Chapter 14

 

Ava

 

 

REALIZING THAT HE was inviting me to the birthday party, I tried not to panic. Things were happening so much faster than I’d planned, catching me off-guard. Not to mention, I’d heard about how rowdy and chaotic biker parties could get. Still, it was definitely a great opportunity.

“Sure. Why not…? Who’s the party for?” I asked.

“It’s Tarot’s. Our V.P. I should probably warn you, we’re having it across the street at Danny V’s.”

My heart started to race. Tarot! The man who looked like my brother was the same one responsible for his death. It seemed to make it even more disturbing. “No problem.”

“It should be a pretty tame party, considering. It’s in the back room and some of the Old Ladies are going to be there. Tarot was adamant that he didn’t want any strippers around when he found out we were throwing it there.”

“Why at a strip place then?” I asked.

“Because the owner offered. I’m sure he’ll make a killing off of the booze and food. Plus, if any of the guys want a lap dance, they can always visit the club area,” he replied.

“Makes sense.”

“So, what do you say?”

I made a face. “Len’s going to be there, right?”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. He’s all talk anyway. If he makes a move, I’ll kick his ass.”

“Okay. As long as you promise to be my bodyguard.” I batted my eyelashes at him.

Hollywood stood up. “Nobody will mess with you. Let me clean up my station and then we’ll head over there.”

I nodded.

 

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, we stepped into Danny V’s. Unfortunately, we had to walk through the front of the strip joint, which was crowded with rowdy customers. Loud music blasted out of the speakers as two girls on stage wrestled in a plastic pool filled with what might have been whipped cream. I noticed Len and a couple other Gold Vipers cheering the strippers on as one of girls pulled the other’s bikini top off. The naked girl jiggled her breasts, causing the guys to clap, hoot, and holler.

“Nice place,” I mused.

Hollywood looked down at me. “First time in a strip club?”

“Yeah.”

And definitely my last.

Although I had nothing against strippers, watching the men get turned on brought back disturbing memories of my past. Especially of the times I’d been forced to get undressed to please others.

“Hey, Hollywood,” said a half-naked woman walking by with a tray of drinks. “Haven’t seen you here in a while.”

“I’ve been busy,” he replied. “How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good, considering.” The waitress nodded toward the back. “They’re all in that party room.”

“Thanks, Kiki,” he said.

Kiki glanced at me and then back to Hollywood. She winked. “You two have fun now.”

He smiled. “We’re planning on it.”

“Come here often?” I asked after Kiki disappeared, unable to help myself.

“Not too much. Let’s go.”

 Hollywood led me back to the party where, thankfully, the atmosphere was better and much more mellow.

“See, this isn’t so bad,” he said.

“No. It’s nice,” I admitted.

I took in the scene in front of me. Most of the guests wore Gold Vipers vests and were playing cards. There were also quite a few women sitting at separate tables, drinking, talking, and laughing.

After scanning the room, my eyes rested on Tarot. He was seated at a card table, holding a woman on his lap. They were engaged in a deep kiss, ignoring everyone else around them.

“Looks like a big turnout. Let’s grab a drink,” Hollywood said.

“Okay.”

I followed him to the bar and a male bartender named Phil greeted us.

“What can I get for you?” Phil asked.

Not wanting any more tequila, I ordered a whiskey-sour.

“Sounds good. I’ll have one of those, too,” Hollywood said, scratching his chin as he looked at the bottles lined up behind Phil.

“You got it,” the bartender said, turning away to mix the drinks.

As we waited, I looked back over to where Tarot was.

“That’s Peyton,” Hollywood said next to my ear. “His Old Lady.”

My heart skipped a beat. It was her. The woman who’d accused my brother, which meant that Tarot was Dominic Savage.

I stared at them, my blood boiling.

“You’ve been intrigued with him ever since he walked into the parlor,” Hollywood said. “I should have told you he had an Old Lady.”

“I’m not intrigued and couldn’t care less if he’s with someone. He just looks familiar,” I admitted. “It kind of caught me off-guard.”

Hollywood looked back over at Tarot. “You think you’ve met him before?”

“No. I know I haven’t. He just looks like a guy I knew a long time ago. A… friend,” I added, although Hollywood didn’t sound like he was jealous. In fact, it was hard getting a read on him at all. Although he’d invited me for a drink, I still couldn’t tell if he was into me or just being nice.

“So, do you have a girlfriend?” I asked, deciding to get right down to it. I wanted to know what he wanted or expected from me.

He turned around and faced me again. “Nope. What about you?”

I smirked. “No, I’m not into girls.”

“Funny,” he replied, biting back a smile.

“Didn’t you hear me tell Len that I’d just recently broken up with someone?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but I figured you were just letting him down easy.”

“You’re right. He’s not my type.”

“What type is that?” he asked piercing me with a serious expression.

Admittedly, in a different world, it would have been easy to flirt with such a good looking guy. He was sexy, quiet, and his artwork blew me away. The man was definitely fascinating. But, he was also the enemy and I didn’t want him to think he was getting down my pants anytime soon.

“A nice guy. One who doesn’t come on as strong as Len,” I replied, internally patting myself on the back for the answer.

Hollywood nodded. “I can appreciate that.”

“What’s your real name?” I asked, staring at his profile. The five-o’clock shadow gave him more of a rugged, bad-ass kind of look, but I could tell that if he shaved, he could also look like the boy-next-door.

“Jayce.”

“Would you be insulted if I called you that instead? I just really like it better.”

“No. Go ahead,” he said as the bartender set our cocktails down in front of us.

Jayce paid for the drinks and then asked if I wanted to play darts.

“Sure.”

“Let’s go over and say hi to Tarot and Peyton first.”

My stomach knotted up. “Sure.”

We walked to where they were sitting. Peyton was now seated next to Tarot and scrolling through her phone.

“Hey, Peyton. How’s it going?” Jayce said, addressing her first.

“It’s going great, Hollywood. Who’s your friend?” she asked, smiling up at us.

“This is Candi,” he said and then went around the table, introducing me to the club members. Most of the names went over my head. All except for Phoenix, who I knew was the club president, and of course Tarot’s.  

“So, are you two dating?” Peyton asked, putting her phone away.

“We just met tonight,” I said tightly. Although my intention was to try and come off as friendly, it was damn hard. I wanted to grab her by the hair and slam her face into the table.

Noticing my cool tone, she gave me a funny look.

I swore inwardly. Being a bitch wasn’t going to help me any.

My eyes met Tarot’s who was watching me intently. I forced a smile to my face. “Happy Birthday. So, how old are you?”

“Too old to think about it. Thank you,” he said, tilting his head. “Have we met somewhere before?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied.

He shook his finger at me. “There’s something familiar about you. I just don’t know what it is.”

“You did see me in the tattoo parlor,” I reminded him.

There was no way he could connect me to Andrew.

He scratched his whiskers and nodded. “That must be it,” he said as a waitress named Bambi approached the table with a tray full of shots.

“Here we go, boys. It’s Jägermeister time,” she said, setting the shot glasses down, one-by-one.

“Uh, oh. Who ordered all of these?” Peyton asked, laughing.

“Me,” Phoenix said, reaching over. He began handing them out. “Go ahead, Peyton. Candi. Help yourselves.”

“I’m driving us home,” Peyton said. “I’ll stick with my Diet Coke.”

“Take an Uber,” Phoenix said. “Or crash at the clubhouse. We have plenty of rooms in the back.”  

“Thank you, but we’ve got to get home to Ruby, who’s with a sitter,” she replied. “Plus, I have a showing tomorrow and need to help get the house ready. The client is a slob.”

“Hey, who you calling a slob?” Len said, coming up behind us. “I just want you to sell the damn thing. You don’t need to clean it.”

She sighed. “If won’t sell if it’s a mess.”

“I cleaned it. Earlier today,” he replied, looking embarrassed. “Hell, it’s not that bad.”

“No offense, Len, but I’ve seen your place. It’s a pigsty,” Tarot said with a smirk.

Len flipped him off.

“I thought you’d moved in with Chachi?” Jayce asked.

“I did about three weeks ago. The place I’m selling was my mother’s house,” he said. “Remember, she passed away.”

“That’s right. Sorry,” Jayce said somberly.

“No worries. She was a mean old bitch who’s probably sitting at the right hand of the Devil. If Satan had any offspring, she’d have been the black sheep of the family,” Len said with a disgusted look.

Tarot sighed. “She had mental problems. I’m sure now that she’s passed on, she regrets the horrible way she treated you.”

“Doesn’t help me now much, does it?” he replied and then turned toward me, his scowl turning to a grin. “What you doing here, gorgeous? Tell me you’re looking for me.”

“Sorry, brother. I talked her into having a drink with me,” Jayce said, putting his arm around me.

Not expecting that, I forced myself to not pull away. I still had issues with guys touching me without warning, no matter how good looking they were.

Len gave me a strange look. “Thought you weren’t in the market for a man right now?”

“I’m not,” I said. “We’re just having a drink together.”

“Maybe afterward, you might want to share one with me, too?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Len, give it up. Leave her alone and find yourself a woman who’s actually interested,” Phoenix said dryly. “Everyone else, grab a shot so we can toast Tarot. I’m thirsty.”

“You want one?” Jayce asked, looking down at me.

“No, I’d better not,” I replied, holding up the whiskey-sour. “I still have to finish this, and to tell you the truth, I’m not much of a drinker.”

Actually, I probably could have used a shot to calm my nerves, but under no circumstance did I plan on getting drunk. Not when Jayce’s hand was starting to feel a little too good around my waist.

“No problem.” He picked up one of the shots and held it up as Phoenix began making a toast. I raised my drink and Peyton held up her Diet Coke.

“To Tarot. May this next year bring you all that you desire. You deserve it more than anyone, brother,” he said.

He deserved something and as my eyes shifted between him and Peyton, I vowed to make sure he, along with his “Old Lady”, got it.