Page 15 of Hell on Wheels

Pleased to hear all this when it shouldn’t have mattered, I tucked the information away for another time.

Snooki tugged me toward the kitchen. “Got a table going with a few of the girls. We play card games and take shots when we aren’t busy.”

Busy?

Snooki giggled. “We like to keep the brothers happy.”

“Oh,” I answered with a slight blush.To each his—or her—own.

“Come on, honey. I’ll introduce you to the others.”

I followed Snooki, wondering how long it would be before Flint returned. I had a feeling this would be a long night. With so many people around, I wasn’t sure when I would have a chance to sneak away. For the time being, I decided to wait until I saw Flint again before I left.

Chapter 5

Patriot lit a cigarand puffed away, his eyes briefly closing as he inhaled. “Damn. Wraith’s Cuban cigars are no joke. Pure fuckin’ pleasure.”

Wraith would be pissed when he saw Patriot smoking his expensive tobacco.

I snorted, grabbing a beer from the fridge. We found a private room with a pool table, minibar, and a few dartboards. Tables and chairs were scattered around the area, proving this clubhouse used all the rooms frequently. I popped the top and took a long pull from my bottle. Setting it aside, I picked up a dart, throwing it without aiming and hitting just slightly off-center.

“I’m too sober for this,” I announced, giving him a smirk over my shoulder. Two more landed even farther from the bullseye.

“Fuck. I never see you miss.” Patriot inhaled, closing his eyes briefly to savor the exotic taste and aroma. “This is almost heaven.”

I shook my head. “Never thought I’d hear you say anything was closer to heaven than a nice pair of tits and a sexy ass.”

Patriot’s chuckle was as familiar as home. He sounded far too much like David. One of my best friends, and the scream I heard minutes before he died. The thought was sobering.

“Got a special girl worth taking my time and building something. She’s it for me, man. My ol’ lady is fucking fearless.” I didn’t miss the way his voice seemed to catch. “I miss David too.”

My thoughts must have been obvious. “That’s not why I’m here, though.”

“Didn’t think so.” Patriot blew a cloud of smoke from his lungs, and it rose upward, hovering in the air above our heads. “My guess is it’s something to do with that pretty little brunette you brought here with you.”

It was hard to look Patriot in the eye for long. It was just like staring down his dead nephew, conjuring up images and memories I didn’t want to haunt the rest of my evening.

---