“I wasn’t planning on doing anything other than laundry, binging some shows on Netflix, and sleeping. Why? Do you need me to cover a shift?” I asked.
“No,” she said and shifted her weight, suddenly seeming nervous. “Uh, okay, this is kind of embarrassing, so I’m just going to say it. Um, I have a blind date this weekend, and I’m supposed to meet him at a bar in town. I was wondering if you would go with me in case he stands me up or turns out to be a creep. I know we just met, but you seem like a fun girl, and if I end up being humiliated, well, you’re only here for a few weeks…” she trailed off and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry! I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. Oh, hell, you probably think I’m a loony bird.”
“Kennedy, it’s fine. You don’t have to explain. Where are you meeting this guy?”
“Precious Metals. It’s a bar off Old Devil Springs Road. Kind of a hole-in-the-wall place, but it’s never overly crowded, and I’ve always had a good time when I’ve been there.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to, but she was a nice girl, and it seemed like she needed someone to go with her. “Yeah, I’ll tag along, as long as you don’t mind me leaving if you two hit it off.”
“No problem. Can you meet me there at seven?”
“Tonight?” I asked in surprise.
“Oh, yes, tonight. Is that okay?”
I gave her a fake smile and hoped it looked real. “Sure, tonight’s fine. I better get going so I can get some sleep.”
Well, crap. I guess it really didn’t matter when we went out. I just thought I would have more time to mentally prepare myself to step out into the general public of Devil Springs.
Chapter Three
Judge
I walked into Precious Metals behind Batta. Apparently, Layla joined a dating website on his behalf, unbeknownst to him, and had been searching for a woman for him. Last week, she found one and somehow managed to get him to agree to meet the woman. So, there I was, by his side, to play wingman or run interference if she turned out to be one of the crazies.
“Do you see her, man?” I asked.
He didn’t answer until we reached the bar. “How the hell should I know? Layla said she would be wearing a black shirt. Look around, brother. Almost everyone in here is wearing a black shirt.”
The bartender handed us each a beer without us having to order, and I took a sip while I glanced around the bar. I smiled with my lips still on the bottle when my eyes landed on a familiar face sitting a few stools down from where I was standing.
“Well, if it isn’t Nurse River. We meet again,” I said jovially.
She turned, and her eyes widened at the sight of me. “Mr. Jackson. How are you?”
I stepped closer to her, almost too close, and I heard her suck in a sharp breath. “Call me Judge.”
“Uh, okay, Judge. How are you?” she stammered.
I stepped back and gave her my panty-dropping smile. “I’m good. What brings you to Precious Metals tonight?”
“My friend is meeting someone here. I’m just keeping her company until he arrives.”
“Your friend meeting a guy named Trey by chance?” I asked.
Before River could answer, her friend leaned around her and looked me up and down. She grinned. “Yes, I am. Are you Trey?”
I shook my head. “I’m not, but he is,” I said and pointed behind me to Batta with my thumb.
The girl’s eyes widened and her mouth slightly parted. River reached over and pushed her mouth closed, bringing the girl out of her trance. “Oh, hell yes,” she breathed. “I’m giving that dating site a five-star review as soon as I get home.”
“Batta,” I called. “Found your girl.” Batta picked up his bottle and joined us.
“This is River,” I introduced her first since I didn’t know the other girl’s name.
“And I’m Kennedy,” the other girl said and held out her hand.
Batta reached for her hand and grinned, “Kitty?”
“No, Kennedy,” the girl said loudly as her cheeks flushed.
Batta smiled and took her hand. “Hi, Kennedy. I’m Trey, and this is my friend Judge. Would you ladies like to get a table?”
“Sounds good,” Kennedy beamed while River grimaced.
I moved to stand beside River, allowing Batta to move in closer to Kennedy. “Judging by the look on your face, I’m guessing you got roped into tagging along, too.”
She picked at the label on her beer bottle. “Yeah, this isn’t really my kind of place.”
“Mmm...and what is your kind of place?”
“Honestly? The couch or bed wherever I’m staying at the time.”
“You move around a lot?”
She bobbed her head. “I’m a traveling nurse.”
“So, you’re a traveling nurse that likes to stay at home?” I asked, even though it was obvious she had no interest in carrying on a conversation with me.
She shrugged. “I guess you could say that. There’s no point in going out and getting to know people when I’m only going to be in one place for a short amount of time.”
“Yeah, but it’s good for the soul to go out and have fun every once in a while.”
“And why are you concerned about my soul?” she asked snarkily.
I raised my hands in surrender and took a step back. “I was just trying to make conversation while our friends are getting to know one another. I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening.”
I turned and headed for my previous spot at the bar, passing Batta and Kennedy along the way. “You guys feel free to grab a table if you want. I’m going to hang out at the bar,” I said and pointed to my intended destination. Batta gave me a strange look while Kennedy’s eyes shot to River.
“Sorry,” Kennedy said softly. “I knew she didn’t want to come, but I hoped she would change her mind once we got here.”
“No worries, darlin’. There’s a game on I want to watch. You two enjoy your evening,” I said with a chin lift to Batta and made my way to the bar.
I shook my head and glanced over at River. She had her pretty blue eyes focused on the bottle in front of her while her long, dark hair hid most of her face. She was hot as hell on the outside, but she was a block of ice on the inside, and I didn’t have the time or energy to waste on trying to warm her up.
I ordered another beer and tried to focus on the game, but my team was crushing their opponents, and it wasn’t holding my interest. After finishing my beer, I signaled to Batta and headed to the bathroom to take a piss before I left.
I was almost to the hallway that led to the bathrooms when a noise off to the side caught my attention. It was a feminine yelp followed by a male shouting, “You fucking bitch!”
Batta stood as I turned to find some jackass holding River by her upper arms while his buddy closed in behind her. I was across the room and had my arm wrapped around the guy’s neck in a flash. “Let her go and apologize!” I ordered.
“Fuck you, cunt!” he spat as he released one of River’s arms and hit her across the face.
And that was it. I yanked the piece of shit away from River and let my fist fly. If there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was a man putting his hands on a woman in anger. Unfortunately, I only got to hit him three, maybe four times before he was out cold. I glanced to the side to see the other guy already on the ground. Batta was standing a few feet behind him with his arms wrapped protectively around Kennedy and River.
A bag of ice was pressed against my chest, drawing my attention to the man standing in front of me. “Here. Take this to her. We’ll take out the trash,” Sam, the bartender, said.
“Thanks, man. Get a pic of their IDs. They’ll be permanently banned once I let Copper know about this,” I told him and took the ice to River.
When I reached them, Batta removed his arm from her shoulders, and she turned to look at me. Her cheek was red and already starting to swell. I gingerly held the bag to her face, and she covered my hand with hers. “Are you o
kay?”
“Yes,” she croaked and cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
I shook my head. “Don’t thank me. If I hadn’t given him the chance, you wouldn’t be standing here with a busted-up face.”
“If you hadn’t been here, it would have been a lot worse. So, yes, thank you.” She turned to look at Batta. “And thank you, too.”
“Any time, sweetheart,” he replied with a nod. “Let’s have a seat,” he said and gestured to the table he and Kennedy had been sitting at.
“Is Sam gonna let Prez know?” Batta asked when the girls were in front of us.
“Nah, I told him I’d tell him. Just waiting on Sam to send me the pics of their IDs.” As if on cue, my phone chimed letting me know I had a new text message.
Sam and his newest employee reappeared behind the bar a few minutes later. “They give you any trouble?” I asked.
“Started to,” Sam said with a sly grin. “But they changed their tune real quick when they found out just who they were fucking with.”
I turned back to the table to find Kennedy gawking at Batta with her mouth agape, and River staring at the table with furrowed brows. “The bar was recently sold, and the new owner is a well-known businessman in the area with a lot of powerful connections,” I explained. I didn’t particularly care what River thought, but Batta seemed interested in Kennedy, so he could tell her about the club when he was ready.
When he’d asked me to tag along, he’d also asked me not to wear my cut. Normally, I would have told anyone else to fuck off for asking, but I understood why he made that particular request. Batta was a big guy—an extremely big guy. His size alone was intimidating to most people, but when he added his club cut, he scared off most women before he even had a chance to show them he was a good man. While I understood his point of view, I had a completely different opinion in regard to myself. If a woman was scared of my cut, she wasn’t the woman for me.
River suddenly gasped and pushed away from the table. “Judge! Your hand! Let me see,” she blurted and reached for my injured hand.
“It’s fine, sweet cheeks,” I said and held out my hand for her to inspect. “I only hit him with my good hand.”
“The fuck did you do this time?” Batta asked with a chuckle.
I held up my hand to show him my latest set of stitches. “Box cutter slipped while I was making a cut getting stuff ready for the install I have scheduled for tomorrow.”
“What’s the total count now?”
I smiled proudly. “Two hundred and forty-seven.”
“What?” Kennedy asked.
“Judge is a bit accident-prone. To date, his injuries have resulted in two hundred and forty-seven stitches,” Batta explained.
“And seventeen staples,” I added.
“You should be more careful,” River chastised.
“You sound like my mother,” I snapped back. It wasn’t like I enjoyed having to stop whatever I was doing and go get sewn up, and I wasn’t purposefully careless. Shit just happened.
“Well, thank you again for your help this evening, but I think I’ve had all the fun I can handle for one night. So, I’m going to head out,” River said.
“Yeah, me, too,” I said. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t asking,” I said pointedly and stood. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Four
River
I bit back the snarky reply trying to burst from my mouth and said goodbye to Kennedy and her date before allowing Jonah “Judge” Jackson to escort me to my car.
I just wanted to go home and pretend like the night never happened. Arguing with him would only delay my ultimate goal. My headache was getting worse by the minute, and my cheek was starting to throb.
He followed me out to my car and even held the door open while I slid into the driver’s seat. “Well, thanks again. Take care,” I said awkwardly.
“No problem. See ya around,” he said with a wink and walked across the parking lot to a shiny black motorcycle. He swung his leg over the seat and slid on a helmet before the engine roared to life. When he revved the engine twice, I realized I was staring at him with my lips parted.
I shook my head to clear it and backed out of my parking space. Yes, the man was sexy as sin and then some, but I was in town for a job, nothing more. Feelings were not included in my five-year plan, especially feelings that had anything to do with Devil Springs.
At the first red light, I noticed Jonah was in front of me. When he was still in front of me fifteen minutes later, an uneasy feeling started to form in my gut and continued to grow as he took every turn I needed to take. When he turned on to my street, I still didn’t know what he was doing until he pulled into the driveway of the house next to mine. Without a single glance in my direction, he pulled his motorcycle into the garage and closed the door. What the hell? He was my next-door neighbor?
I couldn’t stop myself, even though I knew I should have. I stomped across the lawn and pounded on his front door.
The porch light came on, and the front door opened to reveal a smiling Jonah. “It’s a little late for visiting, don’t you think?”
“Oh, shut it. You live here?” I asked incredulously.
“For now, yes.”
“Why?” I asked, even though it was none of my business.
“Well,” he drawled, “I sold my old house, and they’re not finished building my new one yet. Since I’m a little too old to be living with my mother, I’m renting this house until mine is ready.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were my neighbor?” I asked, clearly unable to shut my big mouth.
“I didn’t know until just now. Might’ve figured it out over drinks, but you had no interest in talking to me.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to, sweetheart. It was written all over your pretty face,” he pointed out.
I sighed and studied my feet. “You’re right, and I’m sorry.” I cleared my throat and nervously twisted the toe of my boot against the ground. “I, uh, I’m not very happy with my assignment, but I shouldn’t have held that against you.”
He stepped back and opened the door wider. “Want to come in and put some ice on your face?”
I hesitated for a few seconds before I decided that it might not be a bad idea to have a friend close by. “Okay,” I said and followed him into his living room.
“Have a seat, and I’ll grab some ice for you. Want something to drink?”
“No thanks. I’m good.”
He returned with a vacuum-sealed frozen steak and handed it to me. “I was planning to cook that tomorrow night. Two birds, one stone.”
“Glad I could be of service,” I said with a smile.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“What happened with that guy?” he asked.
I really didn’t want to tell him and thought I had gotten off lucky when no one asked at the bar. “The same thing that happens at bars all across the country. Guy approaches girl. Girl isn’t interested. Guy doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Girl tells him to suck his own dick. Guy gets pissed. Girl underestimates his anger.” For the most part, that was what happened. He didn’t need to know that I knew the guy from high school or that I’d had problems with him back then, too.
He nodded in understanding. “So, why aren’t you happy with your assignment?”
I laughed nervously. “Straight to the point, huh?”
“You brought it up. For most people, that means they want to talk about it, even if they think they don’t.”
His insightfulness was spot on and really starting to piss me off. “So, I work as a traveling nurse for an agency and have been assigned to work in Devil Springs for three months. My assignment itself isn’t the problem. The people I work with are great, and the hospital has the equipment and supplies necessary to provide ade
quate care for the patients. My issue is of a personal nature. I, um, I have family that used to live in this area and maybe still do, and I have no desire to see or speak to them.”
“When’s the last time you spoke to any of them?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe six or seven years ago.”
“Can I ask why?”
“My mother is the very definition of a junkie whore. My brother took off when he turned eighteen,” I said flatly, doing everything in my power to hide my emotions. “I know my brother came back at some point, but I don’t know if he’s still here, and I have no idea what became of my mother.”
“Hold up,” he said, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees. “You’re from Devil Springs?”
Well, fuck me sideways. I hadn’t realized I was inadvertently sharing that information with him. “Yep,” I said.
“How old are you?”
“It’s not good manners to ask a lady her age,” I said playfully.
“Oh, please. I’m just trying to figure out how I don’t know you. This isn’t a huge town, and there’s only one high school in Devil Springs.”
I studied him for a few moments. His eyes never left mine as he waited for my answer. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
He shook his head. “I’ll find out one way or another. You can tell me, or I’ll find out on my own.”
I figured it would be better to tell him than to have him calling attention to my presence in town by asking questions about me. I inhaled deeply and squared my shoulders. “Well, Jonah, you knew me as Rain Lawson.”
Chapter Five
Judge
I blinked stupidly at the woman sitting on my sofa with a huge steak held to her face. “You’re little Rain Lawson?”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I was never little, Jonah.”
“Do not even try to start that shit with me. So, you’ve known who I was this whole time?” I asked, a little pissed at her for deceiving me.
Judge (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 2) Page 2