“Not my fault you haven’t figured out us Cali girls pack a punch.” Durty giggled, pushing her hips against his.
Sting moved away from the bar, lifting the bar arm for Xander to pass through. “I’m not sure you could call it a punch.”
Durty rolled against the edge of the bar, until she was facing the two men, her arms resting on the polished top. “You keep thinking that, studmuffin.”
Sting’s brows shot up as he shuffled behind the bar. Scooping up a bottle of beer, he cracked it open, the sound making her mouth water. Durty was definitely craving a cerveza about right now. Sting laid a bar towel over his arm, placed the bottle and a frosted glass on one of the cocktail trays, and picked it up.
Balancing it on his left hand like a pro, he lifted it above his head, kept his right arm curved at his waist but in front of him with the towel, and made his way out from behind the bar. “I brought you your afternoon tea, madam.” Sting drawled out the words like he was a stuffy English butler, lowering the tray for her to retrieve the bottle and glass.
Plucking the items off the tray, the palm of her hand landed against his bare arm, a loving gesture, of course. “Ass.”
“Yours.” Sting winked, setting the tray on the bar top. “How about we go do something fun after we close?”
“Why, Mr. Jackson, are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes, I believe I am, Miss Simons.”
His smile was infectious as she leaned into him. It wasn’t every day a woman got a catch like Sting. She was going to do everything in her power to keep her claws sunk deep into him. No more psycho Durty…she hoped.
Her attention drifted toward everyone milling about, getting the club ready for Ladies Night. It was one of their busiest nights, next to a Saturday night. Then again, there wasn’t a ton to do in Shadows Falls. Most people drove to Palm Springs or partied it up in Barstow, so their options were few and far between.
Now, that didn’t include the races at Skull Canyon. Everyone who was anyone came out for those. Lace had a huge stake in the races. She was a gear-head and tried to teach Durty how to work on her bike, but some things just don’t compute, and engines were one of those things.
“I have just the place to take you,” Durty perked up.
“Oh, really?” Sting wrapped his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. “And just where might that be?”
“Guess you’ll have to wait and find out. I promise, you’ll like it.” Durty wiggled her bows, kissing his scruffy cheek.
“Should I be worried?”
Shoving against his side, she moved away from him with a shake of her head. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Stepping behind the bar, she scooped up a bucket for ice.
****
The day drug on, especially since everyone was there to help out. Between Lace and half the girls, who were employee’s, they had most of the Rojas in the building as well. With two hours until opening, the blazing sun was just starting to disappear, leaving Durty with the hope it’d start cooling down. The Mojave winds were moderate, not giving them too much of a reprieve from the sweltering heat.
She’d just got done with cutting her lemons when Lace strolled out of the back office, her arm draped over Stellar’s shoulder, both wearing smiles. “Now, isn’t that a sight to see.”
Stellar looked much better, considering the damage Cobra had inflicted on her. Her jaw would be wired shut for months, but the bruising was fading, and her spirits seemed lifted.
Stellar rolled her eyes at Durty. “Bite me.”
Durty was going to reply, but both the front doors swung open with such velocity, the air was sucked out of the room. Everyone went silent, their eyes locked onto the opening, several hands reached under their cuts or for the back of their waistbands, ready to draw down, should a Warrior walk through the doors.
As luck would have it, Vader was in a suit, and followed closely behind, by…Bronson?
Durty had to do a double take, and it didn’t go unnoticed that she wasn’t the only one.
Bronson cleared his throat when he came to a stop behind Vader, hooking his thumbs into his utility belt with something tucked neatly under his arm. “Lace,” he said softly in greeting.
Durty kept her position behind the bar for a millisecond, but let the knife she was holding clatter to the cutting board. Snatching up a towel, she wiped her hands as she came out from the protection of the bar. “Why are you here, John?”
Vader smirked. He casually lifted one of his hands, the other clasping the edge of the sleeve of his shirt, tugging it out from the long sleeve of his Black Isaia cashmere sport coat. “Why do you think I’m here?” Vader snapped his fingers at Bronson like the cop was a dog, beckoning him forward with the wiggle of his finger.
Bronson unhappily sighed, slapping a large brown envelope in Vader’s hand. His jaw was clenched tight as other officer’s came up to stand behind him as a sign of reinforcement.
Lace scoffed, followed by a dry, cynical laugh. “Really? What the hell is this, Bronson?” She lifted her hand, motioning to the six deputies standing behind him.
Vader held out the envelope to Durty, his smile slow and full of sarcasm. “This is your eviction notice. You must be out of the building by midnight.”
Durty snatched the envelope out of her brother’s hand, ignoring the gasps of surprise and whispering from some of the crew. “Eviction notice? You can’t be serious.” She glanced to Lace, whose face was currently a blank slate. That was never a good sign.
“Give me a moment to look this over, Bronson. Please?” She tore open the envelope, backing away from everyone—Sting, Butcher, Lace and Stellar, right on her heels. Tugging out the paperwork, she threw the envelope to the bar, her eyes scanning the documents.
Sting dropped his voice, so only the five of them could hear. “What the hell?”
Durty frowned, flipping a couple of the pages. Her face clouded with uneasiness, a voice of warning whispered in her head. This can’t be right. There was no way Lace would be a month late on a payment.
Drawing in a breath of uncertainty, she finally looked up to see Lace with a faint smirk on her lips, her arms crossed lazily over her chest, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Lace,” she hissed. “This is serious.”
“Uhuh.” Lace nodded her pink head, the hazel eyes flicking over to Durty, a lazy wink followed.
Cocking her head in confusion, she set the papers to the table. “These are saying you haven’t paid on the loan in a month. He got the part of the bank with title loans fourteen through twenty-eight. Your loan is number sixteen. He can call on it, and there’s nothing I can do.”
Stellar motioned for Curby, whispering softly to her before she looked back to the group.
Durty was at a loss of words. How could they be so nonchalant about the loss of the bar they all pitched in to remodel and call home? “This is very serious. I hate to repeat myself, but damn.” She shook her head, looking to the right, at Sting. “It makes sense though. This is why John, I mean, Vader, was at the bank. He wanted to see what he could dig up with what he was given.”
She was mildly comforted when Sting tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “He’s living proof that shit stinks. Is there any way to rebuttal this or whatever you want to call it?”
“I can’t file any paperwork with the courts because he waited until after they closed to serve this. God,” Durty growled at herself, upset that she had been so ignorant of what his plans were. “How could I be so stupid? I should’ve realized this was your loan, Lace.”
Stellar smiled as best she could, taking some papers from Curby, sliding them over to Durty. “It’s not her loan.”
Durty hesitated, blinking with bafflement. “What do you mean?” Scooping up the documents, she scanned over them, relief washing through her. No wonder Lace was being so calm and collected. She didn’t own The Domino Effect any more.
Rolling her shoulders back, Durt
y stood up straighter than she was, lifting her chin just a touch, she turned back to the men patiently waiting for her to respond to the eviction paperwork. Her upper-class bitch mode was on, handing the paperwork from Stellar over to Bronson. “Problem solved.”
Bronson accepted the documents, a look of confusion as he shuffled through them.
Vader snorted. “The problem will be solved when you bitches get the fuck out of my club.”
Durty’s laughter was soft, turning to look at her brother. “Wrong. The problem is you don’t miraculously understand banking just because the owner of a bank stuck it to the hired help. It takes education and years of practical experience to understand the intricacies of what goes on in a bank. All you saw were dollar signs and with your shallow motives, you didn’t take the time to figure there are foot notes at the bottom that say paid off.”
Vader was quick to cut her off, exclaiming he looked in the right place. “You’re supposed to look at the property holder’s name.”
Durty made a buzzing sound in the back of her throat. “Wrong, care to try again? If you wanted to look at the Domino, you look under the property loan. You couldn’t find it under Lace’s name because she sold it ten days ago, to Stellar, and the loan is paid in full.” Tsking at her brother, she smiled at Bronson.
“This isn’t even an eviction notice, it’s the start of court filing for a proper notice. You can’t remove someone from their own property, the last I checked. I’m sorry he wasted your time, Bronson. Can you please remove him? We’re trying to run a respectable business here, we don’t want douche bags in three thousand-dollar suits ruining our reputation.”
Bronson tried to hold in his laughter, though the shaking of his shoulders was a dead giveaway. Smiling sweetly at her brother, she patted his arm in a reassuring manner. “I’ll see you at the bank tomorrow.”
Turning away from the entourage, she didn’t withhold the big ass grin from her family. That was one of the most exhilarating moments in her life. She’d told someone ‘fuck you’, without ever saying it, and the look on Lace’s face was priceless. It was pride, which made Durty’s head swell even more.
Bronson handed Stellar back the proof that she owned the bar with a shake of his head and an apologetic murmur as he turned toward Vader. “Let’s go.”
Vader nodded, his accusing gaze riveted on Durty. “Yeah, tomorrow.” Turning around, he almost slammed into a surprised Xander. Vader shoved him out of his way, though Durty caught the seething glare from her brother.
Xander lifted up his hands, shock registering on his face, followed by a hint of worry.
Vader flicked his eyes over the prospect, and then stormed out of the bar without looking back.
Durty couldn’t contain her laughter, clapping her hands in excitement. “Oh my God! That was—wait…” She glared at Stellar and Lace. “Why the hell didn’t you fill any of us in on this?”
Lace shrugged, nudging Stellar with her elbow. “Not my call. If she wanted you to know about it, she would’ve told you.”
Stellar looked up to the ceiling then back to Durty. “It was a last-minute decision. The day it was paid off, a bunch of shit went down, so I didn’t think about telling anyone. You’re not top priority, Durty. Sorry.”
Durty jerked her head back at the condescending tone, not sure where it was coming from. Maybe it was the pain killers she was on. Shaking it off, lips pursed before she stepped back behind the bar. “Guess we got a new boss, does this mean we get a raise?”
Chapter 41
Beautiful Drug
The night was a quick one, but fun. Durty couldn’t stop smiling. She had no reason not to. She stood up against her brother, in a lawful manner, and won. Shit didn’t get better than that. Yes, she’d have to deal with him at the bank tomorrow, since she was getting her affairs in order, but that was the least of her worries.
Right now, they were in her Camry, speeding down a side road, music blaring with the panoramic sunroof open. Sting was singing along to some Whitesnake as she slowed down for a right turn onto a gravel road.
“Where are you taking me? I think I can hear banjos dueling over the music, Durty.” Sting glancing over at her.
“I thought you were some bad ass biker who could handle his own, Sting. Why would the sound of banjos scare little ole you?” Durty let the back of her hand drop to push playfully against his thigh.
“Maybe because I don’t want to end up squealing like a pig?”
“Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be funny.” With a slight turn of her head, she grinned. “Though you do have a pretty mouth, boy.”
“Let’s not go there, Durty.” His laughter was infectious, pulling out the tie that held his wavy hair back. “Seriously though, where are you taking me?”
“You took me to one of your special places, so I’m taking you to one of mine. It seems only fair.”
“A’ight.” He nodded, turning slightly in her direction. “I didn’t want to talk about club business in front of the kid tonight, but he was voted in by everyone.”
An easy smiled played across her lips, appreciation growing more for the man beside her. He didn’t have to tell her anything club related, as it seemed to initiate arguments between them; yet, here he was opening up to her. “I figured.”
“I’m not sure how you girls do it, but we use white balls and black balls. One black ball and you’re out. He got all white. I mean, the kid stood up for what was right. We can’t discriminate against him because he was with a bad chapter. He was doing as his president ordered.” Sting sighed, rubbing his hand across the close-cut beard he was sporting. “Coming forward like he did showed guts. He kept it real and plus, he’s ex-military, so it’s an advantage for him.”
Durty gripped the steering wheel with two hands as they started up the winding road that led to the bluff she wanted to share with him. It was a place she used to go with her father, but continued to frequent after she left house and home. “I totally get that. And no, we don’t vote that way. I wish we did, but ours is by show of hands.”
“Well, if you have a show of hands, at least you can talk out the reasoning of a bad vote. The marble way? It’s said and done, no discussion.”
“I prefer it that way,” she replied, turning off the narrow road and onto a flat piece of land, pine trees scattered about the few acres. What appeared to be a tent slowly appeared in the view of her headlights.
“We’re camping?”
A soft chuckle escaped as she turned off the engine, but left the radio on. “Get out.” She opened her door and waited for him at the front of her car. Taking his offered hand, she tugged him toward the edge of the overlook.
“My dad always called this The Purgatory.” Durty came to a stop close to the edge, leaning back into Sting when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. The valley of Shadow Falls was below them, lit with the twinkling lights of passing vehicles and street lamps, the back drop of mountains and trees making it a majestic view. “It’s perfectly set between the heavens and earth, which is close enough to hell.”
Sting tightened his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “I’ll have to agree, this is beautiful. You can see from one side of the valley to the other. God, how far away is the farthest light?”
“At least forty or fifty miles straight across. The sparse lights to the far right will be the reservation.” With a peaceful sigh, she pointed to an area down below and to the left. “That’s where my dad’s house and land is. I used to ride up here on my horse when I’d get mad at him, or frustrated with life in general.”
“I can see why. It’s quiet, tranquil. How are you handling him being gone?”
Durty swallowed a hard lump in her throat, feeling the burn of tears behind her eyes. “It’s difficult. Our last conversation wasn’t nice at all. I realize he did the best he could, even though he was an epic douche bag ninety percent of the time. It’s not exactly easy for a girl to lose her daddy, jerk or not.�
�� She sniffled, knowing it’d take time erasing the pain the whole situation caused, between his death and her brother’s antics.
“I’m here now, and I’ll be here for as long as you want me to be.” Sting rubbed his bearded cheek over her head in a tender movement.
Durty turned in his arms, tilting her head back to search his face. She could no longer deny herself this man. He’d become so much more than that typical boyfriend or booty call. He was stability and love. “I want to stay the night here, watch the sun rise with you.”
His head dipped, lips brushed across the bridge of her nose. “We can definitely do that.”
Shivering from his whiskers lightly scraping her skin, Durty nipped playfully at his bottom lip. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Sting pulled back away from her, moving his head to get a better look at her. “What’s that?”
“Guess we’ll have to go in the tent and find out.”
Chapter 42
Drunk on Your Love
And what a surprise it was.
Durty had it all planned, a cute little teddy on under her clothing, which he enjoyed. Several times.
Now, the sun was rising, and the two were cuddled under a blanket, watching the sky blaze with a multitude of colors. Purples, pinks, oranges, yellows—the sky was showing off. Plump clouds danced against the mountain line, the green of the trees showing up against the darkness of the mountain side.
Laying her head on his shoulder, Durty nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “I want to drive you by the house, show you where it all began.” And take a look at it one last time before her brother took possession of it. That still stuck in her craw.
“I’m okay with that.” Lifting his shoulder a touch, getting her attention, he cleared his throat, almost as if he were nervous. “Speaking of houses, we need to talk.”
Durty’s stomach sank like the Titanic. A dull ache of foreboding crept up to the surface, almost suffocating her. Whenever a guy said they wanted to talk, usually meant kicking the girl’s ass to the curb. “About?” Yeah, that was totally choked out, almost in a squeak. Christ, just when she thought everything was going to go great, it went right to shit.
Policy of Truth (Sacred Heart Continuum Series Book 1) Page 27