"We don't care about your damn territory," I grumble. "Who's Lawman?"
Bodie grins and glances at her sister. From halfway across the bar, Colbie howls like a hound dog.
"Lawdog!"
Mac sighs. "He's a peacemaker working for a group of businessmen. Basically when our types fuck with each other then the cabal gets nervous, so they send in Lawman."
"Lawdog!" Colbie howls again.
"Shut the fuck up!" Mac yells, but Colbie and Mac's wife just laugh.
"What cabal?"
Bodie shoves her hands into her jeans pockets. "Business people like my father don't need these thugs interfering with our financial interests. Lawdog plays interference. The businessmen keep the heat off the thugs while the thugs stay out of the businessmen's way. Everyone gets their cut. It's the American way."
"Is Lawman a thug or a businessman?"
Bodie does the thing where she turns off her facial expression and lives in her head. She won't answer me. Mac notices this fact too, and how I'm waiting for him to answer.
"How the hell would I know? I didn't read the guy's resume."
Grinning, I size up Mac and his muscle. "What would you have done if I said I was here on a scouting mission? Would I be a dead man now?"
Mac glances at Bodie. She ignores him, so his gaze returns to me.
"I'd make clear how friend or no friend of the McLaughlin family that we'd view any move into our territory as an act of war."
My grin widens. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not here on a scouting mission, huh?"
"Yeah," Mac mutters, suspicious now.
Glancing at Sawyer, I find her watching Colbie and the platinum blonde dance on the stage. When I turn my attention back to Mac, he's also studying Sawyer.
"Are you her man or bodyguard?"
"None of your fucking business."
"Does that mean curly over there single or not?"
I say nothing, fearing I can't trust myself. Bodie chimes in for me.
"Why? Are you looking to play matchmaker?"
"Actually yeah. My bud Stanley just got his ass dumped, and he could really use a pretty girl to lift his spirits."
"All that pretty comes with a ball busting habit."
"Good. Stanley needs fire in his life. The last bitch was a cold one. Nearly froze his cock right off."
Suddenly, Bodie and Mac look to me for an okay to hookup Sawyer and some slob named Stanley.
I glance again at Sawyer who is glaring at her hands. She wants to fight with someone, and I rather enjoy the idea of setting her loose on the slob.
"I doubt she'll say yes, but you are free to ask."
Bodie smiles. "I'll have Colbie ask."
Mac shares her smile. "When Colbie asks, people always agree. It's that or shooting themselves to make the nagging stop."
"Why not shoot her?" Snickers asks.
Bodie focuses her gaze on Snickers, and I can feel her killing him slowly in her mind. The asshole in me smiles.
"Well if we're good here, I promised Veronica I'd take her to the mall."
Mac stands up and gives me a nod before gesturing to his woman. She stops singing whatever the hell she and Colbie are attempting to harmonize on stage. Soon, she is out the door with Mac with his muscle close behind.
"You made a friend," Colbie says to me. "Male bonding makes me nauseous. Just keep that in mind."
Ignoring Colbie, I walk to Sawyer to see if she wants to do anything this afternoon while the siblings enjoy naptime. She refuses to look at me.
"I want nap time too," she mumbles.
"Of course, you do."
Sawyer slides out the booth, flips me off, and walks out the door. Colbie bounces behind her, still howling the song from earlier. Bodie waits for me to walk with her.
"You made a mistake setting up Sawyer with Stanley," she says, while Sawyer and Colbie speed out of the parking lot in the latter's red SUV.
Feeling hot jealousy stir in my gut, I ask, "How do you figure?"
"Stanley is hot."
"How hot can a guy named Stanley be?"
Bodie frowns at me from under her army hat. "Let me put it this way. I have mighty high standards, but if I was interested in dating a biker thug, I'd go for Stanley. No way would I date you though."
"How come?" I ask, pissed about Stanley rather than Bodie's rejection.
"I don't like men hung up on other women."
I say nothing while she climbs into her truck and starts the engine. Leaning out of the open window, she looks at me.
"You want Sawyer, but some other guy is gonna snap her up. That's how life works. You might be her soul mate, but she's a young, attractive, rich chick. Won't take her long to find someone willing to make her happy. He won't be you, but he'll do."
"I don't think Sawyer's ready for a man."
"Look, dumb fuck, you can tell yourself whatever lies sound right to your big damn head. One day, she'll move on. When she does, you'll freak out and scream you're soul mates, dammit!" Bodie pauses to laugh at my future stupidity. "It'll be too late. She'll fall in love, and I don't think Sawyer's the type to fall out of love just because you get a change of heart. She'll keep the man who helped her get over you. Then where will you be?"