.
I spin around on the barstool, just in time to see Roxy weaving her way through the throng of bodies to get to me. When she sees me watching her, she stands up a little straighter, throwing her chest out. Roxy is my least favorite club girl, but she does have talent when it comes to capturing a man’s attention. Tonight, she’s all long legs in a frilly skirt, spiked heels and a sparkling halter top. Her long hair sways when she walks and she’s wearing dark red lipstick.
Roxy’s the kind of woman who should come with a warning label. Some of the single brothers are really into her, but others refer to her as bad decision with great marketing. Suddenly, she’s standing in front of me for the hundredth time. When she lifts her chin and flicks her hair behind her shoulder, I find myself frowning at her.
“Doctor Patch,” she purrs. “You look stressed. Are you looking for some company tonight?”
I meet her gaze, keeping my response mild. “Nope, sweetheart. I’m just gonna drink my beer and head home for the night.”
