CHAPTER TEN
Brick
I tossed and turned all night thinking about Starlet. More like obsessing about her, wondering why she ran away from me and why she lied. The first time I saw her I knew something was wrong. She was too apprehensive and unwilling to talk about her past. I’ve never met a woman that didn’t like to talk about herself. Starlet is different, part wounded little girl and part woman.
I take a quick shower, throw on some black jeans, a ribbed T-shirt, and my leather, grab a pair of socks and my boots, then find my way to the kitchen.
“Long night?” Shorty asks and then sets a cup of coffee on the counter in front of me. “You look like hell.”
“You’re not so beautiful, yourself.”
He chuckles. “Fair enough, Brother. I’d start to worry if you were attracted to my hairy ass. We have Church tonight, seven sharp.”
I take a sip of coffee and nearly spit it out. “Fuck. Is this shit coffee or motor oil?”
He laughs again. “Hey, that’s what you get for letting me beat you to the kitchen. I like my coffee and women one way…”
I hold up my hand to silence him. “I don’t want to know.”
Some details are better left unsaid. I bend down and put my socks and boots on, then stand back up. “I’m going to town. Need anything?”
“Nope. Pretty sure Eagle and his old lady are stopping by Costco on the way home from Holly Beach.” Shorty studies me for a long moment. “Maybe one of the prospects should ride with you.”
I snort. “For what?”
“You’re the second in command now. When the prez is out, it’s my job to keep you safe.”
“I’m not the vice yet,” I remind him. “Six months’ probation, remember? I know my way around.” I pat my hip and open up my vest just enough to flash a bit of cold steel. I’m never without a firearm. “Smith and Wesson has my back.”
I turn to walk out the front door. “Chasing Cajun pussy already?”
I stop halfway through the entryway. “What the fuck, Shorty? Do you need an itinerary?”
He shakes his head. “I watched you leave the bar last night, just keeping an eye out, you being new to these parts and all. Couldn’t help but notice the sweet thing you were staring at across the street.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” he repeats, looking like he doesn’t believe me. “Pretty sure you were following her around like a lost pup.”
I’ve heard enough of Shorty’s observations for the day. “I’ll be back by seven.” I leave without giving him a chance to react. Shorty is old school, used to doing things a certain way. He’s worn the Iron Norsemen patch longer than I’ve been alive, which earns him a certain amount of respect, but when he starts prying about where I intend to stick my dick, he’s gone too far.
I arrive at the shop where I last saw Starlet by ten o’clock. The open sign is lit up over the front door. That’s when I notice the universal symbol for a fortune teller in the window—a palm with an eye in the center of it. Starlet must work here. She wasn’t lying about what she did for a living. I suck in a ragged breath and brave opening the door, not knowing exactly what to expect.
Her friend is standing behind the counter. When she sees me, her eyes flare. “No,” she says. “Get out.”
“Calm down,” I say. Big mistake.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she yells at me, coming around the counter.
“A customer.”
She props her hands on her hips. “Then buy something, now.”
I scan the nearby shelves, finding nothing of interest. Then I look on the wall behind the register. There’s lists of things for sale, perfume, lotions, books, and fortune teller services.
“Time is up.” She gives me a push. “I don’t care who you are, she doesn’t want to see you. Understand?”
I hold my hands up. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
Two women step inside the shop, take a look at me, then immediately leave.
“That’s it, I’m losing business because of you. Either shed the fucking cut or get out.”
I let out a growl, pissed she insulted my patches. I shove my hand in my front jeans pocket and pull out a wad of money. “I want my fortune told.”
“Christ Almighty,” she complains, ripping the bills from my hand. “There’s three hundred dollars here.”
“Book me.”
She takes a deep breath, extracts a C-note from the wad, then hands me the rest back. “If I let you see her…”
“I’ll see her one way or another,” I assure her.
“Why?”
What is it with people down here? What ever happened to southern hospitality? “That’s between Starlet and me. Now are you getting her, or am I going hunting?” I look around, noting three doors along the side wall.
“She’s with a client right now.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Listen to me, Brick…” She covers her mouth, like she just made the worst mistake.
“She told you about me?”
“Enough for me to know not to trust you.”
“Your words, or hers?”
Her gaze scours over me.
“What is it? My tats? Leather?”
“Everything,” she answers.
“What’s your name?”
“Juanita.”
“If I wanted to hurt, Starlet, she wouldn’t be here. If you know anything…”
“The hotel? That you’re just another asshole who targets vulnerable women for a piece of ass? That you think with your dick and are void of real emotions. That women are disposable and not worth the price of those precious patches you wear. Yeah, I know plenty, Brick. Satisfied?”
I clap my hands, pissed she judge me without knowing what kind of man I am. If I didn’t care about Starlet, I wouldn’t be here. “Bravo. Really. If I were part of the Academy, I’d nominate you for a fucking Oscar.”
She rolls her eyes. “Spoken like a true brother.”
I stalk closer, Juanita’s attitude needs adjusting. “Back off, sweetheart.”
She doesn’t waver. “Fear none. Respect few,” she spits, reading the words on my patch. “Take your one percenter mentality and stick it up your leather wearing…”
“Juanita?”
We both turn to find Starlet and her client standing a few feet away.