Defiant Dodge by Naomi Porter
6
Dodge
Why had I agreed to be a bouncer at The Bullet? I never came here unless for a club party where I was required to attend. The place was boring as fuck and not my kind of scene. Country music didn’t usually bother me. That was before I had to listen to it nonstop.
All evening there wasn’t one bar fight. Nobody tried to get in with a fake driver’s license. Not one damn exciting thing happened. I stood around at the door, feeling like an idiot, as I counted the seconds before I could go home.
Lynx approached. “How’s it going? Dodging very many hotties?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?” I so didn’t need this from him.
He laughed, slapping me on the back. “None, huh?”
Fucker.
“I’m bored out of my mind. Where’s all the action? The danger. I want to smash some faces.”
“Sorry, brother. My patrons mind their manners.”
“Great,” I grumbled. “When is karaoke over? I can’t handle another slurring drunk on the stage.”
Lynx looked at his watch. “Another hour.”
“Fuck, man. Send me home. You don’t need me here.”
“No can do. You work until closing and make sure the servers get out of here unharmed.”
I recalled the night the Dirty Hunters knocked out Ire with a lead pipe and raped a young server. She didn’t work here anymore.
“Hey, whatever happened to that girl? The one the Hunter’s enforcer assaulted.”
“I haven’t seen Ava since last Christmas. She told me she didn’t need my help anymore.”
“What kind of help?”
“Money.” He exhaled a heavy breath. “I felt so fucking bad about what happened to her that I’d visit her once a month and give her a check to help pay the bills. She lives with her grandma. They don’t have much, y’know.”
I nodded, scanning the dance floor. “So you think she’s working again?” Not sure why I was so curious about this woman. Only that Ire had been messed up for months after the attack, then one day he was better. When we trained together at the gym, he seemed back to his old self, at the top of his game. He also spent a lot more time texting, which was unusual. Ire hated cell phones.
Lynx shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. I might pay her a visit. Just to see how she is.” The guilt in his eyes was palpable. As the bar’s manager, he felt responsible for his employees. I’d feel the same way.
“What’s with the pole in the back corner of the stage?” I asked, changing the subject. Talking about Ava was depressing.
Lynx grinned mischievously. “It’s new. Figured The Bullet would be an excellent venue for bachelor parties. I’ll hire a few girls to pole dance and make bank while dudes get wasted drooling over them.” He bumped his shoulder into mine. “It’d be awesome.”
Lynx was always looking for ways to bring in more money.
“You think there’s that many dudes getting hitched in Bastion to make it worth it?” The town barely had five thousand residents, if that.
“Eh, I was thinking more for all my brothers getting married. I imagine you’ll be next.”
“Damn straight. As soon as I get Emilee back, I’ll claim her at the club, then marry her. But I don’t want a bachelor party with pole dancers.”
“Are you kidding me? Every man deserves one last hoorah before getting hitched.”
“Storm and Boxer didn’t have parties.”
Lynx shook his head. “No. No, they didn’t. But I didn’t have the pole then. I do now, for all future bachelor parties.”
“Count me out.” Parties weren’t my thing. Neither was having one last hoorah.
“Well fuck. I’m gonna go mope in my office. You’re breaking my heart, brother.” He slumped his shoulders as if sad. “Come find me if you need anything.”
One day Lynx would find the woman he couldn’t live without, then he’d understand the rest of us lovestruck men in the club. Then again, I had a feeling Lynx avoided certain types of women, so he didn’t fall in love.
The night dragged on. I tried not to watch couples kiss and dance. From my vantage point, I saw everything. It sucked. I missed Emilee more than before, if that was possible.
An eery feeling came over me. Like I was being watched. I scanned the room, my gaze landing on a blonde at the bar. She chewed on a cocktail straw staring at me.
I looked away, so I didn’t give her the impression I was interested.
Dammit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hop off her stool. She wiggled through the crowd toward me.
“Excuse me?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yeah?”
“You’re a Knight. Part of the MC, right?” She studied the patch on my cut.
“Yep.”
She smiled. “I knew it. I’m not surprised the club is still around. Who’s the current president?”
I hiked my eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”
She waved me off. “I guess some things never change, like suspicious bikers. I’m just curious. I know Matt Knight died several years ago.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m long-time friends with his wife, Eve.”
Eve? It took me a couple of seconds before I realized she meant Sugar. “Oh yeah? So why haven’t you asked Eve about the current prez?”
The woman’s carefree expression fell slack. “Because I haven’t spoken to her in years. We kind of lost touch.”
“What’s your name and number? I’ll pass it on to Sugar when I get back to the club.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Just one more question.”
“You can ask, but I might not answer.”
“Wow, do they breed alpha men like you specifically for the Knight’s Legion MC? Wait, are you a relative of Matt’s?”
“That’s two questions, lady. No to both.”
“They weren’t what I wanted to ask.” She grimaced when I cocked my head as if saying, really? “Are there any original members at the club?”
Interesting question.
Maybe I should get Lynx to deal with this woman. He was my superior.
“Are you asking about anyone in particular?” I didn’t appreciate her secrecy. Why not just come out and name the person you’re asking about?
“That depends. Are there any?” She shifted from one foot to the other like she was nervous. She reminded me of Sugar in some ways. It probably had to do with them being around the same age.
I had no desire to deal with this woman. Lynx could figure out her angle. I was sure she had one with how weird she was acting.
“Can you excuse me for a second? I just need to—”
“Oh sure. I need to go anyway.” And just like that, she rushed out of the door.
I wasn’t about to chase after her, but I’d definitely mention her to Sugar.
Which original member did she want to know about?
