“Don’t make me come back here,” Bull threatens the Howlerz.
We turn to leave, Shadow eyeing Bain as we exit just to make sure nobody tries to be stupid.
***
Back at the club, we park our bikes and head towards the club house.
“That chick was totally giving you fuck-me eyes,” Lip states, walking next to me.
“Yeah, she was,” Tom Cat laughs, striding up beside me, limping from the road rash on his leg.
“How’s the leg?” I question, ignoring their observation about the woman flirting with me.
“Eh, it’s pretty nasty looking.” Tom looks down at his leg and shrugs.
“I’m surprised you didn’t try and take her home. What’s up with you?” Lip questions, flicking his tongue ring with his tongue, his brows furrowed down in confusion. He’s right. I would have grabbed that blonde and took her with me any other day. Just to piss Bain off.
“Got my mind in other places,” I reply, shrugging.
It’s not a lie. Jessica agreeing to go on this date with me has me fucking nervous as hell.
“Like what?” Lip questions.
“I’m taking Jessica out tonight,” I inform shortly.
“Nuh uh.” Lip stops, looking at me like I’m crazy. His eyes squinting and mouth parted as he stares me down, looking for any sign of joking.
I stop and smirk like a schoolboy who’s taking the hot chick to prom, and his buddies just figured it out.
“You are?” Lip laughs, patting me on the back.
“This whole time I thought you were just fucking crazy when telling stories about being with Doc. You were actually telling the truth,” he continues, shaking his head as he rambles.
I scowl at his confession and open the club doors, ending the conversation; otherwise, I might kick his ass for calling me crazy.
My mouth drops open and my eyes widen. The whiskey along the bar is along the floor shattered. The couch is over turned, along with stools and chairs, and the TV above the bar is busted in.
“Shit,” Bull whispers, eyeing the mayhem. Shadow grasps my shoulder and leans in.
“Could this be blowback from what you’re keeping from the club?” Shadow questions. I look around the room; the damage is minimal. Surely, Augustus’s men didn’t do this for a warning of war; it’s not their style.
“I don’t know, man,” I reply, running my hand through my hair anxiously.
12
Bobby
I slide my hand over my cheeks, wondering if I should shave before picking up Jessica. The scruff has grown just a bit past stubble.
“Nah,” I whisper, dropping my hands to my side.
My hands are sweating and my heart is palpating. I’m nervous and think I may throw the fuck up. I comb my hair back with a brush and look in the mirror. “Fuck that,” I whisper, running my hands back and forth messing it up. I look like a tool with combed hair. “Screw it,” I mutter, turning away from the mirror. Feeling warm, I roll my sleeves up to my elbows. I decided to dress up, wearing a black button-up shirt, and blue jeans that don’t have holes in them. This is my idea of dressing nicely. I close my eyes, trying to steady my nerves as I adjust the last cuff on my sleeve. Jessica has come a long way, emotionally and mentally. A darkness that once consumed her, now unveiling its hold and letting that light of hers escape vibrantly. I think this whole ordeal has changed both of us. The connection that I once felt is deeper. When I’m with her, my chest literally fucking constricts to the point of painful from the rush I get, but the feeling is intoxicating. I’m alive. When we’re separated, I don’t feel anything but dysfunctional.
I shake my head at the thought. It explains a lot. All the girls I’ve slept with over the years, they were all there trying to fill a void that Jessica planted in my soul. There are a million reasons why I should have let Jessica walk out of my life, a million rejections when I should have taken the hint, but I just didn’t care. I stayed and kept pushing because of how I felt when we were together.
I walk toward the main room, contemplating grabbing a beer to calm my thoughts when I spot Cherry and Dani sitting on a couple of stools at the bar. Dani’s sipping on a beer and Cherry’s sliding her hand on a leather cut laying on the bar top. The place is cleaned up; the ol’ ladies doing most of the cleaning, while me and the guys argued about who was going to replace the TV. We all pitched in, in the end.
“Holy shit, you look stunning, Bobby,” Cherry chimes, eye-fucking me from top to bottom. I stop and look myself up and down.
“I clean up okay, I guess.” I grab the beer from Dani, taking a large sip.
“You’re nervous,” Dani observes, smiling.
“What? No, I’m not. It’s just like any other date,” I remark, taking a bigger gulp.
“Uh huh. You might want to wipe that fountain of sweat off your forehead before you see her then,” Dani laughs, pointing at my face. I groan and wipe my forehead with the back of my hand.