Page 42 of The Gambler

“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret that?”

“I have no idea.” To his surprise, she grabbed his hand. “For my protection,” she whispered. “If they think I’m with you, they won’t descend on me like the plague. In this world, I’m like candy.”

Then she winked, making him doubt her mental state once more.

They walked up to the bar and classic rock smacked them in the face.

Teddy actually smiled when he spotted Tess. His eyes appreciatively roamed over her body, which made Luca feel on edge. When the guy switched his gaze to Luca, a frown creased between his heavy brows.

Fuck. He would stand out in that bar like a sore thumb. But fuck it, he wasn’t going to change for anyone.

“Hey, doll. It’s been a while.”

“Hi, Teddy.” She let go of his hand and hugged the bear of a man.

The second she let him go, Luca tugged her back to his side. It felt wrong seeing her hug another man. Of course, that was a normal feeling. What man would want the woman he was with, for real or fake, to touch another man?

“What’s with the suit?”

“That’s my guy, Luca.”

“He don’t look like he belongs, Tess. You know this is a biker bar. Unless you’re a follower or pussy, you don’t get inside. I don’t care how expensive his suit is.”

“Guess I have to make a way in for myself then,” Luca said. He was about to ruin a perfectly-tailored suit, but the guy was pissing him off, reminding him of prison. It was true what they said—if you didn’t want to become anyone’s bitch, you had to make a name for yourself. Even with the Bratva’s protection from the inside, the rule had applied to him. People respected power and strength.

Teddy laughed right in his face, his protruding belly shaking his whole body with him.

“Hey boys!” Teddy’s voice boomed over the porch, drawing attention from bikers, both inside and outside. “Looks like I just got challenged.”

It was as if a horn went off, drawing everyone outside. They were surrounded by two dozen people in no time.

Tess drew him to the side. “Listen. Just lose, okay. Let him kick you a few times, then offer him a drink. He’ll feel sorry for you and let you in. It’s an unspoken rule that the loser buys the winner a drink.”

“I’d bet you’d never tell Hector to just go down.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Of course not. Hector is a former cage fighter. A decorated Marine. A total badass.”

Unlike you, her eyes seem to say. Judging by her look, she didn’t believe he could hold his own.

He ground his teeth when she gave him a pat on the back and two thumbs up. He was going to make her eat those words.

“I’m not going to lose.” Luca took off his jacket and handed it over to her.

“Of course you’re not,” she said in a placating tone.

He turned toward Teddy and walked right into his fist.

The crowd roared, and Tess yelled. After that, all sound disappeared. It was as if there was a high ringing sound in his ears. Zooming, like a microphone dying.

The next fist, he managed to avoid. He stepped aside, his sole focus on Teddy. Big fucking teddy bear.

He wasn’t sure what it was that made him laugh. Perhaps it was the next blow against this abdomen, reminding him of the first day in the joint, when some big guy decked him in the shower.

He spit out blood, accepting two more blows to his sides. Just let him rough you up a bit, Tess had said. It was their fucking way inside, she’d said.

Teddy punched him one more time, making him sway on his feet. Luca looked up, and it was like watching into a dark tunnel, sounds around him disappearing, color fading to gray and black. Then he saw her. Tess. She was like an oasis of color amongst all the black leather and blue jeans. Even in her black miniskirt, it was her popping colors that gave him something to focus on.

He spit out more blood, hating the taste of it on his tongue.

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