Page 16 of Mad Max

Commotion behind me draws Jimmy’s gaze. I turn as well and find myself waving awkwardly.

“Friends of yours?”

I look back to my uncle, who has a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his lips. I sheepishly shrug, not denying it but also not fully admitting it. This is literally the first time a guy I slept with is in the same room as Jimmy. I guess this is as close to my parents meeting a suitor as it’ll get. Not awkward, just different.

Mad Max glares at me as he moves to the empty table next to us with two others. His president sits next to me as the other guy, Casper, sits by the beast.

Another inmate comes, not one I know, and no one talks to him as he takes a seat at the table with Mad Max and Casper. No one seems to notice him, but I get the feeling he’s just a prop to let more Hounds in this place. Surprised the warden let the president sit at our table; even if the limit is two people per inmate, we were already in a meeting.

He lifts his chin at Jimmy. “Travis.”

“Law.”

I watch the exchange as they size each other up, and I swear the room quiets for a second, like everyone is waiting for a fight to break out, but I’ve never known my uncle to hold a grudge against the Hounds. And last I checked, Mad Max was a guard for Jimmy at some point, so unless something happened recently, I’m not sure what the tension is.

“There a reason why my niece is waving at you lot?”

Oh.

“She’s a friendly girl.”

“Not that friendly.”

“Met her the other night. One of my guys dealt with a problem she had.”

This has Jimmy moving forward and resting his arms on the table, all but ignoring me. “Dealt how?” The growl in his voice makes me push back from the table in surprise. Never heard menace like that from him before.

“He won’t be a problem.”

All eyes turn to Mad Max. His table buddies are sitting like a triangle, the inmate with his back to us and the two Hounds on the opposite side facing us, watching us talk. There’s enough space between the tables to have privacy, but Mad Max’s voice travels to our group.

“You sure?” Jimmy asks.

“Benny’s not a problem.” I feel the need to step in and prove I wasn’t an idiot. I still stand by my thoughts. Benny might be a guy who has no clue what loyalty is, but he isn’t a threat.

“Personal guarantee.” Neither table spares me a glance, and I huff as I fold my arms across my body. They all nod in some sort of agreement with what Mad Max said.

“What brings you lot to my neck of the woods? Might not mind the company, but I didn’t expect to see you back here in a long-ass time.” Jimmy talks to Law till the end, and then he makes a point to look over at Mad Max.

“We’re here as a courtesy, nothing more,” Law says for the Hounds.

“About what?”

“Perhaps we should wait for innocent ears to leave… unless they're tangled as well?”

“No.”

The one word from my uncle earns a quick follow-up response from Law. “Good.”

Both men look to me, and I just stare wide-eyed at everyone. “Right. So, I guess this is the part where I leave. Bye, Uncle Jimmy. See you soon.” I stand, waving my goodbyes, focusing only on my uncle, as he’s the man I came to see and the only one I can guarantee will return my ending of the conversation.

But before he waves, he stops me from walking away.

“See you soon, Boo. Stop by the shop on Fifth and ask for Lou. He’ll be able to help you with the stationery.”

I nod and do my damnedest to act cool as I leave. But my eyes betray me at the last minute, wandering to the beast as I pass. A shiver rakes through me as I find him already watching me, and we share a look before I pass him and continue on my way.

The Hounds might want me to stay away from whatever they’re here for—which, if I were a betting woman, would be for the same reason I was. But while they might be warning me off, Jimmy gives me a bigger surprise. I know exactly who Lou is on Fifth, but most call him Louie the Fifth. And he isn’t a nice man.

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